Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about the historic role Black & Brown trans women have played in ballroom culture. For our final Pride Month episode, we are shining a light on the experiences of trans women of color. How has ballroom served as a safe space for Black & Brown trans women? We decide which outside activities we are excited about and which ones need to be chopped, our impression of the ballroom community, how the success of shows like Pose and Legendary have affected bal...
Jun 30, 2021•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 13
Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious how age impacts our perception of the world as Black, Queer men. In addition to this week’s regular episode we are releasing a bonus with messages from the host and our guests to our ten year old selves. We hope you enjoy, and please share with any younger person searching for a bit of guidance.
Jun 28, 2021•11 min•Season 3Ep. 12
Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious how age impacts our perception of the world as Black, Queer men. This episode features the stories of Black, Queer men ages 25-64. What role does age play in how we view the topics of relationships, Blackness, professionalism, Queer health, and Ageism. This week we test a new format where we asked several men the same 10 questions and shape our conversation around their responses. We cover everything from dating & sex, to how they navigate spaces that are...
Jun 23, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Season 3Ep. 12
Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about how last year’s social justice movement affected Black Queer professionals. The social uprising sparked by the murder of George Floyd coincidentally fell in line with the launch of Surface Level. How did this impact our views towards the roles we play at work? We play a work from home themed game, discuss the action or lack there of in response to the events of last year, we revisit statements we made regarding assimilating during our season 1 episode t...
Jun 16, 2021•43 min•Season 3Ep. 11
Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about the value of masculinity among Queer men. The debate regarding the embrace of masculinity is ongoing within Queer communities. How do we embrace our masculinity while recognizing the value our of femininity? We chime in on who we think the ultimate masculine sissy is, the uneasiness around the embrace of femininity, how masculinity and femininity play into how we interact with potential partners, heteronormative ideas that we embrace, and if we accept t...
Jun 09, 2021•55 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about the intersection of the Black & Latinx Queer experience. Throughout Pride Month, our goal is to amplify a multitude of Queer voices, starting with a crossover episode with BYLATINMEN The Podcast. What are the common and unique experiences of Black & Brown Queer folx? We play a game of superlatives between the two shows, chime in on pop culture, discuss the unique experiences of Latinx Queer people, discuss the need for races to support causes ot...
Jun 02, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about the fact and fiction regarding sex work. This episode covers the shame attached to what many consider the oldest profession. Why does American society attach such stigma to the sex work industry? We discuss the motivation behind entering the field of sex work, new laws focused on the decriminalization of the craft, the value placed on the lives of sex workers, the positive impact of the industry, and the overall role the industry is playing in normalizi...
May 26, 2021•55 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about intimate partner violence within gay relationships. This episode delves into a topic not often spoken about among men in our community. What unique factors are at play when intimate partner violence includes two gay men? We start light, playing a game we coined as the lesser of two evils. We then progress into a conversation regarding the stigma attached to violence in male relationships, red flags in relation to violent partners, any experiences we hav...
May 19, 2021•46 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about the individual experiences people have with their bodies. This episode revisits a topic that sparked a ton of feedback from last season, our relationship with our bodies. Are conversations around body image too binary? We discuss our personal insecurities (or lack thereof), debate what we got right and wrong in part one of this discussion, the motivation behind how we treat our bodies, privilege in conversation around body image, and how we’re working t...
May 12, 2021•45 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about homophobia within the Black Church. This episode covers the institution that has had a huge impact on the history of African Americans, the Black Church. Why has the Black Church been so slow to openly embrace its Queer members? We discuss our favorite gospel club anthems, our history going (or not) to church, our views on spirituality vs religion, and delve into our guests journey from homophobic seminary student to a leader in affirming Queer people w...
May 05, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about homophobia within hip hop. This episode covers the music we love, with a culture that doesn’t love us back. Why is homophobia in hip hop still so prevalent? We try our hand at hip hop trivia, discuss heterosexual male rappers embrace of gender bending fashions, question the embrace of female rappers by Queer men, acknowledge that being Queer can sometimes eclipse an artist’s talent, and we get a preview into the upcoming work of a very special guest. Du...
Apr 28, 2021•53 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about the cure for infidelity. This episode covers our experiences being on the giving and receiving end of infidelity. Do we as a society place so much emphasis on monogamy that we are setting ourselves up for failure? We play a game of infidelity-themed superlatives, discuss past infractions we’ve committed in relationships, what we’re looking forward to in future potential relationships, and society’s love of monogamy while shaming less traditional relatio...
Apr 21, 2021•51 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about the experiences of Queer people with cishet allies. This episode breaks down our experiences with cishet individuals in our own lives. How can the most well-intended allies still perpetuate homophobia? We discuss coming out to cishet friends and family members, the differences in our relationships with straight men vs straight women, the fetishization of Queer men by women, parental aversion to having Queer children, and we share some advice for when yo...
Apr 14, 2021•38 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about the intersection of sex and health in the Black & Queer community. This episode builds on the success of “Undetectable”, our top performing episode from season two, by further delving into the topic of sexual practices and health. How have advancements in HIV treatment and prevention influenced our communities sex habits? We kick off with what we’ve been up to during our time away. Then things get real as we discuss our sexual habits in a “post-PrEP...
Apr 07, 2021•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 1
Damon, Jordan & Tony are Black, Queer, and Curious. Curiosity and vulnerability, the latter being the true addition to this season. Once again, we take a look back at the journey we know as Surface Level. We revisit some of the seasons most fun moments while delving deeper into some of its most personal. From barbershops, to sex, to politics we covered quite the range of topics. We gave the reigns over to our friend Corey Townsend, accomplished journalist, and correspondent, who put us in th...
Dec 28, 2020•1 hr 25 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about the shame we attach to sexual desire. This episode discusses a topic no one wants to publicly talk about while privately partaking. How has the shame attached to sex affected our exploration of it as Black Queer men? We discuss our sexual history, desires we have that we were once ashamed of, the things we wished we knew as baby gays, and play a fun game of naughty superlatives. This episode is not one to be missed, we laugh from beginning to end while ...
Dec 22, 2020•33 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about the joy and pain the Queer social scene can create. This episode discusses our experiences in Queer social settings. Do the current social options represent the interest of too narrow a selection of Queer men? We discuss memorable club experiences, our ideal social settings, anxieties we face in Queer social settings, the Harlem social scene, and the defining elements of an upper echelon Queer social experience. We welcome Leon Curry to Surface Level. H...
Dec 16, 2020•42 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about how we have contributed to the system of fatphobia. This episode discusses the pressures Black Queer men face in idolizing certain body types. How can we as a culture do more to stop the othering of fatness? We discuss key news headlines, the definition of fatphobia, the internal and external pressures to look “desirable”, the role appearance plays in how Queer men create friend groups, and how to speak openly about your own physical insecurities withou...
Dec 09, 2020•58 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about the experiences of Black Queer women. This episode discusses how Black Queer women fit into the broader movement for the liberation of all Queer people. Can we as Queer men be doing more to understand and support Queer women? We discuss Queer women in entertainment, the positive and negative effects of the LGBTQIA umbrella, the role Black women play in the feminist movement, the differences in the gay and lesbian social scenes, and get playful while bei...
Dec 02, 2020•51 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about how to create generational wealth. This episode discusses the effects of long and short term financial investments. Do we care too much about immediate gratification in making financial decisions? We discuss the luxuries we can’t live without, the value of social interactions in professional development, the desire to possess status symbols, the worst financial decisions we’ve made, and how we’ve gotten a better handle on our spending over time. Don’t b...
Nov 25, 2020•47 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about the ongoing stigma regarding HIV. This episode discusses our lived experiences as Black Queer men with and without HIV. How can we collectively work to remove the stigma and educate people about HIV in 2020? We discuss our individual HIV statuses, the shift in our perception of HIV over the years, the intersection of art and activism, the science behind being undetectable, the role of negative individuals in removing stigmatization, and any advice for i...
Nov 18, 2020•54 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about what is next for a nation divided. This episode discusses our current engagement with politics in what will surely go down as the grand finale to one of the most tumultuous presidential terms in history. Is this America, or an anomaly in the journey of this country? We discuss the presidential election, Black women’s role in politics, the flood of new Queer politicians at all levels of government, how money affects politics, and all things Queen Kamala ...
Nov 11, 2020•49 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about the queer experience in the traditionally cishet barbershop environment. This episode discusses our interactions with the barbershop as youth and adults. Do we have a reason to feel unwelcomed in this environment or is it all in our heads? We discuss our favorite past hairstyles, rap culture in barbershops, how we engage in shop talk, queer expression and acceptance in barbershops, and the ideal space if we were to create one ourselves. The shop is a pa...
Nov 11, 2020•34 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about the expectations associated with dating in our thirties. This episode discusses what we look for in both casual and serious encounters with other Queer men. Are our expectations on dating becoming unrealistic or more clear as we age? We discuss hookup culture, Grindr interactions, shifting dating expectations, the value we place on finding forever partners, and when to establish relationship needs with a new partner. Dating in New York City is the best ...
Nov 11, 2020•48 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Damon, Jordan & Tony are Black, Queer, and curious. This episode discusses what this experience has meant to us and revisits the season through the lens of crowd sourced questions. We discuss our favorite episodes, the friction between Damon and Jordan, reactions to he podcast from friends, family, and colleagues, any strain this project has placed on our friendship, adjustments we made due to quarantine, and the biggest impact Surface Level has had on the three hosts. We began this process ...
Aug 05, 2020•56 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about what defines “successful” relationships. This episode discusses our experiences with dating in New York City. Are there lessons to be learned and applied to every relationship or should each experience be evaluated on its own? We discuss music therapy, our longest previous relationships, what dating life has looked like recently, our views on monogamy, and the most surprising things we’ve learned from previous entanglements. Relationships are centered o...
Jul 29, 2020•39 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about privilege within the Black community. This episode discusses the nuance of Black experience. Are there set topics where we should focus on community more than individually? We discuss the “Blackest" cultural experiences, our connection to the places where we grew up compared to New York City, privileges we possess, the balance of checking our privilege compared to dimming our light, and just a few Black cards we’d like to revoke. According to Joe Biden,...
Jul 22, 2020•40 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about the give and take in defining friendship. This episode discusses the expectations we place on friendship. Is there a set definition of our relationships with others or does it evolve over time? We discuss each other’s most annoying traits, the line between friend and associate, rules or lack there of around friends and exes, when it’s time to break up with a friend, and how our internal struggles manifest in our relationships with others. The term frien...
Jul 15, 2020•44 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about why being Black at work is so hard. This episode discusses the part of our lives where code switching is not only encouraged but often expected. Are the expectations of Black employees too high for any human to consistently meet? We discuss our experiences in corporate America, assimilation and if it is the route to success, the pressure to represent our entire race in the workplace, and how we can make being Black at work less rare. Far too often in Ne...
Jul 08, 2020•40 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about the price of fabricating our lives for Instagram. This episode discusses the life we live compared to the one we feel compelled to portray on social media. How often are sharing real moments vs ones created, purely for the currency of likes? We discuss our Instagram flirting styles, online stunts that we’ve personally pulled, influencer culture, the negative effects of creating a false digital persona, and digital content we love. The world is moving fu...
Jul 01, 2020•37 min•Season 1Ep. 5
