Jordan Gonsalves

Jordan Gonsalves is the host of But We Loved. He was also the host of Unshaming.

But We Loved is based on the premise that understanding a community’s history is so important. How did you arrive at that conclusion and how does that inform who you interview, and how you conduct those interviews?
When I was living in San Francisco as a  21 year old, I had a conversation with a queer elder who had lived through the AIDS crisis. He told me that he lost all his friends to AIDS when he was my age. I frankly didn’t know much about the AIDS crisis or much about gay history at all. I realized 1) the little appreciation I had for queer history and 2) the little appreciation I had for queer elders who lived that history. 

So this show centers them and their stories. Because there’s such a large age gap between me and the guest, BWL has a beautiful element of intergenerational dialogue, which has been special for me personally.

If there was one takeaway from this podcast you’d hope the queer community came away with, what would it be?
When I was young, I thought being gay was the worst thing I could ever be. But making this show has forced me to unlearn that. Queer history is actually full of fearlessness and love. I hope other queer people are able to find generational strength through BWL.

What do you hope non-queer listeners take away from But We Loved?
Inspiration. Whether you’re queer or not, everyone can be touched by the courage, perseverance, and love in these guests and their stories.

What is something you learned from creating Unshaming that you’ve used to improve But We Loved?
Since doing Unshaming, I got my Master’s in journalism from Columbia Journalism School. I’ve been practicing the art of the interview. But this show is still really similar to Unshaming. It has this raw, vulnerable storytelling style that was part of the Unshaming DNA. I hope to bring that to each episode on But We Loved.

What other podcasts have inspired your style or approach?
How I Built This with Guy Raz is one of my favorite shows because of the storytelling and because of Guy Raz. He’s a journalist I deeply admire. He is so well prepared for each interview. That show inspires me a lot.

What is your favorite part of making the show?
My favorite part of making this show was finding all these queer elders I never had. These are the role models I wish I knew when I was growing up. Each episode feels like meeting grandparents for the first time and sitting down to hear their amazing stories. 

Thanks, Jordan!