Stay ConnectedHistory is Gay is a podcast that examines the underappreciated and overlooked queer ladies, gents, and gentle-enbies that have always been there in the unexplored corners of history. Because history has never been as straight as you think.
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Copyright: © History is Gay, 2017
Today's episode brings you not one, but two, wonderful guest hosts – Meghan Rose and S.C. Lucier, (known collectively as Lucier&Rose), the creators of Xena: Warrior Musical - The Lost Scroll, joining Leigh to talk about everyone's favorite badass warrior women of antiquity, Amazons! In this first part of a two-part episode examining warrior women throughout history, we'll dive full-tilt into the myths, legends, and misconceptions about the all-female militant society that struck fear into the hearts of ancient Greek men – powerful women, GASP! Where did these stories come from? How queer were they? And were they real, or just figments of mythology? Listen to this episode to hear us answer all these questions and talk even more, including jokes about penis bones, drinking horse-milk booze, and smoking pot with Herotodus.
Plus, Meg and Luce debut the very first song from their forthcoming musical, titled Atalanta: The Long Shot!
You can learn more about Meg and Luce, Xena: Warrior Musical, and more of their forthcoming projects at www.xenawarriormusical.com, @XenatheMusical on Twitter, and @XenaWarriorMusical on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube!
This episode was edited by Ellie Brigida of Lez Hang Out podcast and The Flame: A Podcast Musical.
Outline0:00 – Introduction10:37 – Socio-Historical Context13:33 – The Amazons of Myth and Legend31:10 – A tour through some Amazon queens38:27-39:05 – Content warning: rape mention40:34 – Atalanta, The Greek "Amazon" 59:55 – Real-Life Amazons: Warrior Women of Scythia1:09:28 – Why do we think they're gay? 1:26:16 – Pop-Culture Tie-In1:37:37 – How Gay were They?1:46:09 – Closing and Where to Find us OnlineHelp us close out 2021 and give us your feedback with our History is Gay Listener Survey! We want to hear from YOU and your thoughts about the show! What do you like? What do you dislike? What do you want us to know? Go to www.historyisgaypodcast.com/survey to fill it out.
Want to help us continue to make the show? Support us on Patreon and get awesome goodies, behind-the-scenes access, special minisodes, and more, and get ready for a new Patreon revamp in 2022 with awesome new perks! You can also get super cool merch in our store! Shirts, hoodies, totes, a coloring book, and other neat things.
If you'd like to help us transcribe the show for our d/Deaf and hard of hearing fans, please head on over to www.historyisgaypodcast.com/transcribe to join the team of volunteers!
Find our full list of sources and bonus content at www.historyisgaypodcast.com. Get at us on twitter @historyisgaypod, tumblr at historyisgaypodcast, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! Don't forget to rate and review so more folks can see the show!
If you've ever enjoyed disco, EDM, changed your voice with auto-tune, or danced along to Daft Punk, you've got the subject of today's episode to thank! In this episode of History is Gay, Leigh is joined by guest host Hannah van Rhee (they/them) of the QueerSounds Podcast to talk about Wendy Carlos, electronic music pioneer, synthesizer queen, film soundtrack composer extraordinaire, and trans woman! We'll get into all the exciting details, like weird stories about Stanley Kubrick during A Clockwork Orange, comedy albums with Weird Al Yankovic, living inside a faraday cage, and more cats than you can shake a dangly, shiny stick at.
Our wonderful guest host for this episode, Hannah van Rhee, can be found on twitter at @duchessofdeer, and you can follow their podcast QueerSounds on twitter @queersoundspod, Instagram @queersoundspod, and at www.queersounds.com.
Outline 00:00 – Introduction 5:01 – Main Topic: Trans-sister Radio: Synth Icon Wendy Carlos 7:09 – Socio-Historical Context 13:06 – A Note on Sources 14:23 – Who were they? Bio Time. 48:09 – Why do we think they're gay? 52:15 - 52:58 — Content warning: Descriptions of dysphoria and internalized transphobia 53:23 - 54:07 — Content warning: Suicidal ideation 1:07:36 – Word of the Week 1:20:46 – Main Takeaways and Final Conclusions: Wendy Carlos' Legacy 1:28:54 – How Gay were They? 1:31:34 – Closing and Where to Find us Online
Want to help us continue to make the show? Support us on Patreon and get awesome goodies, behind-the-scenes access, special minisodes, and more! You can get super cool merch in our store! Shirts, hoodies, totes, a coloring book, and other neat things.
If you'd like to help us transcribe the show for our d/Deaf and hard of hearing fans, please head on over to www.historyisgaypodcast.com/transcribe to join the team of volunteers!
Find our full list of sources and bonus content at www.historyisgaypodcast.com. Get at us on twitter @historyisgaypod, tumblr at historyisgaypodcast, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! Don't forget to rate and review so more folks can see the show!
In this episode of History is Gay, Leigh and guest host Aubree Calvin return to the story of Pauli Murray, an important African American lawyer, and activist who is finally getting the historical attention they deserve. In their time, Murray was a labor rights, civil rights, and women's rights activist, and broke significant barriers all while facing sexism and racism. In addition to having a brilliant legal mind, they were a writer, poet, and priest, and had time to be friends with Eleanor Roosevelt. Pauli Murray should be in every U.S. History book in every K-12 school.
So, if Pauli Murray was so important to so many movements, why has history largely forgotten them? Leigh and Aubree try to answer that in this two-episode series. In this second part of our first-ever two-part episode, we look at what made Pauli queer, and try to get a handle, as best we can, on their gender identity.
We also get the opportunity to speak with amazing activist, lawyer, and reproductive justice advocate Preston Mitchum, previously Policy Director at URGE (Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity) and current Director of Advocacy and Government Affairs at The Trevor Project, on his own personal history coming to Pauli Murray's story, how they influenced him as a Black queer man, and continues to inspire and influence current and future generations of queer civil rights attorneys all across the country.
Preston can be found online at www.prestonmitchum.com, on Instagram @preston.mitchum, and on Twitter @prestonmitchum.
Our wonderful guest host for this episode, Aubree Calvin, can be found at www.aubreecalvin.com or on her podcast Southern Queeries. You can also hear Aubree in previous episodes, which you can check out by clicking here!
Outline 0:00 – Introduction 4:49 – Why Do We Think They're Gay? 7:19 – Looking at Pauli's Relationships 14:21 – How do we talk about Pauli's gender? 36:17 – Interview with Preston Mitchum 1:12:16 –1:14:173 – TW: Discussion of sexual abuse, rape, and assault 1:16:40 – Pop Culture Tie-In 1:18:13 – How Gay Were They? 1:22:40 – Closing and Where to Find Us Online
Want to help us continue to make the show? Support us on Patreon and get awesome goodies, behind-the-scenes access, special minisodes, and more! You can get super cool merch in our store! Shirts, hoodies, totes, a coloring book, and other neat things.
If you'd like to help us transcribe the show for our d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing fans, please head on over to www.historyisgaypodcast.com/transcribe to join the team of volunteers!
Find our full list of sources and bonus content at www.historyisgaypodcast.com. Get at us on twitter @historyisgaypod, tumblr at historyisgaypodcast, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! Don't forget to rate and review so more folks can see the show!
We're bringing you a bonus episode as a post-Pride gift! Back in April, Leigh sat down with filmmaker Whitney Skauge (they/them) to talk about their new documentary short, The Beauty President. The Beauty President offers a glimpse into the story of Terence Alan Smith. In 1992, Smith, also known by his drag name, Joan Jett Blakk, made a historic bid for the White House as an openly queer write-in candidate.
In our conversation, we talk about the film, the impact of focusing on historically excluded folks in media, and the importance of visibility and disruption as protest in the midst of the AIDS crisis.
Check out the trailer for The Beauty President by clicking here, and learn more about the film, upcoming screenings near you, and more on Breakwater Studios' website.
You can learn more about Whitney Skauge on their website, and follow them on Instagram at @whitneyskauge.
In this episode of History is Gay, Leigh and guest host Aubree Calvin discuss Pauli Murray, an important African American lawyer, and activist who is finally getting the historical attention they deserve. In their time, Murray was a labor rights, civil rights, and women's rights activist, and broke significant barriers all while facing sexism and racism. In addition to having a brilliant legal mind, they were a writer, poet, and priest, and had time to be friends with Eleanor Roosevelt. Pauli Murray should be in every U.S. History book in every K-12 school.
So, if Pauli Murray was so important to so many movements, why has history largely forgotten them? Leigh and Aubree try to answer that in this two-episode series. This first episode looks at their upbringing, many careers, and accomplishments. Later, in part two, we look at what made Pauli queer, and try to get a handle, as best we can, on their gender identity.
Our wonderful guest host for this episode, Aubree Calvin, can be found at www.aubreecalvin.com or on her podcast Southern Queeries. You can also hear Aubree in previous episodes, which you can check out by clicking here!
Outline0:00 – Introduction10:00 – Main Topic: Pauli Murray13:06 – Socio-Historical Context14:36 – A Note on Pronouns16:11 – Who were they? Bio Time.19:26 – Content Warning: Racial violence30:05 – Fun Segment: Word of the Week57:13 – Poetry and Memoir Writing1:12:19 – Content Warning: Stark descriptions of slave trade1:20:55 – Closing and Where to Find Us Online
Support for this episode comes from .gay, a brand new domain extension that will add a whole bunch of fabulousness to your website, while supporting LGBTQ rights and organizations at the same time! .gay is offering our listeners a FREE .gay domain name of your choice for your own website or brand for 1-year. Click here to get your free .gay website with our special coupon code already applied!
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Want to help us continue to make the show? Support us on Patreon and get awesome goodies, behind-the-scenes access, special minisodes, and more! You can get super cool merch in our store! Shirts, hoodies, totes, a coloring book, and other neat things.
If you'd like to help us transcribe the show for our d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing fans, please head on over to www.historyisgaypodcast.com/transcribe to join the team of volunteers!
Find our full list of sources and bonus content at www.historyisgaypodcast.com. Get at us on twitter @historyisgaypod, tumblr at historyisgaypodcast, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! Don't forget to rate and review so more folks can see the show!
In this episode of History is Gay Leigh and guest host Amanda Helton discuss Mary Edmonia "Wildfire" Lewis, the first internationally recognized African American and indigenous artist in the United States. Join us while we ponder how exactly a literal 2-ton sculpture goes missing, discuss the merits of lesbian drama in 1800s Rome, and did you know that blister beetles have been used as aphrodisiacs for centuries? Yeah... neither did we….
Our wonderful guest host for this episode, Amanda Helton, can be found at www.amandahelton.com or @oryxbesia on Instagram. You can also hear Amanda in our episode on Michelangelo!
Outline0:00 – Introduction7:18 – Socio-Historical Context20:58 – Who were they? Bio Time25:06 – 26:18 — Content warning: racial violence30:29 – Fun Segment: Word of the Week58:27 – Why do we think they're gay? 1:22:52 – Main Takeaways and Final Conclusions1:27:51 – How Gay were They?1:30:53 – Closing and Where to Find us OnlineWe want to hear from YOU! Please fill out our first-ever History is Gay Listener Survey! We want to hear from YOU and your thoughts about the show! What do you like? What do you dislike? What do you want us to know? Go to www.historyisgaypodcast.com/survey to fill it out, and if you enter your email, you might win a free HIG tee!
Want to help us continue to make the show? Support us on Patreon and get awesome goodies, behind-the-scenes access, special minisodes, and more! You can get super cool merch in our store! Shirts, hoodies, totes, a coloring book, and other neat things.
If you'd like to help us transcribe the show for our d/Deaf and hard of hearing fans, please head on over to www.historyisgaypodcast.com/transcribe to join the team of volunteers!
Find our full list of sources and bonus content at www.historyisgaypodcast.com. Get at us on twitter @historyisgaypod, tumblr at historyisgaypodcast, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! Don't forget to rate and review so more folks can see the show!
For today's episode, Leigh is joined by return guest host, Aubree Calvin, to commemorate Black History Month by telling the stories of some folks who made contributions to the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s whose queerness has been overlooked or erased, and the ways in which the tremendous work done by Black activists was absolutely essential to the evolution of LGBTQ rights actions. Listen to hear about Freedom Rides organizer Rodney Powell's epic takedown of Rev. Rick Warren, Ernestine Eckstein's directions for the homophile movement, and Lorraine Hansberry's thoughts on Eartha Kitt's legs.
Our wonderful guest host for this episode, Aubree Calvin, can be found at www.aubreecalvin.com or on her podcast Southern Queeries. You can also hear Aubree in our episode on Sister Rosetta Tharpe!
Outline 0:00 – Introduction 5:12 – Main Topic: Queers in the Civil Rights Movement 5:27 – Socio-Historical Context 13:47 – 14:18 — Content warning: police brutality/violence mention 20:02 – Who were they? Bio Time. 31:13 – 34:21 – Content warning: violence mention 40:57 – Why do we think they're gay? 1:01:46 – Fun Segment: Word of the Week 1:24:56 – Content warning: suicide mention 1:28:01 – Fun Segment: Pop Culture Tie-In 1:22:25 – Main Takeaways and Final Conclusions 1:29:30 – How Gay were They? 1:35:59 – Closing and Where to Find us Online
Please fill out our first-ever History is Gay Listener Survey! We want to hear from YOU and your thoughts about the show! What do you like? What do you dislike? What do you want us to know? Go to www.historyisgaypodcast.com/survey to fill it out, and if you enter your email, you might win a free HIG tee!
Want to help us continue to make the show? Support us on Patreon and get awesome goodies, behind-the-scenes access, special minisodes, and more! You can get super cool merch in our store! Shirts, hoodies, totes, a coloring book, and other neat things.
If you'd like to help us transcribe the show for our d/Deaf and hard of hearing fans, please head on over to www.historyisgaypodcast.com/transcribe to join the team of volunteers!
Find our full list of sources and bonus content at www.historyisgaypodcast.com. Get at us on twitter @historyisgaypod, tumblr at historyisgaypodcast, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! Don't forget to rate and review so more folks can see the show!
It's been one heck of a year, huh queerlings? This month, while we're not able to bring you a regular episode of History is Gay, we are treating you to a special delight in the form of our fantastic conversation with the wonderful minds and gayness behind the brand new (or at least it was when we recorded this) Sweetbitter Podcast, all about Sappho!
Created by Ellie Brigida, Leesa Charlotte, and Alyse Knorr, Sweetbitter is an investigative podcast that delves into the truth and controversy of Sappho's life, the Isle of Lesbos and homosexuality in ancient Greece. Was Kerkylas of Andros (translation: "Penis of Mansville") Sappho's husband, or a wink to her known love of women? Did she really have a daughter named Kleos or was she her young lover?
Collaborating with experts in the fields of poetry, queer studies, theatre and Ancient Greece, Sweetbitter untangles the life of Sappho including the importance of her work and sexuality in modern times.
Leigh spoke with Leesa and Alyse back in October while they were gearing up to launch the show, and now you can hear five of their episodes everywhere you listen to podcasts, and check them out at www.sweetbitterpodcast.com!
In this episode of History is Gay, Leigh and guest host and art museum professional nerd Amanda Helton discuss Michelangelo Buonarroti. THE Michelangelo. And we'll get into all the juicy deets you didn't learn in art history class-- full of stories of broken noses, the gay art of forgery, big ol' artist egos, and attempts to answer the question, "what even is a titty"? Buckle up for the extremely gay Italian Renaissance, everyone!
Our wonderful guest host for this episode, Amanda Helton, can be found at www.amandahelton.com or on Instagram at oryxbesia.
Outline00:00 – Introduction5:36 – Main Topic: Michelangelo: Besotted with Beefcake 6:34 – Socio-Historical Context 15:14 – Who were they? Bio Time. 48:43 – Why do we think they're gay? 1:22:25 – Main Takeaways and Final Conclusions 1:28:56 – How Gay were They?| 1:34:06 – Closing and Where to Find us Online
Want to help us continue to make the show? Support us on Patreon and get awesome goodies, behind-the-scenes access, special minisodes, and more! You can get super cool merch in our store! Shirts, hoodies, totes, a coloring book, and other neat things.
If you'd like to help us transcribe the show for our d/Deaf and hard of hearing fans, please head on over to www.historyisgaypodcast.com/transcribe to join the team of volunteers! Find our full list of sources and bonus content at www.historyisgaypodcast.com. Get at us on twitter @historyisgaypod, tumblr at historyisgaypodcast, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! Don't forget to rate and review so more folks can see the show!
Get ready to slap on your spurs once more, because we're back with more trans vagabonds of the wild west! In our last full episode, Leigh and guest host Ashten promised more tidbits and tales of transgender trailblazers that we weren't able to cover in our time together, so here's a bonus for you! Strap in to hear the (abbreviated) tales of several awesome folks we just couldn't bear to leave out.
Thank you to Ashten Hope for the additional research provided to make this bonus episode possible!
Outline:
0:00 - Introduction and event announcement 2:37 - Joe Monahan 5:58 - John Runk 7:17 - Ray Leonard 8:58 - Bert Martin 10:35 - Joseph Lobdell 15:21 - Jean Bonnet 19:14 - Closing
Want to help us continue to make the show? Support us on Patreon and get awesome goodies, behind-the-scenes access, special minisodes, and more! You can get super cool merch in our store! Shirts, hoodies, totes, and other neat things, as well as pages from our History is Gay digital coloring book!
If you'd like to help us transcribe the show for our d/Deaf and hard of hearing fans, please head on over to www.historyisgaypodcast.com/transcribe to join the team of volunteers!
Find our full list of sources and bonus content at www.historyisgaypodcast.com. Get at us on twitter @historyisgaypod, tumblr at historyisgaypodcast, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! Don't forget to rate and review so more folks can see the show!
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