PRIDE SHOW with Ben Greene - on How to Make New Friendships, Finding Joy & Whimsy, & What Pride Means in 2026

Getting Close with Ben Greene

Aidan Wharton and Ben Greene

Jun 23, 2026

Cross-posted by Getting Close

"Hey folks!! I am still out here doing my absolute best to keep my head above the proverbial gay water of pride month, BUT!! I had the absolute delight of joining my dear friend Aidan for his podcast talking about all things pride, joy, earnestness, whimsy, and more. If you are holding out for your weekly dose of hope, here it is!! More soon, lovely people xo Ben"

- Ben Greene

HAPPY PRIDE! This is the last episode before we take our summer break, and I couldn’t be more excited to share this one with you. It’s perfect for Pride, perfect for summer, perfect for friendship, and perfect for you!

In this episode, Ben and I talk about how happiness is different from joy, but joy is what keeps us going, why you should fight in a British accent, whimsy, new friendship, Pride as a mile marker, and how we’re navigating our budding new friendship.

After coming out at 15 in a small town, Ben Greene has devoted his career to spreading empathy, education, and storytelling around the trans experience. Whether it’s for NASA, Johnson & Johnson, or over 200 PFLAG chapters, Ben leads with joy. He is the author of the Substack “Good Queer News”, as well as the book “My Child is Trans, Now What? A Joy Centered Approach to Support”. He has been nominated for a GLAAD media award and is passionate about leading with joy and educating others from a place of compassion—no matter where they’re starting from.

In this episode, we get curious about:

How pride is a mile marker that we have the honor of passing by
Why you should fight in a British accent
Concrete ways to bring more whimsy into your life
How he and I are navigating our own new friendship
Ben’s brilliant two similarities tip on where to find new friends
Why you may not always be able to choose happiness, but you can always choose joy

And how we stay hopeful in these trying times