A Queer POV: Friends, Loves, & Life

David Begor
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Real conversations. Meaningful connections. Join me, David Begor, as I sit down with a friend to explore love, identity, and growth, from a queer point of view. davidbegor.substack.com

  1. 1D AGO

    Still Here: Kenny Patrick on HIV, Sobriety, and Living Out Loud

    Kenny Patrick and David go way back to 1983. Life separated them, but reconnecting a few years ago gave David a front-row seat to someone living with extraordinary depth, honesty, and humor. In this conversation, Kenny opens up about living with HIV since the age of 21, nearly 28 years of sobriety, a relapse in 2025, and getting sober again. They talk about identifying as non-binary after more than five decades, what community actually means and what it cost to lose it, and the surprising places where grace shows up, like a lesbian named Cosmic Carla who didn't let Kenny keep the lie, and a former Marine named Jer in a halter top and a huge smile. This one covers a lot of ground: the AIDS crisis as a 21-year-old, a doctor who said four months, trauma and the two paths survivors tend to take, forgiveness that has nothing to do with the other person, and a God who looks like a Black woman in a Chanel suit saying "welcome home" to a man no one else would touch. It's one of the most honest conversations David has had on this show. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidbegor.substack.com

    1h 16m
  2. After 60: Mark Tammaro on Divorce, HIV, and Building a Life That's Finally His

    APR 6

    After 60: Mark Tammaro on Divorce, HIV, and Building a Life That's Finally His

    Mark Tammaro didn't plan to start over at 62. After a 16-year marriage, a career he set aside to support his husband, and an HIV diagnosis that's followed him for 35 years, Mark found himself single, starting fresh, and, for the first time in a long time, building a life that's entirely his own. In this episode, Mark talks about what it means to reinvent yourself after 60. He shares the story of losing his first partner to AIDS in 1992, surviving a diagnosis that was supposed to be a death sentence, and the slow realization that the comfortable life he'd built wasn't making him happy. He opens up about going back to school to become a certified personal trainer, the freedom and fear of being on his own, what dating looks like at this age, and why he's more excited about the future than he's ever been. This is a conversation about loss, resilience, faith, and the stubborn refusal to stop growing. In this episode: Reinventing yourself after divorce at 60 Living with HIV for 35 years and what survival really looks like Losing a partner to AIDS in 1992 Going back to school and becoming a certified personal trainer at 62 What dating, intimacy, and relationships look like as a single older gay man The courage to give up safety and comfort for something real Faith, gratitude, and why humor matters Connect with A Queer POV: Substack: davidbegor.substack.com YouTube | BlueSky | All @davidbegor This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidbegor.substack.com

    55 min
  3. We've Always Marched

    MAR 24

    We've Always Marched

    We’ve Always Marched: Why We Protest, Why It Matters, and Why March 28th In this solo episode of A Queer POV: Friends, Loves & Life, host David Begor traces the full arc of LGBTQ protest, from the first Annual Reminder Day pickets in 1965, through Stonewall, Harvey Milk, ACT UP, and the fight for marriage equality, to the No Kings movement happening right now. David has attended Pride marches for forty years. In this episode, he makes the case that every single one of those was a protest, and connects that personal history to the largest nonviolent demonstrations in modern American history. This one is personal. It’s also a call to action. In this episode: →  Why Pride has always been protest, even when we didn’t call it that →  Pre-Stonewall heroes: Annual Reminder Day and the Mattachine Society sip-in →  Stonewall, Harvey Milk, and the White Night riots →  ACT UP, the AIDS crisis, and what happens when the government looks away →  The 1993 March on Washington, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and DOMA →  The fight for marriage equality: Prop 8 to Obergefell →  The No Kings movement: from five million to a projected eleven million →  Why anger matters, and how to aim it →  March 28th: how to show up safe and smart →  Harvey Milk’s Hope Speech and why it’s still the assignment Sources & Show Notes: Full sources, links, and show notes at davidbegor.substack.com Connect With the Show: If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone who needs to hear it. That’s how we take care of each other. Find David: Substack, YouTube, and Bluesky — all @davidbegor This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidbegor.substack.com

    20 min
  4. They're Coming for the Ring: The Fight to Overturn Marriage Equality

    MAR 17

    They're Coming for the Ring: The Fight to Overturn Marriage Equality

    They're Coming for the Ring: The Fight to Overturn Marriage Equality In this solo episode of A QueerPOV: Friends, Loves & Life, host David Begor takes on one of the most urgent threats facing LGBTQ Americans right now: the coordinated effort to overturn marriage equality. From a Waco judge who handed same-sex couples handwritten refusals, to Jonathan Mitchell — the architect of Texas' abortion ban — now filing federal lawsuits against Obergefell, David traces the full strategy: who's behind it, what they're building, and what it could mean for your marriage. This one is personal. David got married in 2016, and he's not willing to look away. In this episode: →  The Hensley case and her December 2025 federal lawsuit to overturn Obergefell →  Justice Clarence Thomas's written call to reconsider marriage equality →  Project 2025's specific language targeting the Respect for Marriage Act →  The Idaho House committee's 2026 attempt to overturn Obergefell →  What the Respect for Marriage Act actually protects — and what it doesn't →  What you can do right now Sources & Show Notes: Full sources, links, and show notes at davidbegor.substack.com Resources: Lambda Legal — free legal resources for LGBTQ rights: lambdalegal.org ACLU — LGBTQ rights resources: aclu.org/lgbtq-rights GLAAD — advocacy and news: glaad.org Connect With the Show: If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone who needs to hear it. That's how we take care of each other. Find David: Substack, YouTube, and Bluesky — all @davidbegor This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidbegor.substack.com

    17 min

  5. 12/21/2025

    Randy Dunbar: The Art of Making Mistakes — Double Exposure

    Randy and I met in 1989 while doing laundry at the Chateau des Fleurs in Los Angeles. I had just moved to LA to work at Bullocks Wilshire in visual merchandising. Randy was working as a graphic designer at Exposure Magazine—the same publication where a young Ryan Murphy was working as an editor. Through Randy, I discovered the world of graphic design, typography, and the creative possibilities that would shape my career. In this episode, Randy and I reconnect again to talk about creativity, loss, and what it means to sustain an artistic life across time. His career spans art direction roles at The Advocate, Genre, Hero, Home Magazine, and YM, plus 18 years teaching graphic design at FIDM. But more than credentials, Randy brings wisdom about the creative process—particularly his mantra that mistakes aren’t just acceptable, they’re essential. Our conversation moves through the excitement of 1980s New York, where Randy worked alongside brilliant designers and editors, many of whom were lost to AIDS. We discuss his philosophy, and obsession, on typography (he once took type specimen books to lunch), his experiments with AI in music creation, the invisible burden of aging as a creative person, and why he wishes he’d gotten a business degree instead of relying solely on talent. Randy is candid about regret, honest about ego, and generous with the lessons he’s learned. He talks about being fired for arrogance, the magazines that died around him, and why he still believes in doing things differently, even when it’s uncomfortable. This is a conversation about craft, survival, and what it takes to keep creating. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Randy. -David RandyDunbar.com #AQueerPOV #RandyDunbar #GraphicDesign #QueerPodcast #Typography #AIDSCrisis #CreativeLife #LGBTQHistory #DesignPodcast #QueerCreatives A Queer POV: Friends, Loves, & Life with DavidYou can listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Substack, and YouTube.And if you enjoy it, please leave a review—it helps more than you know. Connect with me on BlueSky PS: When I’m not podcasting, I also make wedding, birthday, and anniversary cake toppers. (Yes, really.) Take a peek at the shop: Taylor Street Favors This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidbegor.substack.com

    1h 16m
  6. Sean McCormick: on Growing Older as a Gay Man

    12/04/2025

    Sean McCormick: on Growing Older as a Gay Man

    We don’t talk about aging in the gay community nearly enough. We’re great at celebrating youth and reinvention and whatever’s shiny and new, but we don’t slow down enough to actually listen to the people who lived through the experiences that made our community possible in the first place. This week I’m talking with 81-year-old Sean McCormick. He’s funny, he’s honest, and he’s got this huge heart that comes through in everything he says. I met Sean about three years ago, and we’ve become friends. When I started thinking about doing an episode on aging in the gay community, he felt like the perfect person to talk to. Sean came out in the 1950s and 60s, way before being gay was something you could just say out loud. He remembers the coded looks, the piano bars like Kitty Sheehan’s in Chicago where he’d sing after a couple gin and tonics, the police raids, and the constant need to stay careful: to protect yourself and the people around you. He navigated being gay in the military during Vietnam, built a career as a deputy clerk in the appellate court, and found community in spaces that existed mostly in the margins. He and his late husband Kent were together for 35 years: a relationship full of loyalty, adventure, travel, and deep companionship. After Kent died in 2019, Sean didn’t think he’d find that again. But then he met Arturo, and here he is at 81, still pursuing love. Still showing up. Still trying. We talk about what it actually feels like to get older in a community that worships youth. Sean doesn’t sugarcoat it. He talks about feeling invisible at mixers, about the “cheerleader tables” that form even among older gay men, about how hard it is to put yourself out there when you’ve been rejected. But he also talks about the stuff that surprised him about aging: the confidence that comes with it, the clarity, the freedom of finally just being comfortable as yourself. “I’ve never felt so comfortable with myself,” he tells me. “Be me. Very simple. Be me.” At the end, I ask Sean what he’d tell his younger self: that kid in the Army, or the guy just figuring out who he was. His answer comes fast: “It only gets better.” This conversation reminded me that we’re strongest when we actually see each other across generations. When we listen. When we make room. Sean’s story is about perseverance and joy and the fact that becoming yourself doesn’t stop at any particular age. It just keeps going. I’m really glad I got to share this one with you. -David #GayAging, #LGBTQElders, #QueerPOV #QueerStories #AgingWithPride A Queer POV: Friends, Loves, & Life with DavidYou can listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Substack, and YouTube.And if you enjoy it, please leave a review—it helps more than you know. Connect with me on BlueSky PS: When I’m not podcasting, I also make wedding, birthday, and anniversary cake toppers. (Yes, really.) Take a peek at the shop: Taylor Street Favors This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidbegor.substack.com

    1h 9m
  7. 🏳️‍🌈 The Rainbow Flag: The Story of Gilbert Baker and the Colors That Unite Us

    11/06/2025

    🏳️‍🌈 The Rainbow Flag: The Story of Gilbert Baker and the Colors That Unite Us

    In this episode of A Queer POV: Friends, Loves, & Life, I trace the journey of the rainbow flag, from a small sewing studio in 1978 San Francisco to a global symbol of pride, protest, and belonging. We meet Gilbert Baker, the artist and activist who stitched color into our collective soul, and explore how his friendship with Harvey Milk turned a simple idea into a lasting emblem of queer identity. Along the way, I share stories of AIDS-era activism, the meaning of visibility, and what the flag has come to represent in my own life, especially as a gay parent raising a child in today’s world. This isn’t just queer history. It is a reminder that Pride began as protest, and that our strength has always come from showing up together. 🎧 Listen now and rediscover the beauty, defiance, and hope sewn into every color of the rainbow. Hope to see you out in the streets this weekend at Palm Springs Pride! -David Resources: Clip 1 - soundcloud.com/brainpickerClip 2 - cbc.ca/radioClip 3 - Outcast MediaClip 4 - cbc.ca/radio ArtPalm Springs Pride Monument, Created by jimisermann.comArenas District Landmark Flagpole Mentioned at the top of show:Out of the Blue by Robert TregoningFletcher’s Ice Cream and CafeHailey Bieber Unbothered This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidbegor.substack.com

    22 min
  8. Dann Foley: Creativity, Confidence, and the Joy of Living Beautifully.

    10/17/2025

    Dann Foley: Creativity, Confidence, and the Joy of Living Beautifully.

    Today, I’m talking with someone whose name you might already know if you love beautiful spaces, Dann Foley. Dann’s been designing for almost four decades, and his work has this incredible mix of style, warmth, and personality. He’s an award-winning interior designer, a TV personality you might’ve seen on NBC’s American Dream Builders or Showtime’s The Real L Word, and the author of It’s All in the Mix: Designs for Living Well — which, honestly, sums up his whole approach to life. From his early days surrounded by travel and creativity to now leading major design brands and creating hundreds of products, Dann has stayed grounded in one simple belief: that great design should feel personal, welcoming, and accessible, not intimidating. He’s been named to Designers Today’s Power List and recently stepped into a new role as president of Harp & Finial, all while continuing to grow his own lifestyle brand. But what I love most about Dann is his energy, he just loves what he does, and that passion shows in everything he touches. So today, we’re diving into his journey, how it all started, what keeps him inspired, and why “living well” is something we can all design for ourselves. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Dann Foley. -David dannfoleylifestyle.com Book: It’s All in the Mix: Designs for Living Well •••••••••• #DesignInspiration, #LivingWell, #DannFoley, #InteriorDesign, #LGBTQCreatives •••••••••• A Queer POV: Friends, Loves, & Life with David You can listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Substack, and YouTube. And if you enjoy it, please leave a review—it helps more than you know. Connect with me on BlueSky @davidbegor PS: When I’m not podcasting, I also make wedding, birthday, and anniversary cake toppers. (Yes, really.) Take a peek at the ETSY shop: Taylor Street Favors This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit davidbegor.substack.com

    1 hr
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Real conversations. Meaningful connections. Join me, David Begor, as I sit down with a friend to explore love, identity, and growth, from a queer point of view. davidbegor.substack.com

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