Queer Canadian filmmaker Desiree Lim banded with three queer youths to launch a new podcast, redefining what queer thriving looks like. Queer Becomings: Beyond Survival spotlights bold, brilliant voices who have moved beyond simply surviving and into lives shaped by the courageous act of self-discovery.
The hosts sit down with queer individuals who once found themselves stuck in a relationship, a circumstance, or an entire chapter of life where they were sure it was never going to get better. Through introspection, humility, and pure courage, guests share the turning points where they flipped the script and reclaimed authorship over their lives.
“It’s time for us queers to break up with survival. Many of us have accepted our social, political, and personal circumstances as limitations to what our futures can be. We’re here to show what’s possible for us when we give up what we believe about those circumstances’ roles in our lives and are unyielding in creating a life of our own design. During these episodes, we’re amplifying real stories of becoming — the messy, powerful, transformative moments that remind us what it means to be queer.”
Listeners can expect candid conversations, lived experiences, laughter, depth, tears, emotional resonance, and the kind of storytelling that lingers long after the episode ends. Equal parts heartfelt and irreverent, the podcast invites audiences to move past endurance and into expansion, reimagining the near future of the queer community.
In the first episode, you’ll get to know the hosts — Allison (they/them), Elliot (he/him), and Alex (he/him), all queer, all trans/gnc, all multiracial – as they share transformative moments in their own lives. They’ll share about breakthroughs with mental illnesses, parents, work relationships, friendships, and more. In the early episodes, you’ll hear:
- A striking story from a Black gay man who came out in 1997 after having been closeted in active military service during Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. On the other side of coming out was radical self-acceptance and the love of his life.
- A reimagined queer family that emerges from unconditional love between ex-partners. These queer moms discover what it means to love one another through their divorce, co-parenting along with their new partners, and now even vacationing together.
Queer Becomings: Beyond Survival is available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. New episodes will release on the first Friday of every month with the first episode having released on May 1, 2026.
