Bermuda has a new talk show, Goyz Lane.

It’s a queer series, with queer hosts and queer guests.

Creators “Dreazy” and “Dkya” are thankful for the inspiration they received from Pride Bermuda – and the unintentional push from Covid-19.

Having considered a show for a while, they decided to move ahead during shelter-in-place last April. They posted the first episode on Instagram TV eight months later.

“It wasn’t enough just to be gay any more. We had to be doing something inside of our community; something with purpose,” said Dkya, 25.

“Since Pride we feel seen and, if anything has changed since, it's us being a step closer to equality. The rest of the community is now mindful because you can't sweep us under the rug, we aren't going anywhere.”

Their hope is to one day create “a non-profit, an organisation that’s more in touch with the Bermuda youth” but in the meantime they are hoping Goyz Lane can draw attention to a community that didn’t get much notice when they were younger.

“We weren’t seeing much representation of us and conversation about us,” said Dreazy, 34. “When we were growing up we didn’t have anybody [from the LGBTQ community] in Bermuda to really look to that was in the public eye. Back then, I think it was more like we knew of LGBTQ people but they weren’t highlighted or celebrated. Nobody was asking what their stories were or their experiences.”

Goyz is on the list of “trailblazing queer people and groups” being honoured by Pride Bermuda this year. While there will be no parade due to Covid-19, the organisation is focusing on “togetherness, visibility and education” under the theme of Pride: A Deeper Love.

The first season of Goyz Lane featured “masculine women”. The show has evolved to “androgynous humans – men, women, masculine, feminine”. Many of the people Dreazy and Dkya invite on as guests refuse to participate.

“I think it takes a lot to come out and be brave and kind of let the world into your personal life,” said Dreazy. “It does come with some negative feedback as well – not everybody is inclusive or feels that there’s a need for it. That’s fine for [heterosexuals] to have that opinion but [they] want to see [themselves] on TV or media, we want to be able to do the same thing.

“I think when it comes to LGBTQ things and things of that nature – anything that’s kind of outside of what people like to call the norm – they’re like it’s no need for that because it’s not something they are a part of. [The attitude is] yeah you can do that, but you can do it without everybody knowing.”

Both she and Dkya are the first openly gay people in their families. Neither one of them had any real difficulty “coming out”.

“We do love our mothers and they, with open arms, accepted us,” said Dkya. “But I think the outside world has always played its role and its feedback has affected us.”

Goyz is something they have considered, in various forms, since becoming best friends about seven years ago.

They have had great feedback since the first episode, which aired after Dreazy left the island to live in the UK.

“I was almost feeling a bit confined in Bermuda,” she said. “I wasn’t happy with my job and I decided some changes were going to be made. I love the city of London – I went to uni here – and Kya and I had decided a while ago that we were going to come and live out here. I just happened to come first. So, here I am.

“The first season we did before I left. The second season, we weren’t sure how we were going to make that work but I happened to have to come back to Bermuda for a little bit.”

The purpose of the show is to celebrate and inform and “to create a conversation, create awareness”.

Said Dkya: “You know what LGBTQ looks like in New York, Atlanta all these places. We just had our first Pride but nobody knows what we look like, what LGBs look like here. So that’s our main goal.”

The workload is shared evenly. The couple exchange pictures and videos through We Transfer and rely on two hard drives to keep them connected. Dyka, who has a degree in media communications, initially took the lead production role.

“We have a very small team,” said Dreazy, who studied culinary arts management but, with guidance from Dkya and lots of research, is now editing on her own.

“Basically whatever you see are things we are doing with the exception of maybe a photoshoot.”

Having celebrated Pride elsewhere, the pair was excited to be a part of Bermuda’s first parade, in 2019. The show of public support made it even greater – an estimated 6,000 people turned out.

“Bermuda Pride turned what could’ve been an island-wide fiasco into a triumph. A day where we actually celebrated each other and planned the start of an inclusive, loving future in Bermuda,” Dkya said.

Added Dreazy: “It wasn't our first Pride but it was special because it was Bermuda's and our first Pride together. We would never have guessed the turnout, we truly expected a quarter of what we experienced.

“I think Pride highlighted those businesses and those places that were accepting. Pride allowed me to see who was actually in my community regardless if they were lesbian or gay or bi or trans. I got to see who was actually supportive of me. And it also shed light on those who were not OK with us because, after [the parade] we went to different places and some of those places, they didn’t want us to bring our flags inside – this was the day of Pride.”

Realising it is not always possible to change people’s mindset, their hope is to provide support for the LGBT community, particularly its younger members.

“I think there aren’t enough resources in Bermuda,” Dreazy said. “I know, growing up, I didn’t have a clue of anywhere I could go or anybody I could just randomly go and talk to – we didn’t have any of that.

“You have LGBT people who are kicked out from their homes, people don’t want to employ them – these are the kind of things we would like to try and help combat eventually. I think as we keep growing we’ll eventually hit that mark of having a non-profit and being able to do all the outreach and support that we possibly can. Not just for the youth either. There are plenty of people who are still closeted even in their adult life. [Our hope is] if we can make people feel more welcome and people feel inspired to be themselves.”

They got their help from individuals who helped for “short periods of time”. Linda Bogle-Meinzer has been an inspiration to them both.

Said Dreazy: “I know she had a hand in organising Pride and she’s always on the forefront as an activist for the LGBTQ+ community and she always champions for us.”

Watch Goyz Lane on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. Follow @bermudapride on Instagram