604: For The Ghouls and The Gays with Zach Barack

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There’s something inherently queer about theme parks, especially haunted ones. This week, Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida) hang out with actor, comedian and public speaker Zach Barack (@zachbarack), who you might recognize from his featured role in Spiderman: Far from Home or Amazon’s series Transparent.

Zach is currently voicing Barney, a lead character in the Netflix animated series Dead End: Paranormal Park and we are so proud that we get to see a trans lead in children’s animation. We can’t think of another time when we have seen such an authentic representation of a trans character in an animated series or children’s show.

Zach discusses his experience with playing Barney in Dead End, and the responsibility of portraying a trans character on TV, especially in a kid’s show. We love the show not only because it is a perfect example of how you can make horror and queer representation age appropriate but also because you know we’re suckers for a musical episode!

We discuss our opinions on Norma, Courtney and Pugsley, and the different types of representation each of them brings. And we learn how, much like Barney, Zach is not the right person to ask when it comes to approaching your crush. Listen in to hear which horror movie characters we were scared of as kids and which are our favorite theme park rides.

Follow along on Twitter: Lez Hang Out (@lezhangoutpod) and answer our Q & Gay at the end of every episode. Leigh Holmes Foster (@lshfoster) and Ellie Brigida (@elliebrigida). You can also join us on Facebook.com/lezhangoutpod and follow along on Instagram (@lezhangoutpod).