EP21 – Cody Ford – Heatwave: Sam’s Adventure
This week on the Gay P H X Podcast, Bily and Brian recap an absolutely massive Memorial Day weekend across Phoenix and beyond — from GRIT Saturday night and Beer Bust at Pat O’s Bunkhouse to packed IML watch parties, community celebrations, and the energy that reminded us exactly why queer spaces still matter.
We also celebrate Honey Davenport bringing home the International Mr. Leather title for Palm Springs for the second year in a row and talk about heading to our sister city this weekend for Marilyn 100 — the huge Palm Springs celebration attempting to break the world record for the largest gathering of Marilyn Monroe look-alikes ever assembled.
Then Bily sits down with indie game developer Cody Ford, creator of Heatwave: Sam’s Story — a cinematic queer gaming experience officially launching on Steam this week. Together they dive into queer storytelling in games, self-discovery, vulnerability, adult themes with emotional depth, representation in gaming, and what it means to create queer art outside of traditional corporate systems.
We also talk about:
• Why queer storytelling in games still matters
• The overlap between gaming, identity, and self-discovery
• Building independent queer media and art
• The future of indie queer game development
• Creating spaces where LGBTQ+ people feel seen
Plus:
🏳️🌈 Gay P H X teases new live stream and community conversation projects currently in development
✨ We spotlight the Diné Pride fundraiser collaboration with Gaba Ghoul and the ongoing effort to help fund Diné Pride 2026
📻 A reminder that Gay P H X isn’t corporate media — it’s local queer media built by community, for community
Queer Stories. Local Beats. Real Community.