Proud to Gayme

Danielle Reynolds interviews Annabel Journey (she/her), a trans game designer, professor at the University of Nebraska Omaha, and member of the Spielmasons. Annabel opens up about leaving the Mormon church after 36 years, using quitmormon.org to break free from religious indoctrination, and the harmful doctrine of "enduring to the end." She shares her journey of coming out after watching the cult film Glen or Glenda. She also discusses her game design career, from becoming a finalist on Tabletop Deathmatch to teaching university students. She explores how her historical games about audacious con men, such as Lope de Aguirre and Gregor MacGregor, help her process religious deception, contrasting those heavy themes with joyful designs like Cretaceous Rails and Goddesses. Connect with Annabel on BoardGameGeek, Facebook, or BlueSky as @annlee14. 
In the Seasons of Pride bonus segment, Clara Mount highlights comic artist and "bog witch" Jen St-Onge (she/her), the illustrator behind The Ojja-Wojja and The Strange Case of Harleen and Harley. Clara describes Jen's spooky October calendar piece, which features a redheaded artist carefully carving a smiling, glowing jack-o'-lantern face onto her pumpkin-headed partner in a moonlit pumpkin patch. Check out Jen's work at jensaintonge.ca or follow her on Instagram and BlueSky at @princess_jem4. 

Danielle Reynolds interviews educational game designer, musician, and writer Caitlin Feeley (she/her). Caitlin shares her story as a late bloomer coming out as bisexual in her 30s after her spouse came out as genderfluid, and how gaming provides a safe space for identity exploration. Having spent 17 years at the MIT Education Arcade, Caitlin breaks down the philosophy of game design, constructivist learning, and how games allow players to try on new identities without the fear of failure. She also shares her 30-year history in LARP, the evolution of tabletop spaces into vibrant queer communities, and her nautical-themed performance art band, Thou Merciless Graves. You can view her portfolio at caitlinfeeley.com and check out her music on Instagram at @ThouMercilessGraves. 
In the Seasons of Pride bonus segment, Clara Mount highlights the work of Terry Blas (he/him), an artist, illustrator, and writer whose work emphasizes queer and Mexican characters. Terry is behind the viral webcomic "You Say Latino" and he's written comics for Marvel, DC, and Steven Universe. The art Terry donated for September features a brave trans-coded adventurer, a frog wizard, and a tiny mouse prepared to defend against unseen foes in an enchanted forest. You can explore Terry's work at terryblas.com, on Instagram at @terryblas, or on TikTok at @terry_blas. 

Danielle Reynolds interviews first-time game designer Sarah Joshua (they/them) about their debut game, Enchanted Ivy. Sarah opens up about their queer journey, coming out as non-binary in their mid-20s after stepping away from screenwriting and embracing self-discovery, drag, and creative risk-taking. They discuss developing Enchanted Ivy, a cozy solo tile-laying and pattern-building game published by Allplay, where players step into the shoes of a non-binary innkeeper who uses magical plants to customize rooms for travelers. Sarah explains how the game embeds queer themes directly into its mechanics and narrative, from guest tokens that flip between "Sunny" and "Shady" sides to reflect fluid identities, to an explicitly queer romance storyline. Sarah also recounts the nerve-wracking high of pitching the game at Unpub's Feedback Frenzy, where a Studio Ghibli-inspired thematic pivot helped turn the prototype into reality. You can reach Sarah on BoardGameGeek and find out more about the game at allplay.com.
In the Seasons of Pride bonus segment, Clara Mount chats with illustrator and graphic designer Josie Grundler (she/her) about the art she donated for August. Josie shares how this peaceful digital painting of a German landscape viewed through a train window was inspired by memories from a middle school road trip where she first recognized her queer identity. She also reflects on growing up biculturally, the fluidity of identity, and her graphic design work for games like Biome and FaeKin with Lioness Games. Follow Josie's updates on the Lioness Games Instagram (@lioness.games).

Danielle Reynolds interviews Aki and Fernando Suarez-Laurinaho (both he/him), the creative duo and co-owners behind Finland-based studio Shy Finn Games. They share their individual queer journeys, including Aki’s teenage moment of clarity while watching the British TV show Queer as Folk and then coming out at the Helsinki Pride parade, and Fernando’s path to embracing his identity at age 28 while living away from home. They tell the story ofgoing from casual tabletop players to indie designers, and how their trip to Iceland (where Fernando proposed to Aki inside a glacier) sparked the initial idea for their latest game, Fluffypede. They open up about the lessons of self-publishing, why they prioritized creative ownership over pitching to traditional publishers, and what it’s like to navigate the notoriously introverted Finnish tabletop scene as an openly gay couple. See more about Aki and Fernando on shyfinngames.com or @shyfinngames on social media. 
In the bonus segment, Clara Mount talks to Nala J. Wu (they/them), freelance art director and illustrator, about their journey from fashion illustration to pushing for diversity and accessibility in tabletop gaming. They discuss how Nala’s art piece for July in the Seasons of Pride calendar incorporates multiple genders, visible queerness, people of color, fat bodies, vitiligo, and other details to showcase that all bodies are welcome. Find more of Nala J. Wu’s work at naladraws.com or @naladraws on social media.  

Danielle Reynolds interviews Chrys Sellers (she/her) of Hectic Electron Games, a trans, queer game designer and the brain behind Raccoon Sky Pirates. Chrys opens up about transitioning later in life and shares how writing her latest tabletop RPG, Defy the Gods, unexpectedly became a mirror that revealed her own identity. They discuss the process of developing Defy the Gods, a queer Bronze Age sword-and-sorcery romance RPG with mechanics based on Powered by the Apocalypse and flirting inspired by Thirsty Sword Lesbians. Chrys also shares lessons learned from both successful and unsuccessful crowdfunding campaigns, the value of mentorship, and learning to unapologetically center queer themes in her games. You can follow Chrys on social media as @HecticElectron and find out more about her work at hecticelectron.com. 
In the bonus segment, Clara Mount chats with digital illustrator Narfil (he/him) about the art he created for June in the Seasons of Pride calendar, which depicts a community coming together to protect a trans child from a mob of shadowy creatures. Narfil digs into the emotion and research that inspired the piece, then discusses his design work with ReRoll Works on inclusive, adult board games. Check out Narfil and his projects at narfil.com, on Instagram as @narfilart, or on Bluesky as @narfil. 

Danielle Reynolds chats with Seven Dane Asman (they/them), AKA the "Publishing Goblin," a queer author, publisher, artist, and game designer. Seven opens up about their multi-faceted queer journey and the evolution of their gender identity, as well as how they found a sense of gender-neutral anonymity within Denver’s pup and kink communities. They also chat about Seven’s professional journey, from self-publishing poetry to their massive success with crowdfunding tarot decks and other divination projects – including The Alleyman’s Tarot, which remains the most funded tarot project to date. You can learn more about Seven and their array of creative projects at publishinggoblin.com. 
In the bonus segment, Clara Mount interviews award-winning miniature painter Jamie Daggers (she/her) about the vivid mechs she painted for the Seasons of Pride calendar, the importance of being visible as a queer woman in the wargaming community, and her latest project, Lyctor: a necromantic skirmish game with combat powered by a standard deck of playing cards. Check out Jamie and her projects at daggers.tv or on socials as @jamiedaggers. 

Danielle Reynolds chats with Alex Condie (he/they), a fiction writer, video editor, and content creator. They discuss the “second puberty” Alex experienced in his 20s as he started to explore his queer identity, and bond over fictional crushes. Alex shares stories about the transition from writing books into writing LitRPGs and what it’s like to pitch novels to publishing houses. He also talks about starting a YouTube channel because he wanted to post a video about an obscure fictional game from the show Recess. They wrap up by talking about the power of having a community around writing, Alex’s recommendations for getting into LitRPGs, and his latest book: Reborn as a Tamer’s Monster. 
In the Seasons of Pride bonus segment, Clara Mount chats with Haley Boros (she/they) about her artistic influences, the inspiration behind the art she created for April, and details that would be easy to miss. Check out her other work at haleyboros.com or @tripawdpress on Instagram and Bluesky.

Danielle Reynolds chats with Marceline Leiman (she/her), a game designer, developer, and educator who received the Diana Jones Emerging Designer award in 2025. Marceline shares her queer journey from labeling herself as an ally to coming out as trans femme, and they discuss the nuance among queer identities and experiences. They also talk about Marceline’s career, including how she broke into game design through a Twitter post that went "viral" and how she's used game design contests to motivate and challenge herself. 
Stay tuned for the Seasons of Pride bonus segment, where Clara Mount talks about the way LGBTQIA+ artist Nolan Nasser (he/him) brings his passion for gaming to life through his work. See what Nolan's up to on n3-studios.com, @n3_nolan on Instagram, and nolann3 on Bluesky. 

Danielle Reynolds interviews Jaysen Headley (he/him, AKA @ezeekat), a content creator who focuses mainly on books and board games. They discuss Jaysen’s queer journey from being heavily closeted as a kid to coming out as first bi and then gay, and how he got into content creation then made it his full-time career. Jaysen shares some of the challenges that come with being a queer content creator as well as the positives of the community he found through it. His latest project is Ezeekat Press, a publishing imprint Jaysen started last year to help bring new stories about found family into the world. Check it out at ezeekat.binderybooks.com! 
Stay tuned for the bonus segment, where Clara Mount discusses LGBTQIA+ artist Chad Rowe (he/him; @chadrowetattoos on Instagram or chadrowetattoos.com) and the tattoo- and tarot-inspired art he contributed to the Seasons of Pride calendar. 

Danielle Reynolds chats with Gillian Foxglove (she/they) about their origins as a professional cosplayer, streamer, and TTRPG extraordinaire. From growing up in a nerdy household to discovering her bisexuality at theater camp and eventually marrying a bisexual man, Gillian describes the importance of experimenting with self-expression and being honest about who you are. She discusses her relationship with her own gender expression and pronouns as well as how she embraces her neurodivergent identity in her work. Find Gillian on Twitch and social media as @gillianfoxglove, or check out her website: www.gillianfoxglove.com.  
In two bonus segments, Clara Mount interviews LGBTQIA+ artists who contributed to the Seasons of Pride calendar. Tune in to hear how travel inspired the January piece by Sidharta Muskat (they/them, @sidharta.muskat on Instagram), and about the hidden details in the cover art by Alfredo Roagui (he/him, @roagui on Instagram or www.roagui.com).