I was working in a coffee shop in Boston to help pay rent while I was training for the trials

and so people kept joking. They were like, oh yeah, she just took a two-hour coffee break

and went and ran the Olympic trials bare at that. On the podium is back with more Olympians

and Paralympians sharing their journeys to the top. On the podium from the BBC World Service,

listen now wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

Welcome to the documentary from the BBC World Service with me, Ellie House.

Today I'm asking, did Netflix know I was gay before I did? How does big tech personalisation work

and what does that mean for LGBTQ people around the world?

Let me tell you about my coming out story. Coming out to myself, the year I realised that I was bisexual.

It was my second year of university. I'd had one long-term boyfriend before then and always

considered myself straight. To be honest, dating wasn't at the top of my agenda. My priorities

were studying, training with my uni sports team and going out with friends.

I also watched a lot of Netflix and I loved what it recommended.

When you go onto the website or app, you're met with a sleek page with rows and rows of

suggested films or TV shows. Every row has a little title telling you what it's about. Hang on,

I'm just going to log onto my account now to show some examples.

Okay, there's a top picks for Ellie Row, TV shows based on real life,

critically acclaimed witty TV dramas, romantic films, award-winning TV programmes about friendship.

That year, I remember getting lots of recommendations for new series with lesbian

storylines or bi-characters. There was one that stuck out called You Me Her. All about a polyamorous

queer relationship. Mom, Dad, I'm a conceptually challenged bisexual. I like boys and girls.

Another was Gypsy, a psychodrama featuring a suburban mum and her sorted affair with a younger woman.

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