Podcaster Mufseen Miah on being a Pokémon gay, uplifting his queer POC peers, and his “British accent and deep voice” – Queerty

With a steady supply of thought-provoking tweets and dreamy selfies—and the occasional Pokémon joke thrown in—Mufseen Miah has quickly become one of our favorite follows.

Based in London, Miah keeps busy with a career in finance (he was the former Finance Director for Pride in London), but also manages to find time to be both a prolific podcaster and LGBTQ activist. As a gay, Muslim man, he is an outspoken advocate for the queer community, striving to amplify QPOC voices and working toward a more inclusive world.

His podcast, Queer Talk—which he co-hosts with Spencer Cooper—takes an engaging, wide-lens look at topics facing queer people today, putting an emphasis on on positive, uplifting stories. In addition to Miah and Cooper’s fantastic banter, the program frequently invites on LGBTQ thought leaders and other celebrity guests for in-depth interviews about how they’re working to push the community forward.

Given the chance, Queerty decided it was time to turn the interview tables on Miah, and invite him to be the latest guest of our rapid-fire Q&A series, Dishin’ It. In the spirited back-and-forth, he touches on how comics showed hopeful future as a closeted kid, the queer pop star we need to be listening to right now, and the biggest difference between American gays and British gays. Read on for all of that and more!

What’s the gayest thing about you?

Isn’t liking men gay enough?! I quietly stan Ariana Grande and don’t often tweet about it because I think I’ll be judged for being “too gay” even though I know you can never be “too gay.”

Is there a piece of pop-culture—whether a movie, TV series, book, album, etc…—that you consider a big part of your coming-out journey? Why does it stand out to you?

When I think about little closeted me growing up my mind goes back to the piles of comic books I used to read because for me superheroes and comics were my escape from a reality where I wasn’t allowed to be queer. The colorful fantasy of heroes was sometimes what I needed to get me through darker times in my childhood, and I’m sure the illustrations of strong men in lycra helped too! Comics like Young Avengers, Batwoman and The Authority have been showing us positive examples of LGBTQ+ relationships for years. Seeing comics I grew up with like Sandman being adapted for TV this year and being so queer in an authentic way makes me very happy.

Your podcast, Queer Talk, has been running for over 2 years! Is there an episode—or a specific interview—from the pod you feel most proud of? Why?

I’m really proud of all the work we’ve been able to do with Queer Talk from covering global queer news to interviewing such a fun and insightful roster of guests including Jinkx Monsoon of all people! That episode is definitely a highlight! Personally speaking, I absolutely loved interviewing Asifa Lahore (Britain’s first out Muslim drag queen) because for me she’s an absolute legend and it was an honor to hear more about her professional journey and her coming out story. I am so proud of when we can create content on the podcast which platforms queer POC voices because it’s pretty simple: if we (QPOCs) aren’t documenting our journeys then LGBTQ+ history won’t be ours. In the future when we look back at LGBTQ+ history I want to be able to recognize myself and people like me in the stories that are told.

What’s something ridiculous you believed to be true when you were a kid? How did you react when you found out the truth?

Embarrassingly I thought for a long time that periods were quite literally dictated by the moon. Like, in my head, everyone who had periods would have them when there was a full moon. Sounds very stupid I know but as a kid I didn’t know any better and no-one really spoke about these things to me, a boy. I mean this (and many other reasons) is exactly why relationships and sex education should be more inclusive in schools.

In your view, what’s the biggest difference between England’s queer community and America’s queer community?

I love the American queer community, everyone is always so friendly to me. Whenever I’m in America I get compliments on my British accent and deep voice which is lovely because I had never really liked my voice before. Obviously as a podcast host being comfortable with my voice is very helpful now but who knows if I’d be co-hosting a podcast if I didn’t get that confidence from trips to the US. On the flipside, queer British people never compliment me on my voice because we all sound the same here so they’re definitely a harder audience to impress however the Brits do have a better sense of humor, we can’t deny that.

You’ve shown yourself to be quite the Pokémon Stan on Twitter. What Pokémon do you feel most represented by and why?

I’m a Pichu through and through. I grew up on Pokémon and other anime so it has a special place in my heart and keeps me connected to my inner child. That inner child looks like a Pichu because he’s adorable, cheeky and full of potential and we have to protect him at all costs. Side note, I will always retweet a gay Machoke meme because I think it’s funny but my friends are suspicious of me being a furry because of it…

Who is a queer artist/performer/creator that you think is doing really cool work right now? Why are they someone we should all be paying attention to?

Foxgluvv is a phenomenal queer pop artist, if you haven’t heard of her before, you’re welcome. Her music is kind of influenced by ’80s pop and also gay favorites like Charli XCX and Kim Petras.

If you weren’t hosting a podcast about queer news and events, what’s another subject you’d feel qualified to host a podcast about?

That’s a tricky one because I’m genuinely doing what I love the most and that’s presenting a show with a focus on queer joy with a fantastic co-host in Spencer. If I had to pick a different topic I’d lean into the food podcast space because I love learning about the cultural histories of food and trying different recipes. If anyone wants a queer food podcast give me a shout because I’m ready to host it!

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