Welcome back to another episode of "More Than Friends," the podcast that delves into the vibrant lives within the LGBTQ+ community. We're strapping on our skates and rolling into the exciting world of roller derby with Malta's first and only team—the Honey Island Rollers. In this jam-packed episode, I sit down with four fierce members of the Honey Island Rollers—Morina, Calypso, Spyro, and Swiffer. Did you know that in roller derby, every player goes by a unique derby name? We'll spill the beans on that quirky tradition later in the show. But first, we rewind to the Honey Island Rollers' grassroots beginnings, exploring how they've shattered stereotypes and created a space of inclusivity that goes beyond the rink. Roller derby is more than just a game for these athletes; it's a platform for breaking barriers and fostering diversity. As we lace up our skates and glide through the conversation, we also get the inside scoop on the Honey Island Rollers' upcoming rookies intake for the 2024 season. Did they manage to convince me to join their ranks? Well, you'll have to stick around until the end to find out. So, whether you're a seasoned derby enthusiast or a newcomer to the world of roller skates, join us as we hit the rink with the Honey Island Rollers.

We're kicking off season two with an exclusive interview with Maria Azzopardi, the newly appointed president of ARC, one of the foremost LGBTQ+ NGOs, also known as Allied Rainbow Communities. In this episode Maria and I talk about her trajectory from local volunteer to ARC president, the pros and cons of living in top most gay friendly country in the world and the long-awaited Europride programme.

It is with great excitement and queerness that I present to you season two of More Than Friends. This season I’ll be chatting not just to couples but to individuals and groups where the focus is going to be spread out across all facets of life and not just love. The line up for season 2 features a fantastic range of queer women and non-binary people who will be sharing their unique experiences and achievements in sports, activism, social work, politics and of course relationships.

Whether it’s holding hands in public, watching a gay romance on tv, or listening to your favourite podcast, seeing yourself mirrored in representation is incredibly empowering. In this special Valentine's episode, guest host Jo Caruana interviews Diane and Louise about how this podcast came to be, coping with "gay panic", who wears the pants in the relationship, and how online fandoms helped them get to know themselves better.

In a MTF first, this our first episode that is entirely in Maltese! In today’s episode I sat down with Marie Claire and Raelene and they are, what I like to call, a tinder success story. After years of admiring each other from a distance, the online dating app finally brought them together when they both swiped right. Now set to be married in a few months, Marie Claire and Raelene talk about finding love on tinder, restoring relationships after a tough coming out and combatting the constraints of heteronormativity. 

In this episode, I’m joined by the lovely Arianne and Angie, who both share a passion for mental health and activism. Over the course of their 7-year relationship, they’ve built their own rainbow family, and helped countless people through their work in the caring profession. Throughout our conversation we talk about the power our queerness holds - in making us more sensitive, empathetic and in tune with ourselves and others. We also chat about the importance of emotional wellbeing and spirituality, and the value of activism.

In todays episode I sat down with my friends Christina and Elaine who very recently got married, and also became foster parents two years ago. A topic that kept coming up in conversation was how neither of them every imagined their lives turning out this way - in fact they didn’t think their relationship would blossom past a few dates. Joke’s on them, because 6 years, 2 dogs, 3 cats, and 3 foster placements later here they are running a popular instagram page called @twomums_andafoster where they share their heartwarming and at times heartbreaking anecdotes.

Carrying on from our chat about the power of storytelling, in the second part of my conversation with Chiara and Emma we’ll be talking about their roles as educators, the difference between TV shows like "The L Word" and "Heartstopper", and how theatre helped them find a sense of belonging.

For Chiara and Emma, theatre has played a huge role in their lives - from giving them a safe space for self-discovery, to actually bringing them together as a couple. Chiara and Emma met while working on a theatre production, and have been together for the past 7 years. Chiara is a director, actress, playwright and full-time drama teacher while Emma works in private sector but also teaches drama part time and works behind the scenes on local productions. In the first part of this episode I’ll be chatting with Chiara and Emma about how theatre brought them together, the power of storytelling, and their upcoming show Teatru Tal-miskin.

This episode is the second part of my interview with Martina and Emma, where we discuss the stigma behind the word 'lesbian', Martina gives a full play-by-play of their engagement and we talk more about the importance of self-acceptance.

Many of you will know Martina as a popular local radio presenter who recently proposed to Emma on April fool's day. Together Martina and Emma have taken on being one of Malta’s few gay couples in the limelight.  In the first part of this episode I’ll be chatting with Martina and Emma about their journey of self-acceptance, particularly their coming out stories - to themselves, their loved ones and the public.

This is more than friends - a podcast about the lives of women who love other women. This is episode zero of the podcast where I’ll be introducing myself as your host. I’ll also explain what inspired me to start this podcast, and what you can expect from our guests in future episodes. My name is Diane and I’ll be interviewing local power couples about their stories, their achievements and that winding road that has led them to where they are today.  In this podcast, I’ll mainly be focusing on interviewing local LGBT women, particularly those in relationships - I believe a big part of the fear around self-acceptance is the uncertainty of of finding love - I know that it was for me. That’s why the couples I’ll be speaking with will be sharing their own coming out stories as well as their own routes to happiness, be it through their relationship, their family, their career or their interests. Ultimately, this podcast aims to create localised LGBT-centric content by and for gay women in Malta.