The 'Why Here' Podcast Is Celebrating Pride Month In Big Ways

Photo by Why Here/Instagram.

It’s June 1 and you know what that means — it’s *finally* Pride Month! While we celebrate the glory these next 30 days have to offer, Shifter invites you to add ‘podcast listening’ to your to-do list.

Celebrate the beginning of this strut-worthy month by listening to the Why Here Podcast hosted by Brooklynites Tristan McAllister and Benton Whitley. The Why Here podcast combines McAllister’s and Whitley’s experiences within the news and entertainment industries to provide listeners with diverse interviews and insightful cultural commentary about topics like health and wellness, police violence, systemic racism and the evolution of Pride.

With season one wrapped up and two currently airing, the self-proclaimed entitled liberal arts graduates have combined their experiences within such industries to interview guests like Rosie O’Donnell, Bob The Drag Queen, Dan Savage and Jake Shears.

“Benton and I are both extremely privileged and lucky to have a platform like this — I wish my 10-year-old self could have listened to our podcast. Now I think we both just want to use Why Here and our privilege for good,” McAllister said.

The pair uses their weekly podcast to question their “ongoing reckoning” with their place in the world while highlighting diverse and inquisitive conversations. Each episode reveals the duo’s questioning, openness to change and desire to keep learning.

“We are listening, watching, and participating in this cultural shift. Why Here is really about staying present and holding space for necessary and timely conversations. Ultimately, for us, it’s about vibrant, inspiring, interesting stories,” McAllister said.

Both McAllister and Whitley are candid about their place in the conversation of queer media’s future, McAllister acknowledges that it is no longer revolutionary to see cisgender gay white men represented in media.

“It is, and has been, time to really hear other voices, to uplift those in our community who have always been doing the work. It’s not enough to say we’re interested in stories without being interested in stories that might challenge us and our preconceived notions about who we are as a community and how we can learn from each other,” he concluded.

The next four episodes of season two will feature musician and actor Kat Cunning, journalist and activist Diane Anderson-Minshall, musician Rufus Wainwright, and actor and activist Wilson Cruz.

Episodes are released every Friday and stream on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and iHeart Radio. For more information on McAllister and Whitley, visit their official website.