Interview with August (S. Gates)

August (they/them) is a trans, nonbinary, agender, asexual lesbian podcaster and writer. I asked them about themself and their content, as well as content they’ve been enjoying recently. You can check out August at the links at the end of the interview.

1. What queer terminology do you use for yourself publicly, offline and / or online? Do not feel pressured to come out as anything in your answer. Please only disclose whatever you’re comfortable with.
   • I have several levels of how I refer to myself.
     • If I’m among people I don’t know well (but who I’m not generally afraid of being violent towards me), I just say “I’m gay.”
     • If I’m among other LGBTQ+ folks I don’t know well, I will say “I’m queer.”
     • The better I know a person, the more likely I am to get specific: I’m trans, nonbinary, agender, asexual, lesbian.
2. What non-queer demographic terminology do you use for yourself? (nationality, wealth, ethnicity, race, disability / ability, neurotype, age, education, occupation, for example). Again, please only disclose whatever you’re comfortable with.
   • I’m from the USA, I’m white, in my 30s, ND, middle class and able-bodied for the most part.
3. What content do you produce?
   • I do several podcasts, and I write. My main podcast is Follow the Leader (@ftlcast on Twitter), an actual play podcast focused on telling character driven stories using GMless tabletop games.
   • I’m also on Dumb Kids Playing Hero (@dkphpod) which is another actual play that’s about shapeshifting teenagers fighting a parasitic alien invasion.
   • And finally, I also talk about Steven Universe with my friend Bryan over on Gay Space Rocks (@gayspacepod).
   • A lot of my writing right now is fanfiction, but I’ve got some new original fiction in the works.
   • I also write tabletop RPGs sometimes!
4. What do you enjoy doing when you’re not creating content?
   • Mostly video games and listening to podcasts these days.
   • I used to read a bunch but depression brain has kind of nixed that.
   • I’ve gotten back into MMOs and dragged my fiance along with me. We run dungeons and raid together whenever we can.
   • We’ve also gotten on a Chinese BL drama kick, having mainlined all of Guardian (2018) in the course of a couple of weeks and working our way through Word of Honor.
5. What does the queer community needs to do better about understanding, accepting, and supporting?
   • There’s definitely a tendency for the queer community to get tunnel vision. White queers are guilty of not taking into account the needs of queer POC; abled queer folks don’t make spaces accessible to disabled queer folks. It ultimately comes down to realizing that being queer does not negate other privileges you have and listening to the needs of others instead of assuming that your needs are universal. Though that is sort of what everyone needs to do, really. The queer community doesn’t get a pass just because we’re marginalized in some way.
6. What are you excited about going forward? Can be anything from creative projects, personal or professional milestones, etc.
   • We’re starting to record for our sixth season of Follow the Leader, which I’m very excited about. We’ve got some big plans for this season, including a long-running story arc, some really rad guests, and trying to up our production game.
   • As far as writing goes, I’ve got some plans to write some sapphic vampire romance for National Novel Writing Month, and I’m hoping to have it polished up enough to shop it around to a publisher next year.
7. Are there any pets or plants in your life?
   • Yes! My fiance and I have three cats and a dog.
     • They brought two cats (Artemis and Iris) into the relationship, and I brought my feline son, Little Bit, into it.
     • About a year ago, we chose to adopt a dog, Skye.
   • I love them all very much, even when they’re being horrible.
8. What content creators have you been enjoying recently?
   • I pretty much always enjoy the cast of Friends at the Table (a largely queer actual play podcast that inspired me to start FTL), and I would be remiss without also shouting out my friends who’ve been busting their butts to produce the Hope’s Hearth podcast.
   • And there are way too many fanfic writers to count at this point…
9. What is your favorite thing about yourself?
   • My ability to learn. I’d never have found myself where I am now if I hadn’t been willing to take on new challenges and teach myself new skills to tackle them.

August can be found on their personal twitter, Space Gay Rocks, Dumb Kinds Playing Heroes, itchio, as well as on Follow the Leader. Her books can be purchased through her amazon author page.

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