Pride as a Form of Protest w/ Eric Solis at DTLA Proud Fest | Ep 18
Pride as a Form of Protest” isn’t just a rallying cry - it’s the reason DTLA Proud exists. Formed as a more diverse, grassroots response to the mainstream West Hollywood Pride, the festival brings queer culture back to the center of Los Angeles with intention and bite.In this episode of The Gay Rugby Podcast, filmed live at DTLA Proud festival 2025, we talk with Eric Solis and his husband Dennis Caasi about why Pride still matters as activism. Eric - a longtime organizer and creative producer - traces the roots of LGBTQ activism in Los Angeles, while Dennis dives into the behind-the-scenes work of building an event that’s equal parts joy and queer protest tactics.From the history of Pride protests to the tension between Pride visibility and gentrification, this conversation shows how DTLA Proud has become more than just another festival | it’s a stage for culture, politics, and radical visibility. Recorded near Olvera Street, the birthplace of the city, the episode connects past and present: Stonewall to Silver Lake, marches to music, rugby to resistance.
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Rugby Zodiac Signs w/ Comedian Kevin Sullivan | Gay Rugby Podcast | Ep 17
In Episode 17 of The Gay Rugby Podcast, we pull charts, pull no punches, and let LA stand-up Kevin Sullivan read the scrum like it’s written in the stars. From Aries flankers who live for collision to dreamy Pisces fullbacks who can’t stop chasing the offload, we map out rugby zodiac signs with a wink, a whistle, and a little queer magic. Kevin (an openly gay comic you’ve seen around the Hollywood Improv and on the Two Broke Gays pod) drops into our locker room to talk astrology, identity, and why inclusive rugby keeps rewriting the playbook. If you’re here for LGBTQ sports stories, queer athletes, and the wild overlap between astrology and rugby culture, this one’s your new north star. We talk inclusive rugby, how clubs like LA Rebellion turn game day into community, and why astrology somehow explains everything from World Rugby news to the weirdly accurate rugby memes clogging your feed. Along the way, Sullivan drops stories that make the huddle feel more like a late-night set at the Hollywood Improv.If you’re here for LGBTQ sports, queer athletes, and the overlap between comedy, rugby, and astrology-you’ve found the right podcast. Episode 17 isn’t just a conversation, it’s a reminder that the game’s always been bigger than the scoreboard.
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Using Dating Apps for Validation | The Gay Rugby Podcast | Ep 16
From dating app dopamine to locker room breakdowns, the messy overlap of rugby and mental health. Episode 16 of The Gay Rugby Podcast is less polished highlight reel and more raw post-match debrief. We dig into using dating apps for validation and rugby and mental health, pulling no punches on how those late-night swipes blur into dating app addiction, how the highs of a “like” hit feel like a dopamine loop, and why those same patterns leave players limping emotionally by Monday practice.We ask the uncomfortable question: is this toxic behavior? The answer takes us back to the childhood, where trauma first wired us to chase approval and into the present, where we mask it with locker room jokes and humor as a coping mechanism.The conversation sprawls out like an open pitch: seeking validation online, online dating burnout, the weight of hookup culture burnout, and how gay men’s mental health too often gets hidden behind “I’m fine, mate.” We talk queer masculinity, body image in the gay community, and the uneasy marriage between sports culture and toxic masculinity. Rugby is supposed to be an escape, but the algorithm follows you onto the field, whispering about abs, likes, and worth.But this isn’t just a therapy session in boots. It’s strategy talk: carving out space for LGBTQ athletes’ mental health, building mental fitness for rugby players, and exploring what it looks like to attempt a dating app dopamine detox or rewire toxic dating patterns. We’re finding scrums of support in the queer rugby community-proof that identity runs deeper than algorithms, and recovery can be a team sport.
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Attempting The Rugby Diet w/ Elliott Norris | Ep 15
An Olympic rugby prop eats like it’s a full-time job. For Episode 15, Elliot Norris joins us on The Gay Rugby Podcast to find out what it really takes to get through a day on that kind of fuel.We hand him the daily meal plan built for an elite front-rower: thousands of calories spread across precision-timed meals, heavy carb loads before training, protein spikes after, and recovery shakes that taste like ambition mixed with chalk dust. It’s a diet designed to keep a body anchored at the heart of an Olympic scrum.Elliot approaches it with equal parts curiosity and skepticism. He’s no stranger to eating on camera, his own audience knows him for high-energy food content and an unfiltered personality, but this is another level. We set the table, roll the mics, and watch as the lines blur between mukbang spectacle and candid conversation.In between bites, Elliot talks about his life as a content creator with a massive online following: the balancing act between being “on” for the camera and staying grounded, the grind of turning creativity into a career, and the surprising ways food bridges the gap between his world and ours. There are moments of laughter, deadpan honesty, and a few long silences when the sheer volume of food demands all his focus.The Gay Rugby Podcast has always been about more than the sport-it’s about the people who make it what it is, and the stories that unfold where sport collides with real life. This time, the backdrop just happens to be a mountain of food and a guest willing to take on a completely different kind of challenge.If you’ve ever wondered what an Olympic rugby prop eats in a day, or wanted a front-row seat to the intersection of elite athletic routines and internet-era storytelling, this episode serves it up-messy, human, and honest.
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Run It Straight Challenge Reaction | Is New Zealand Ruining Rugby? | Ep 14
The Gay Rugby Podcast dives headfirst into the chaos surrounding the Run It Straight Challenge reaction, peeling back the layers of a viral trend that’s become as controversial as it is captivating. Episode 14 doesn’t hold back-we talk about the brutal clips flooding feeds, the adrenaline‑hungry crowds, and the moment it all turned dark in New Zealand after a young man’s death.The conversation moves from laughter to unease as we ask the question no one in rugby wants to touch: has New Zealand, the sport’s spiritual home, turned rugby into a sideshow? Watching those run it straight rugby reaction videos feels like scrolling through modern gladiator games-raw hits, bone‑jarring collisions, fans egging it on like it’s entertainment. And then there’s the fallout: the run it straight challenge controversy, the whispers of blame, and the headlines that made the world wonder what went too far.We talk about the ugly beauty of the game, the way Kiwi rugby culture has always flirted with danger, and how this viral craze-these run it straight challenge highlights-pushes the boundary between passion and recklessness. We break down footage, swap stories from the LGBTQ+ rugby scene, and wrestle with the uncomfortable reality of watching young players throw themselves into each other with no padding, no plan, and too often, no way back.It’s messy. It’s emotional. It’s the kind of rugby reaction video that won’t leave you with easy answers-and maybe that’s the point.
Your go-to source for the international LGBTQ+ rugby community. Hosted by Jack Higgins and Ozzie Luna of Los Angeles Rebellion Rugby, this podcast explores the world of inclusive sports, rugby news, and the stories behind players making waves in the sport.
Born from the success of the Los Angeles Rebellion Rugby team's social media, The Gay Rugby Podcast celebrates the intersection of rugby and LGBTQ+ inclusivity. From The Bingham Cup to international gay rugby events, Jack and Ozzie share insights, interviews, and updates from the global rugby scene.
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