Proud to Lead

Shawn Quintero
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The Proud to Lead podcast hosts meaningful conversations with LGBTQ+ leaders across business, nonprofits, corporate America, politics, and faith — exploring the bigger picture, its impact on rainbow lives, and what can be done to create a more inclusive and safe world for everyone. We lean into our guests expertise and insight with relevant questions and explore how their identity is woven through all of it. Hosted by Shawn Quintero.

Episodes

  1. Apr 8

    Your Queer Child's Coming Out Moment...Don't Get This Wrong!

    Most parents don't know what to say when their child comes out and the silence, deflection, or wrong words can cause lasting damage. In this episode, Dr. Lulu, pediatrician, life coach, and TEDx speaker, breaks down exactly what to say, what not to say, and how to create a home where your queer child feels safe enough to let you in. Dr. Lulu shares her A-B-C-D-E-F framework for affirming your LGBTQ+ child, why studies show kids wait up to 14 years to tell their parents, and why acceptance and affirmation are not the same thing. What you'll learn: 🏳️‍🌈 The difference between "coming out" and "inviting in" — and why it changes everything 🏳️‍🌈 The three things your child needs before they come out 🏳️‍🌈 What to say in the moment your child tells you they're queer 🏳️‍🌈 Why silence in your home is never neutral 🏳️‍🌈 How colonization shaped anti-LGBTQ+ attitudes in African and religious communities Learn more about Dr. Lulu: https://drluluspridecorner.com/ Connect with Dr. Lulu: Instagram: @CoachUdaku LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drlulu Follow us on Instagram: @ProudToLeadPodcast Subscribe to the channel:  @ProudtoLead ​

  2. Apr 5

    The Gay Teacher Running to Unseat the Most Powerful Anti-LGBTQ+ Politician in America

    What does it take to run for Congress as the first openly gay candidate in your state's history — against the most anti-LGBTQ+ Speaker in American history — with zero corporate money, on a teacher's conviction, and your mom's push? My guest today is Matt Gromlich, and this conversation stopped me in my tracks. Matt is a math teacher and college professor from Shreveport, Louisiana, running to unseat House Speaker Mike Johnson in Louisiana's 4th Congressional District. He is the first openly gay congressional candidate in Louisiana history. He has raised zero corporate dollars. And he is doing it anyway. In this episode, Matt takes me back to 2016 — standing in a gay bar watching the election results roll in, then walking into his classroom the next morning to find his Hispanic students making contingency plans. If my parents aren't home when I get back today, who takes care of my seven-year-old brother? That moment never left him. And when 2024 hit the same way, it was his mom — a lifelong Republican until that year — who finally asked him the question that changed everything: Why aren't you the one stepping up? We get into what it's actually like to knock on doors as an out gay man in northern Louisiana. What happened when he threw an event at the gay club in Shreveport. Why he thinks 10-15% of Trump voters in his district are open to voting for him. And what he said when I asked him what he would tell trans students in his classroom who are watching their rights get dismantled in real time. We also go deep on the headlines — the Supreme Court's 8-1 ruling striking down conversion therapy bans, anti-trans legislation in 42 states, the EEOC's refusal to enforce workplace protections for trans workers, and Trump's $1.5 trillion defense budget gutting the domestic programs Matt has spent his career fighting for. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 — Introduction 01:12 — Why Matt decided to run: the 2016 classroom moment that never left him 03:30 — His students making contingency plans while he taught the quadratic formula 05:29 — The conversation with his mom that started the campaign 06:23 — The voter turnout data that shows a path to victory 08:59 — How to give people something to hope for, not just fight against 13:19 — What people are actually talking about at the doors 16:25 — How he would use Congress to check the executive branch 20:23 — Universal pre-K, healthcare access, rural hospitals closing 25:35 — Anti-Johnson vs. pro-future: his campaign strategy 26:17 — Zero corporate money, zero PAC outreach, all small donors 33:20 — What it's like being an out gay man running in Louisiana 35:30 — The coffee shop meeting with parents of LGBTQ+ kids in northern Louisiana 40:42 — The gay club event, the drag queens, the community response 45:03 — What he would say to Mike Johnson if they were in a room together 47:10 — Johnson's DHS shutdown reversal and the $1.5 trillion defense budget 54:22 — The Supreme Court's conversion therapy ruling — personal and political 57:09 — What he says to trans students right now 01:00:39 — The first LGBTQ+ legislation he would push for if elected 01:02:21 — His final word of persuasion to undecided voters RESOURCES & LINKS Matt Gromlich Campaign Website: fightersforourfuture.com Donate: ActBlue — Matt Gromlich Volunteer: tally.so/r/WO9yzk Instagram & Threads: @matt_gromlich_for_congress TikTok: @gromlich4congress Bluesky: @mattgromlichla4.bsky.social

  3. Apr 3

    The Hidden Playbook Used To Erase Queer People & The Systematic Targeting of LGBTQ+ Communities

    What happens when a genocide scholar looks at what's happening to LGBTQ+ people in America — and recognizes the pattern? In this interview, Elise Joy shares her experiences growing up queer in Alabama, navigating societal hostility, and the systemic threats faced by LGBTQ+ communities today. The conversation explores historical parallels, the importance of community, and strategies for resilience amidst rising anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. A. Elise Joy has a Master's degree in Genocide Studies. She grew up queer in Alabama. And in this conversation, she does something most people aren't willing to do: she applies the academic framework she was trained in to the laws, the rhetoric, and the machinery being built around her own community right now. This isn't a political debate. This is pattern recognition from someone who spent years learning exactly what these patterns lead to. In this episode we cover: 👉🏽 What "Paper Persecution" is — and why it's more dangerous than it sounds 👉🏽 The 10 Stages of Genocide and how LGBTQ+ people are living inside them right now 👉🏽 Why the "Save Our Children" script being used today is word for word what was used in 1977 👉🏽 Growing up queer in Alabama and learning to read every room you walk into 👉🏽 Why the most radical thing you can do right now is refuse to disappear 👉🏽 How to actually disrupt the agenda — and why being loud and annoying is still one of the most powerful tools we have ** LGBTQ+ RESOURCES ** History of LGBTQ+ Rights in the US - https://www.hrc.org/resources/the-history-... Support Resources for LGBTQ+ Youth - https://www.thetrevorproject.org/ Elise Joy's Podcast - https://example.com/elisejoypodcast Sapphic SideQuest Podcast - https://podcastlink.com Elise Joy on TikTok - https://tiktok.com/@sapphicsidequest Elise Joy on Instagram - https://instagram.com/sapphicsidequest Elise Joy on Threads - https://threads.net/@sapphicsidequest

  • 3 Episodes

About

The Proud to Lead podcast hosts meaningful conversations with LGBTQ+ leaders across business, nonprofits, corporate America, politics, and faith — exploring the bigger picture, its impact on rainbow lives, and what can be done to create a more inclusive and safe world for everyone. We lean into our guests expertise and insight with relevant questions and explore how their identity is woven through all of it. Hosted by Shawn Quintero.

Information

  • Creator
    Shawn Quintero
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    3
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Shawn Quintero
  • Show Website
    Proud to Lead