Eat, Gay, Love: LGBTQ+ Travel with Calum McSwiggan

Listen to "Eat, Gay, Love: LGBTQ+ Travel with Calum McSwiggan" on Spreaker.

In this episode, Hannah is joined by Calum McSwiggan, who is an LGBTQ+ writer, advocate, and author. Calum discusses his debut book, Eat Gay Love, an LGBTQ+ travel memoir, as well as his experiences traveling different parts of the world as a gay man. He and Hannah talk about visibility, and Calum’s privilege within the LGBTQ+ community as a white cis gay man. Finally, Hannah and Calum discuss the idea of community, what home means, and how LGBTQ+ people exist everywhere. Also: penises.

Read the episode transcript here!

SHOW NOTES

What we chat about…

Hannah and Calum writing a timeline of Calum’s life
What does Calum think of Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert? (07:44)
What is Eat Gay Love about?
How did Calum meet so many LGBTQ+ people on his travels?
LGBTQ+ students in Calum’s classrooms
Calum’s decision to be out in all the schools he worked in
The over-sexualisation of LGBTQ+ people
What was Hannah’s favourite part of Eat Gay Love?
How writing a book feels different than creating YouTube content
Issues in the LGBTQ+ community that Calum discusses in the book
What advice does Calum have for young gay men who go traveling?
What was it about London that made Calum feel like it was home? What was it about the LGBTQ+ community in London specifically?
What was Calum’s learning journey like around his privilege as a white cis gay man within the LGBTQ+ community?
What was Calum’s favourite part about writing the book? (34:12)
What’s the biggest dick Calum’s seen? (38:30)
What is the main message that Calum wants people to get out of the book? (39:40)