Franny and Brenda Tell It as They See It

Move, I’m Gay, the podcast starring Franny and Brenda, has been a surprise hit on Spotify. The show's hosts had only hung out with each other casually before starting the podcast in February 2020, and they admittedly have polar opposite personalities.

Francisco (Franny) is up on all of the latest entertainment dirt while Brendan (Brenda) is clueless to them. He is more likely to spew obscure gay historical facts. But it’s that ying/yang relationship that seems to be the appeal for their legions of fans. The show recently premiered its 100th episode.

"We have solidified our friendship through two years of weekly recordings," Brenda explains from their Portland, Oregon studio, where they record their weekly shows.

The show is broken down into segments. In the "Gay of the Day" segment, the duo highlights accomplishments of individuals in the LGBTQ+ community. "We love heaping praise on the bravery of celebs like Lil' Nas X and JoJo Siwa who have come out loud and proud," says Francisco. "And then there are others like Jeopardy! champ Amy Schneider who are raising LGBTQ+ awareness on unexpected platforms."

"It’s encouraging to be able to report on progressive legal news, especially the expanded rights being enjoyed by queer people all around the world," Brenda adds.

In "Bless This Mess," they lament on the week’s most shameful events. “Some of our most heated shows from last year centered around transphobia and the right's increasingly unhinged fight against BLM and voter's rights,” says Franny. In recent episodes, they discuss Russia’s attack on Ukraine and Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

"In the beginning, we didn’t expect Move, I’m Gay to be so political," Franny continues. "The podcast was meant to be more about our shared love of Britney and detest for Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop with maybe a few bits about Wendy Williams’ latest mishaps."

"We realized pretty quickly that avoiding the serious topics would come across as tone deaf, and that’s the last thing we want the show to be," Brenda explains.

The podcast has been a learning experience for the pair. "I've found that my favorite shows are when we’re our real selves, imperfections and all," says Franny.

Brenda agrees. "Being authentic seems to be working for us."

"If I’m to be really authentic, I'll admit I have never been a fan of podcasts," Franny reflects. "I have only listened to a couple and most of them have been true crime, so it’s interesting to find myself hosting a comedy show. Honestly, the real reason I’m here is I broke my leg and I needed something to do with my life."

Follow Move I’m Gay on Instagram.