It’s been said that coming out is the best gift you can ever give to yourself. And this Valentine’s Day, pamm myers is celebrating by coming out–again.
And while pamm may not be coming out in the traditional sense (she’s Executive Director of The New Mexico OUT Business Alliance and has been a proud member of Santa Fe’s queer community since moving here with her wife in 2013), she’s finally sharing her own coming out story after interviewing scores of LGBTQ people about their own experiences for Lip Service: A Podcast of Our Coming Out Stories.
pamm’s coming out episode marks a milestone for the podcast that she launched on Valentine’s Day 2022. “It had been a dream of mine for a number of years. Originally, I was planning on it being a book, and then sometime early in 2022, I was having a conversation with my business partner, Erika. She said why don’t you do a podcast? I was like, ‘duh!’” The pair had been producing podcasts since the early days of the pandemic.
A Risk That Paid Off
Entering the crowded landscape of podcasting is a risk for anyone. It’s been noted that fewer than 20% of all podcasts will see their first anniversary. But pamm’s idea caught on with listeners. Twelve months in, Lip Service has over 20,000 followers with subscribers in 32 countries including England, Canada, and most of Europe. Three months ago, pamm expanded the podcast to a YouTube channel. “It’s been so much bigger than I anticipated it being. Beyond my expectations,” pamm says.
Her mission for creating the podcast was “to create awareness for the struggles individuals go through in their coming out journey and to create acceptance and understanding for our LGBTQ community,” she says. “Sharing these stories has also enabled us to help provide sources for emotional support to members of our LGBTQ Community.”
Since launching the podcast a year ago, pamm has learned a lot from the subjects she’s interviewed. “Most people, especially older people, struggle with coming out because they don’t have someone to identify with,” pamm notes. “They knew something wasn’t right but didn’t know what to do with it.”
pamm’s turn
So, why after one year of interviewing people about their own coming out stories was pamm finally compelled to share her own journey? “I’ve always said this podcast isn’t about me,” pamm admits. “People kept asking when I was going to do my story. I was hesitant, but it’s our first anniversary, so I thought ‘what better time’?”
Married to a man twice (the last marriage lasted 10 years), pamm came out relatively late in life. Transplanted from New England to Texas, she struggled initially to live her life in the open in the conservative Lone Star State in 1999.
“I did not know any other queer people,” pamm recalls. “Then a friend came to me and revealed her coming out story. I immediately felt a need to know what that was like. I divorced my husband; lost every single friend I had had for the past 20 years and spent the next year and a half trying to find my community. It was a painful journey that I am thankful to be on the other side of.”
Interested in hearing more? pamm’s story podcast will launch on Tuesday.
Tell Your Story
“It’s a community effort,” pamm says of the Lip Service podcast. And she’s always looking for people to share their stories and expand the community. If you’re interested in becoming part of the Lip Service community, visit https://lipservice.media/
Click on Contact and choose a date on our calendar to virtually record your story.
