Calum McSwiggan (born 21 May 1990) is an author, content creator and radio presenter. McSwiggan writes and creates digital content on LGBT+ issues. He began creating online content in 2013 and published his first book in 2020.

Personal life

McSwiggan was born in

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

and graduated from the

University of Derby The University of Derby, formerly known as Derby College, is a public university in the city of Derby, England. It traces its history back to the establishment of the Derby Diocesan Institution for the training of schoolmistresses in 1851. It ...

with a degree in Creative Writing. In 2013, he worked for HIV charity

Terrence Higgins Trust Terrence Higgins Trust is a British charity that campaigns about and provides services relating to HIV and sexual health. In particular, the charity aims to end the transmission of HIV in the UK; to support and empower people living with HIV, to ...

before becoming an author and digital content creator.

Awards and nominations

Career

YouTube

McSwiggan began creating YouTube videos in 2013 and was shortlisted as a finalist for Lastminute.com's nationwide search for a travel blogger later that year. McSwiggan collaborated with LGBT+ charity organisation Switchboard (UK) in 2015 to support their relaunch with a series of videos featuring notable LGBT+ celebrities including

Tom Daley Thomas Robert Daley (born 21 May 1994) is an English retired diver, YouTuber and television personality. He is an Olympic champion in the men's synchronised 10-metre platform event at the 2020 Olympics and double world champion in the FI ...

George Takei George Takei ( ; born April20, 1937), born , is an American actor, author and activist known for his role as Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the USS ''Enterprise'' in the ''Star Trek'' franchise. Takei was born to Japanese-American parents, with w ...

, and

Matt Lucas Matthew Richard Lucas (born 5 March 1974) is an English actor, comedian, writer and television host. He is best known for his work with David Walliams on the BBC sketch comedy series ''Little Britain (TV series), Little Britain'' (2003–2006) ...

. In 2016, McSwiggan co-produced an award-winning documentary on mental health

Writing

McSwiggan began blogging his experiences of travelling solo as a gay man in 2011, and went on to contribute to a number of books including

Hannah Witton Hannah Lisa Witton is an English and German YouTuber, broadcaster, and author. She creates video blogs and informational content which is mostly based around relationships, sex and sexual health; liberation and welfare issues; literature; and t ...

's sex education book ''Doing It''. In 2017 he signed to literary agent Diamond Kahn & Woods working on his first book.

Radio and podcasts

McSwiggan began his presenting career at university where he hosted his first radio show. He went on to present The Calum McSwiggan Show on FUBAR Radio with guests such as Munroe Bergdorf and Rose McGowan. McSwiggan has also spoken about a number of LGBT+ issues on stations including Gaydio and

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...

. McSwiggan also co-presented an episode of

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

's Gay Britannia and took part in a 24-hour live radio broadcast for

UN Women The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also known as UN Women, is a United Nations entity charged with working for gender equality and the empowerment of women. UN Women is charged with advocating for the righ ...

Controversy

In January 2016, McSwiggan uploaded a video apologizing for an incident where footage was posted online showing him performing in adult content. He later received criticism from a number of gay pornographic actors who claimed that his views were demonizing of the industry. In June 2016, McSwiggan pleaded guilty to vandalism after an incident in which he claimed to be a victim of a hate crime. McSwiggan paid $400 for the vandalism charge and was ordered to pay $7,000 in compensation.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McSwiggan, Calum 1990 births 21st-century English LGBTQ people 21st-century English male writers Alumni of the University of Derby English gay entertainers English LGBTQ broadcasters English male bloggers English radio presenters LGBTQ YouTubers LGBTQ-related controversies in art Lifestyle YouTubers Living people YouTubers from Derbyshire YouTubers from Nottingham YouTubers who make LGBTQ-related content