UNCLOSETED with Spencer Macnaughton

Our Journalist Spoke to Four Trans Foster Kids Who All Attempted Suicide. Why?

Wed, 13 May 2026 07:00:00 GMT

LGBTQ kids make up a third of the American foster care system and transgender kids enter it at five times the rate of the general population. But in 2026, there are few legal protections for LGBTQ youth in the system.

Uncloseted Media’s Sam Donndelinger spoke with case workers, advocates and survivors of the foster care system and uncovered why it’s failing trans kids. In this episode of “UNCLOSETED, with Spencer Macnaughton,” Spencer sits down with Sam and breaks down the story’s key findings.

“UNCLOSETED, with Spencer Macnaughton” is a new podcast by Uncloseted Media, an investigative LGBTQ-focused nonprofit news publication. Follow and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. YouTube // Spotify // Apple

CREDITS:

Host: Spencer Macnaughton

Audio Production Intern: Bella Sayegh

Editor: Taya Strauss

Social producer/Design: Sophie Holland

Special thanks: Jennifer Moroz and Leital Molad

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘I’m Hopeful’: The President of Gays for Trump Speaks Out

Wed, 06 May 2026 07:00:00 GMT

Peter Boykin founded Gays for Trump 10 years ago as an organization to “get out the vote” for gay Trump supporters during the president’s first run for office. The organization grew fast by creating Facebook campaigns and hosting events at the Republican National Convention. Now, over one year into Trump’s second term, Boykin’s group is smaller but still boasts 11,000 members.

In this episode of “UNCLOSETED, with Spencer Macnaughton,” Spencer sits down with Boykin to learn about why he remains “hopeful for Donald Trump” despite his disagreements about how the president has been handling LGBTQ issues.

“UNCLOSETED, with Spencer Macnaughton” is a new podcast by Uncloseted Media, an investigative LGBTQ-focused nonprofit news publication. Follow and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. YouTube // Spotify // Apple

For all of our journalism and for links to all our coverage, go to UnclosetedMedia.com

Credits:

Host: Spencer Macnaughton

Audio Production Intern: Bella Sayegh

Editor: Izzy Stokes

Social producer/Design: Sophie Holland

Special thanks: Jennifer Moroz and Leital Molad

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1992, James Dale Sued the Boy Scouts. Now, Pete Hegseth Presents a New Challenge

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 07:00:00 GMT

In 1992, James Dale sued the Boy Scouts of America after they kicked him out for being gay. The case lasted nearly a decade and made it all the way to the Supreme Court.

While SCOTUS ultimately ruled against Dale in a 5-4 decision, his case paved the way for LGBTQ inclusion across the organization. In 2014, the Boy Scouts started allowing gay boys to join the organization. Three years later, the organization began allowing trans boy scouts, and a year later, girls became eligible for membership.

But today, Scouting America is presented with a new challenge as Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has put the organization “on notice,” and has threatened to pull Pentagon support if the they fail to erase what he calls “an insidious radical woke ideology,” which includes allowing trans scouts and girls to join the organization, and promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion.

In this episode of “UNCLOSETED, with Spencer Macnaughton,” Spencer sits down with Dale to talk about his experience suing the Boy Scouts of America and why he’s ready to speak out against the new challenges created by Hegseth, who he describes as a “terrorist.”

For all of our journalism and for links to all our coverage, go to UnclosetedMedia.com

Credits:

Host: Spencer Macnaughton

Audio Production Intern: Bella Sayegh

Editor: Taya Strauss

Social producer/Design: Sophie Holland

Special thanks: Jennifer Moroz and Leital Molad

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Bernstein, aka Mattxiv, is the Next Generation of Progressive Social Commentary.

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 07:00:00 GMT

Matt Bernstein, also known as Mattxiv on Instagram, where he boasts 2.2 million followers, is one of the most influential Internet voices for young queer progressives in the U.S. Through vertical videos, uniquely curated social posts and a podcast called “A Bit Fruity,” Bernstein tackles the most pressing—and controversial—issues of our time, but presents them in an accessible and bite-sized way that meets the moment of how consumers want to receive information in 2026.

In this episode of “UNCLOSETED, with Spencer Macnaughton,” Spencer sits down with Bernstein to talk about why far-right podcasters are dominating the Internet, the state of the Democratic party on trans issues and why “nobody [his] age cares about legacy media.”

For all of our journalism and for links to all our coverage, go to UnclosetedMedia.com

CREDITS:

Host: Spencer Macnaughton

Audio Production Intern: Bella Sayegh

Editor: Izzy Stokes

Social producer/Design: Sophie Holland

Special thanks: Jennifer Moroz and Leital Molad

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Surviving Conversion Therapy, Reclaiming Love: A Father-Son Journey

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 07:00:00 GMT

On March 31, the Supreme Court (SCOTUS) voted 8-1 to overturn Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy. In their ruling, which was seen has a huge blow for LGBTQ rights, SCOTUS sided with lawyers from the Southern Poverty Law-Center designated anti-LGBTQ hate group Alliance Defending Freedom and in turn paved for 23 other states and D.C. to overturn bans.

More than half of the 700,00 Americans who have experienced conversion therapy in the U.S. are minors. And the discredited practice is linked to depression, PTSD, and suicidal thoughts.

Sami Tacher and their father Greg Tacher have experienced the devastating impact of conversion therapy first-hand. Greg, a former elder at The International Churches of Christ in Seattle, initially rejected Sami’s gay identity and supported their journey through years of a conversion therapy program that would result in unbearable loneliness, suicidal ideation and trauma that they still deal with today.

Through this time, though, Greg slowly deconstructed his faith and has since left the church. Today, the father and son duo say they’ve come full circle and are “best friends.”

In this episode of “UNCLOSETED, with Spencer Macnaughton,” Sami and Greg share their story.

For all of our journalism and for links to all our coverage, go to UnclosetedMedia.com

This story contains mention of suicide and self-harm. If you or someone you know needs support, resources are available here: https://www.unclosetedmedia.com/p/lgbtq-mental-health-resources

Sami’s essay about their experience in conversion therapy can be found here: https://www.unclosetedmedia.com/p/i-live-in-colorado-conversion-therapy

CREDITS:

Host: Spencer Macnaughton

Audio Production Intern: Bella Sayegh

Editor: Taya Strauss

Social producer/Design: Sophie Holland

Special thanks: Jennifer Moroz and Leital Molad

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ketamine, Gay Men and Trauma: One Man's Story

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 07:00:00 GMT

Ketamine use is on the rise among Americans. But if you’re a gay man, that probably comes as no surprise. Gay and lesbian adults are almost four times more likely to use ketamine than their heterosexual counterparts, and a 2011 study from the U.K. found that queer men were over three times more likely than queer women to use the drug.

For many gay men—who disproportionately suffer from trauma and other mental health disorders—ketamine can offer short-term relief. But longer term use can have the opposite effect.

When Lucas Pearson first tried ketamine at 23 years old outside a nightclub in Louisville, Kentucky, he felt a sense of euphoria melting away his anxiety, depression and “sense of pain” he carried with him growing up as a gay kid in a religious household. At first, the drug was an easy escape that numbed Pearson from reality. Then, it became an addiction that impacted his mental and physical health, fueling feelings of paranoia and fear and leading to self-isolation.

In the third episode of “UNCLOSETED, with Spencer Macnaughton,” Pearson shares his story with ketamine addiction and his journey with recovery.

For all of our journalism and for links to all our coverage, go to UnclosetedMedia.com

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction or substance use, resources can be found here.

CREDITS:

Host: Spencer Macnaughton

Audio Production Intern: Bella Sayegh

Reporting: Sam Donndelinger

Editor: Taya Strauss

Social producer/Design: Sophie Holland

Special thanks: Jennifer Moroz and Leital Molad

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This Journalist Spoke with Eight Trans Women in Prison. Here’s What She Found.

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 07:00:00 GMT

On his first day back in office, President Trump signed an executive order that banned all forms of gender-affirming care for trans people in federal prisons. Six months later, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) from enforcing the order. This block is still in effect today.

Despite the judge’s order, Uncloseted Media’s Hope Pisoni spoke with eight incarcerated trans people and reviewed legal statements by several more over the course of a monthslong investigation that found that the BOP is still denying access to gender-affirming accommodations at prisons across the country. Pisoni also found that the women who stood up for themselves reported being met with intense retaliation, from lengthened sentences to physical violence.

In the second episode of “UNCLOSETED, with Spencer Macnaughton,” Pisoni breaks down the investigation.

For all of our journalism and for links to all our coverage on trans people in prisons, go to UnclosetedMedia.com

CREDITS:

Host: Spencer Macnaughton

Audio Production Intern: Bella Sayegh

Reporting: Hope Pisoni

Editor: Taya Strauss and Sam Donndelinger

Social producer/Design: Sophie Holland

Special thanks: Jennifer Moroz and Leital Molad

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet Katy Faust, the New Leader Coming for Gay Marriage

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 07:00:00 GMT

When Katy Faust was 10 years old, her parents divorced. After that, her mom began a relationship with another woman.

Faust says she loves her mom. So it may surprise you to learn that she’s now at the helm of The Greater Than Campaign, a new coalition of at least 47 anti-LGBTQ groups fighting to overturn gay marriage. Faust and her campaign argue that children are victims when raised by same-sex couples.

In the premiere episode of "UNCLOSETED, with Spencer Macnaughton,” Faust speaks about her campaign, her motivations—both professional and personal—and why she believes her efforts are the “right-wing boogeyman” LGBTQ media has long feared.

For all of our journalism and for links to the studies referenced in this interview, go to UnclosetedMedia.com

CREDITS:

Host: Spencer Macnaughton

Audio Production Intern: Bella Sayegh

Reporting: Hope Pisoni

Editor: Taya Strauss

Special thanks: Jennifer Moroz and Leital Molad

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to "UNCLOSETED with Spencer Macnaughton"

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 15:11:39 GMT

LAUNCHING MARCH 25th:

UNCLOSETED with Spencer Macnaughton is a new podcast that investigates the people, money and power behind America’s anti-LGBTQ ecosystem. Join Spencer each week as he interviews Uncloseted reporters as well as the leading voices on issues facing the LGBTQ community today. From highlighting the voices of people fighting back against systems of injustice to covering breaking news current to the moment, Uncloseted’s reporting provides you with rigorous, objective LGBTQ reporting to better understand the world we live in.

Spencer Macnaughton is a Gracie Award-winning and Emmy-nominated journalist. He has written and produced for 60 Minutes, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Vice, Vox, Time, NBC News, The Guardian, and Rolling Stone, and he teaches LGBTQ journalism at New York University. Read more at Unclosetedmedia.com and follow @unclosetedmedia

#podcast #podcasts #newpodcast #lgbtq #lgbtqia

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.