UNCLOSETED with Spencer Macnaughton

In April, dominatrix and sex worker Shy Sotomayor revealed that she had had a nine-year professional relationship with Bryon Noem, the husband of former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. Following reports in March that Bryon Noem had allegedly engaged in feminization and “bimbofication” fetishes with other sex workers, Sotomayor is sharing more details about his interest in trans identities. These interests represent a stark contrast to his wife’s anti-trans record. As Governor of South Dakota, Kristi Noem signed bills into law that allow businesses to use religious refusal to deny service to LGBTQ people; ban gender-affirming care for trans youth; and ban trans women and girls from competing on women’s and girls’ sports teams. Through all of this, Bryon Noem never denounced his wife’s policies. In addition, experts have raised concerns about Bryon Noem’s relationship with sex workers from a national security standpoint. “If a media organization can find this out, you can assume with a high degree of confidence that a hostile intelligence service knows this as well,” Marc Polymeropoulos, a former CIA officer, told the Daily Mail. “Damaging information like this can be a tantalizing lead for a hostile intelligence service.”In this episode of “UNCLOSETED, with Spencer Macnaughton,” Sotomayor speaks about her nine-year online relationship with Bryon Noem and describes the terrifying moment where she was almost caught by Kristi, who at the time was one of the country’s most powerful intelligence officers.“UNCLOSETED, with Spencer Macnaughton” is a new podcast by Uncloseted Media, an investigative LGBTQ-focused nonprofit news publication. Follow and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. YouTube // Spotify // AppleNote: If you are questioning your gender identity and don’t feel safe reaching out to anyone you know, The Trevor Project has a handbook on how to navigate this as well as 24/7 crisis support via calls and messaging with counselors.Host: Spencer MacnaughtonEditor: Sean RobinsonSocial producer/Design: Sophie HollandAdditional Reporting: Hope PisoniSpecial thanks: Jennifer Moroz and Leital Molad Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“UNCLOSETED, with Spencer Macnaughton” is a new podcast by Uncloseted Media, an investigative LGBTQ-focused nonprofit news publication. Follow and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. YouTube // Spotify // AppleMilo Miles, a Toronto-based adult film actor, was recently banned from entering the United States for the next 10 years after he says he was detained and questioned by Customs and Border Protection agents over the course of two days. Miles, who was trying to fly to Las Vegas from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, says he had never faced significant issues at the border ahead of this instance. While U.S. Customs does have the right to deny entry to people they believe have engaged in sex work, Miles says he was questioned for upwards of eight hours, often about his sexual orientation. He says one agent asked him why he has so many “gay clothes” and if he was “sick” upon seeing his PrEP medication and his fiber pills. In this episode of “UNCLOSETED, with Spencer Macnaughton,” Miles sits down for his first on-camera interview to explain his experience, what he thinks Prime Minister Mark Carney should do in response to this treatment and why he believes all LGBTQ travelers should avoid the U.S. right now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“UNCLOSETED, with Spencer Macnaughton” is a new podcast by Uncloseted Media, an investigative LGBTQ-focused nonprofit news publication. Follow and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. YouTube // Spotify // AppleYou may know Peppermint as a runner-up on season 9 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Or for her stint as the first trans competitor on the runaway hit “The Traitors.” Or for her relentless activism at a time when the Trump administration is waging an unprecedented attack on the LGBTQ community.  Now, Peppermint is getting set to be one of New York City Pride’s official grand marshals. And she’s doing that while upholding the legacy of the trans women of color who were at the Stonewall Uprising in 1969. In this episode of “UNCLOSTED, with Spencer Macnaughton,” Spencer sits down with Peppermint to hear about what it means to be a Black trans woman at the forefront of the LGBTQ movement during the second Trump administration.Host: Spencer MacnaughtonAudio Production Intern: Bella SayeghEditor: Laury PeyssonnerieSocial producer/Design: Sophie HollandSpecial thanks: Jennifer Moroz and Leital Molad Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On May 6, the Trump administration released their new counterterrorism strategy. It delineated three “major types of terror groups,” including “narcoterrorists and transnational gangs,” “legacy Islamist terrorists” and “violent left-wing extremists, including anarchists and anti-fascists.” In a glaring departure from the Biden administration’s strategy focused on far-right extremists and white supremacists, the Trump administration is cracking down on ideology that they call “anti-American, radically pro-transgender, and anarchist.” In this episode of “UNCLOSETED, with Spencer Macnaughton,” Spencer talks with Jon Lewis, a researcher at the Program on Extremism at George Washington University, as well as University of Maryland distinguished psychology professor Arie Kruglanski, to learn about what this new characterization of terrorism means for the safety of LGBTQ people and the security of all Americans. “UNCLOSETED, with Spencer Macnaughton” is a new podcast by Uncloseted Media, an investigative LGBTQ-focused nonprofit news publication. Follow and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. YouTube // Spotify // Apple.CREDITS:Host: Spencer MacnaughtonAudio Production Intern: Bella SayeghEditor: Izzy StokesSocial producer/Design: Sophie HollandSpecial thanks: Jennifer Moroz and Leital Molad Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

LGBTQ kids make up a third of the American foster care system and transgender kids enter it at five times the rate of the general population. But in 2026, there are few legal protections for LGBTQ youth in the system.Uncloseted Media’s Sam Donndelinger spoke with case workers, advocates and survivors of the foster care system and uncovered why it’s failing trans kids. In this episode of “UNCLOSETED, with Spencer Macnaughton,” Spencer sits down with Sam and breaks down the story’s key findings. “UNCLOSETED, with Spencer Macnaughton” is a new podcast by Uncloseted Media, an investigative LGBTQ-focused nonprofit news publication. Follow and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. YouTube // Spotify // Apple CREDITS:Host: Spencer MacnaughtonAudio Production Intern: Bella SayeghEditor: Taya StraussSocial producer/Design: Sophie HollandSpecial thanks: Jennifer Moroz and Leital Molad Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.