As pride month draws to a close, we wanted to dedicate an episode to hear from people close to us about what Pride Month means to them, and what it was like this year. We were fortunate to interview 4 people for this project, and actually wound up with so much good stuff, we decided to make it a 2 part series.

The episodes are being released at the same time, and you can hear them in any order you wish, but here is the breakdown of the guests we included.

Episode 1 features an interview with Harry Mamlin, an educator from Indianapolis, and my brother. He talks about his experience growing up in the 80’s, how pride month has changed over the years, and how things differ for the younger generations. Then Maureen Leif and I speak with Mike Lockner. You may remember Mike from our last episode on the Low Code child support solution. We talk to Mike about how Pride month was different in 2020 for him, what he experienced growing up, and much more.

Episode 2 features an interview with Joe Jean, from the Indiana Child Support program. Joe has been a long time advocate and highly engaged in the gay community in Indianapolis through his work with the Indy Bag Ladies. . Joe talks about how Pride month has evolved over the years, what it was like coming out in Indiana in the. 80’s and what it’s like working in the government. Then I had a chance to interview my cousin, Leigh Mamlin. Leigh lives in a North suburb of Columbus, Ohio with her wife and two children. We cover a lot of topics, including pride month, parenting, her feelings of optimism for the future.

Leigh Mamlin (Far right) with her family on Senior Night at her son’s final home basketball game

All of our guests were very open with their stories, and for me it really highlights more about our similarities than our differences. Our struggles are different, but we all have them. We all want better things for our children, and for our country. It was a great experience doing these interviews, and I hope you enjoy them as well.

This episode is available now. You can find the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Anchor and more.

Podcast Episodes - Two Part Series: Reflections on Pride Month