MediaTech

Software training provider Northcoders has launched a podcast, Queer coded, focused on celebrating and raising the profiles of LGBTQIA+ people working in tech.

The Manchester-headquartered company said the series also aims to promote tech as a safe and inclusive sector where people from all backgrounds can find fulfilling and rewarding careers.

The first episode features an interview with the inspirational Anna Lytical (AKA Billy Jacobson), a renowned New York City-based drag queen and coding influencer. 

By day, Anna is a developer experience engineer at Google and, in the show, talks candidly about having dual careers in tech and drag, and about being an LGBTQIA+ advocate.

Queer coded will be hosted by Eli Harley and Emily Bennett, who are both mentors at Northcoders.

New episodes will be dropping every few weeks and will be available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Some will also be uploaded to YouTube.

“Queer coded is making a much-needed space for LGBTQ+ voices in technology,” said Anna Lytical. “My mission has been to engage more queer people with coding and the tech community to help shape the future with ourselves included, and I can’t do it alone: no singular person can be the representative of the community. 

“Queer Coded lets people share their stories, and as a community we can lift each other up.”

Each show will be dedicated to the stories of individual people focusing on their personal successes and challenges, but they will also cover wider issues that are prevalent within the tech industry, including accessibility and equality.

Commenting on the launch, Harley said: “Queer coded has been in the planning for some time so it’s so exciting to be finally launching it. We are delighted that Anna Lytical is our inaugural interview as she embodies a pioneering spirit that I’m sure will inspire people everywhere.”

Bennett added: “The tech sector is an exciting and ever-changing environment in which to work. It has the reputation of being homogenised in its workforce but, in reality, it is a broad church of people and that should be celebrated. 

“Our aim with Queer coded is blow these myths apart and inspire people from the LGBTQIA+ community to consider a career in tech and to also engage with those already working in the industry.”

Queer coded is now available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.