This month I sit down with Samantha West, a transgender person from Iowa, USA.

We talk about growing up in a small town, skating on frozen basketball courts, finding inclusive hockey, the journey to authenticity and so much more.

Follow us on socials 🩷:

https://www.facebook.com/PridePuckPodcast

https://www.instagram.com/PridePuckPodcast

https://www.threads.net/@pridepuckpodcast

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Support the podcast by buying a coffee ☕:

buymeacoffee.com/andrewkmacdougall

My website:

www.andrewkmacdougall.com.au

This month we sit down and chat with Johnny Valentine from Arizona Legacy Pride Hockey Association (ALPHA).

We talk about growing up in Pittsburgh, hyper Christianity, navigating sexuality, finding hockey, joining APLHA and so much more.

00:44 Intro

01:23 Welcoming Johnny Valentine

02:88 Is Phoenix a progressive city

03:27 APLHA & political climate

04:17 Johnny Valentine growing up

05:56 Wrestling shaped Johnny

08:45 Growing up knowing bi-curious

09:34 Hyper Christianity

12:16 Blue collar work as a queer person

14:38 Meeting husband online

17:27 How do you look back on growing up/sexuality

19:10 Life experiences and how is shapes within ALPHA

20:16 Connection to Australia

21:45 Covid and the journey to Arizona and ALPHA

25:00 Too weird to play out

26:23 Who are ALPHA

28:46 Has ALPHA got a gauge on people of colour with organisation

29:38 How many scholarships

30:10 ALPHA acceptance within Phoenix and Arizona

32:30 ALPA collaborations with other organisations

34:33 Saguaro Cup

36:09 Who are the Growlers

37:45 Impact on hockey with Coyotes leaving

42:04 Joining the ALPHA Board

43:23 Safety, Health and Mental Health at ALPHA

45:09 Biggest changes when people join ALPHA

48:08 Spicy calendar

50:31 What's on the horizon for ALPHA

52:36 Where to ALPHA

53:22 Proudest moment within queer hockey

55:57 Outro

🩷 Follow us on socials:

https://www.facebook.com/PridePuckPodcast

https://www.instagram.com/PridePuckPodcast

https://www.threads.net/@pridepuckpodcast

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ALPHA Links:

https://www.azpridehockey.org/

https://www.facebook.com/AZPrideHockey/

https://www.instagram.com/alphahockeyaz/?hl=en

https://www.tiktok.com/@alphahockeyaz

Links for goalie plays:

https://www.tiktok.com/@johnnyboycade

https://www.instagram.com/johnnyboycade/

This month the script is flipped as your host Andrew Macdougall is in the hot seat to celebrate the quarter century mark for Episode 25.

Previous guest Kade Matthews returns to host this episode as it delves into why Andrew started, his own journey and what the future holds for the podcast going forward.

00:48 Intro

01:10 Kade Matthews intro

03:20 Are you nervous04:00 Did you think it would get this far

07:12 Community aspect to stories

08:52 What got you interested in media

14:02 What did queer hockey look like from the outside

19:30 Meeting people through Southern Lights who are bisexual

20:08 Playing first ever ice hockey game

21:50 Practice in the backyard

24:05 What themes have you seen in the stories from the podcast

27:40 Inclusive clubs are changing the culture

30:25 Understanding why inclusive clubs are created

32:16 Experiencing homophobia trauma in sport

36:38 Podcasts role in advocacy and building community4

2:30 Focusing on telling trans and intersex stories on the podcast

44:42 What is next for the podcast

47:50 Podcast testimonials at Seattle Pride Classic

48:35 Who is your pick for the Stanley Cup

50:59 Message to queer people who want to play hockey

52:04 Inclusive clubs for people to play hockey even if you aren't queer

59:30 Being able to show up as you are in hockey

1:03:35 Thanking the podcast for all that it does

1:08:36 Outro

🩷 Follow us on socials:

https://www.facebook.com/PridePuckPodcast

https://www.instagram.com/PridePuckPodcast

https://www.threads.net/@pridepuckpodcast

https://www.youtube.com/@UCTwjYaMl1Ct0XUOj1Dvcc9Q

Follow the host Andrew Macdougall

https://www.facebook.com/andrewkmacdougall

https://www.instagram.com/andrewkmacdougallhttps://www.instagram.com/thisisdoogie

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#hockeyisforeveryone #lgbtpodcast #queer #bisexual