Calum McSwiggan

Calum McSwiggan was born on May 21, 1990, in Nottingham, England. He pursued higher education at the University of Derby, where he earned a degree in Creative Writing. His professional career began with a focus on advocacy, working for the HIV charity Terrence Higgins Trust in 2013. That same year, he started creating online content, establishing a presence on YouTube and blogging about his experiences as a gay man traveling solo. These early endeavors highlighted his interest in LGBT+ issues and content creation.

McSwiggan’s career progressed with various media engagements and projects. In 2015, he collaborated with the LGBT+ charity organization Switchboard (UK) to support their relaunch through a series of videos featuring notable LGBT+ figures. His YouTube channel expanded, covering LGBT and lifestyle genres, and by 2016, he co-produced an award-winning documentary centered on mental health and received the Best LGBT+ Short Film award at the Buffer Film Festival in 2017. He also developed a presence in radio, hosting ‘The Calum McSwiggan Show’ on FUBAR Radio and participating in broadcasts for Gaydio and BBC Radio 2, and co-presenting an episode of BBC Radio 4’s Gay Britannia. His writing career also developed; after blogging about travel, he contributed to Hannah Witton’s sex education book, ‘Doing It,’ and signed with a literary agent in 2017 for his first book, which was published in 2020. He was awarded the Traverse Travel Award for 12 Month Achievement in 2022.

Throughout his career, McSwiggan has been recognized for his contributions to digital content and advocacy within the LGBT+ space. He has published three books focusing on LGBT+ topics and maintains an active online presence as a writer and content creator. His work often involves discussing LGBT+ issues, relationships, and personal experiences, aiming to create supportive content for the community. In a notable incident in June 2016, McSwiggan pleaded guilty to vandalism in Los Angeles, an event that followed claims of being a victim of a hate crime. He was sentenced to three years of supervised probation, 52 anger management sessions, and ordered to pay $7,000 in compensation for the damages. Prior to this, in January 2016, he released a video discussing his past involvement in adult content to his YouTube audience.