Podcasts We Love: NB
There is a new, fleeting, fantastic podcast that you should be listening to. It’s called NB and it explores non-binary identity in succinct less-than-30-minute episodes. All episodes are out now so download and enjoy!
Non-binary is a word that is gaining more recognition with every passing day. Sometimes abbreviated to NB, or more often enby; to avoid confusion with the notation, non-binary identity is a wide and varied spectrum. NB the podcast is a BBC Sounds production hosted by Caitlin Benedict & Amrou Al-Kadhi in which ‘they ask the big questions about gender & identity’.
The series only has 8 episodes, so far and perhaps ever, but each is an invigorating exploration of non-binary through the journey of Caitlin, who is beginning who journey with the identity, and Amrou, who has “been out for a while”.
It is an immensely personal story and doesn’t shy away from that. Caitlin in particular puts their story at the center of this series, with the culmination being their coming out to their parents as non-binary. Their partner also features and it’s a relief to hear that he is so active in thinking about how their newly realised identity both changes and doesn’t change their relationship.
Other episodes in the series look at words, drag, bodies, the stories told about enby people and those we might see as non-binary given a modern perspective, visuals and looks, all bookended by realisation and thriving with a new identity.
Since this is a show by two non-binary people, it isn’t sensationalist. There are times when queer, LGBTQIA+ or gender non-conforming subject matter can become a debate, an experiment for listeners that tries to show “both sides”. This is a safe space and that is important to note because NB doesn’t shy away from letting the non-binary people interviewed explain what it means for them, including where there are generational differences in the use of language, the expectations of how one presents as non-binary. The identity itself isn’t up for debate. If you are non-binary, if that feels right to you, and there is no wrong way to be it.
NB is an accessible walk through non-binary identity, and is great for both those who are exploring enby for themselves and those allies looking to be better informed about what the experience is like for someone who is coming to terms with that identity.
I would love there to be more episodes of non-binary, I’m sure there is much more to explore for both Amrou and Caitlin, along with all the people who identify as non-binary and under that umbrella.
You can find NB in your preferred podcast app or via the BBC.
