Heavyweight, Jonathan Goldstein’s long-running podcast, has become one of the most acclaimed and distinctive audio series in the world. In each episode, the quirky host introduces a person who has been carrying a question, mystery or unresolved issue for years, before embarking on a quest to find answers.
The show is now in its tenth season, and its latest episode is one of its strongest. As a child, Cayden was quiet, reserved and deeply closeted. But during a church mission trip, he met Andrew, a young man who inspired him to come out. Now, as an adult, Cayden wants to know what became of him.
Today, in his mid-20s, Cayden is a schoolteacher living his best gay life. But growing up in a conservative and religious family, he kept his sexuality hidden.
In eighth grade, Cayden travelled to Oklahoma with his church youth group to help clean up after a tornado. At the time, he was a stoic and quiet young man, and some church elders believed he might one day become a pastor.
When they arrived at the dormitory where they would be staying, Cayden’s youth pastor pulled him aside and explained that he would be sharing a room with a young man named Andrew. Andrew was described as loud, chaotic and energetic, and the hope was that Cayden would be a positive influence.
“He was just such a different personality to me, a mile a minute and always overflowing with ideas,” Cayden recalls.
A few days into the volunteer project, Cayden heard Andrew openly tell a group of friends that he was bisexual. Coming from a church where homosexuality was frowned upon, and where the legalisation of same-sex marriage had been described as a day of mourning, Cayden had never met someone who was openly queer.
Years later, Cayden wants to track down his former roommate and tell him that he inspired him to be open about his own sexuality. The problem is that all he remembers is Andrew’s first name, one of the most common names in the United States. He hopes Jonathan Goldstein can help with the search.
“Who could he be now? I’d love to know where he ended up. I hope I didn’t influence him the wrong way, like some kind of Freaky Friday situation. He’s a Christian broadcaster recording podcasts about how I inspired him to become stoic and repressive,” Cayden jokes as they begin their search.
What follows is intriguing, surprising and genuinely moving. It’s a reminder of why Heavyweight remains one of the most acclaimed podcasts around.
Listen to the episode, which is filled with unexpected twists and turns.
