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
In this episode, co-hosts Gretchen and Leigh will take you on a tour of medieval Arabo-Islamic erotic literature and the many delightful descriptions of queer female experience it contains. Remember way back in episode two when 'thigh fencing' came up? Well, that and other martial imagery for wlw sexual experience come from medieval Arabo-Islamic poetry! Like shield banging, jousting without a lance, or our new favorite---the saffron massage. Plus, we'll dive into cross-dressing heroines, the music of love (moaning), and the first lesbian couple, Hind and al-Zarqa'!
Outline
0:00 – Introduction 5:57 – Historical Context: Medieval Arabic Erotic Tradition More Generally 25:52 – Historical Context: Arabic Literature and Western Courtly Love Poetry 36:11 – Fun Segment: Word of the Week 42:38 – Tribadism and Queer Lady Love in Arabo-Islamic Writing 1:03:17 – Tales of Cross-Dressing and Same-Sex Marriage 1:16:10 – People Examples 1:24:41 – Takeaways 1:30:25 – How Gay were They? 1:33:18 – Closing and Where to Find Us Online
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!
Leigh & Gretchen are bringing you a special bonus episode this week! Wow, three whole episodes in a month, Happy Pride! In this bonus, Leigh sits down with Robert Philipson, producer and director of the documentary T'Aint Nobody's Bizness: Queer Blues Divas of the 1920s, which we discussed in our episode Bulldaggers and Lady Lovers, about his process, the importance of telling queer stories and excavating lost history, his upcoming documentary project Mood Lavender which sheds light on more queers in the Harlem Renaissance, and maybe even a little sneaky surprise for you all.
Want to find more info on Robert and his work? Go to www.shogafilms.com or follow on twitter @ShogaFilms or like the Shoga Films facebook page!
Want to see Robert's short film Congo Cabaret at the San Francisco Black Film Festival this Sunday, June 17? Purchase tickets at www.sfbff.org.
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!
As you know, we're not a fan of Nazis. In part two of our (what will very likely be ongoing) series on badass Nazi-fighting queer anti-fascists we discuss the genderqueer, surrealist artist and Nazi resistance fighter Claude Cahun! Teen love to stepsisters to lifelong partners in art and resistance? Lovers literally saving each others lives more than once? Taking a break from sunbathing and walking their cat on a leash in middle age to spread anti-fascist propaganda and lower morale among the invading German forces? Gender is a performance, what? Classic Claude Cahun (and Marcel Moore)! So say it with us again, "Nazi punks, fuck off" this time with surrealism.
Outline0:00 – Introduction2:19 – Content Warnings4:05 – Historical Context: Dreyfus Affair and 'New Women' in France9:13 – Who Were They? Bio Time23:22-28:32 – Fun Segment: Word of the Week1:00:14 – Why Do We Think They're Gay?1:17:51 – Pop Culture Tie In1:19:01 – How Gay Were They?1:24:57 – Closing and Where to Find us Online
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 not a fan of nazis around these parts, and not just for the obvious reasons. Did you know that one of the most iconic images of them burning books is from when they burned the library of a gay, Jewish, communist sexologist well known for his research on sexuality and gender, including trans identity? Until this episode, we didn't either! In this first part of a two part series (so far!), we dive into the fascinating life of Doctor Magnus Hirschfeld, the "Einstein of sex." His approach to sexuality, gender, and race was decades ahead of the likes of Alfred Kinsey and Harry Benjamin, and who knows were society would be had his research not been destroyed. So come join us as we say, "Nazi punks, fuck off!"
Outline 0:00 – Introduction 3:38 – Content Warnings 5:40 – Social Context: Taboos and Mores 12:50 – Social Context: White Supremacy 17:43 – Social Context: Romanticism and the German Wilhelmite Period 24:50 – Social Context: Volkish Movements and Nazism 26:47 – Who Were They? Bio Time 31:00-31:53 – Content Warning: Discussion of Suicide 55:45-59:00 - (Not So) Fun Segment: Word of the Week 1:06:48 - Why Do We Think They're Gay? 1:11:40 – How Gay Were They? 1:14:30 – Closing and Where to Find us Online
Find our full list of sources and bonus content at www.historyisgaypodcast.com. Get at us on twitter @historyisgaypod, tumblr at hishistoryisgaypodcast, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! Don't forget to rate and review so more folks can see the show!
Welcome to a special first here in History is Gay: our first ever minisode! As Gretchen has been busy traveling this month, she and Leigh are filling in with a special guest interview with Sarah Prager, author of Queer, There, and Everywhere and creator of the Queer history app Quist. If you love queer folks from history and learning fun, daily facts about queer history, then this interview should be right up your alley!
Outline
0:00 – Introduction 2:15 – Interview with Sarah Prager 37:27– Closing and Where to Find us Online
Follow Sarah's work on her website, www.sarahprager.com and check out her app Quist. You can also follow her on twitter @Sarah_Prager!
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!
R is for Revolutionary War, which is where hosts Leigh & Gretchen are headed in this, the very first episode dedicated to a single person from history: the Publick Universal Friend. The Friend presented as something entirely new: a genderless spirit from God who eschewed gendered pronouns and dressed and spoke in ways that purposefully blurred the lines between male and female in early American society. So come join us as we talk about this most special of Friends; to make things even more interesting, turns out one of our hosts is related to the Friend!
Outline
0:00 – Introduction
2:30 – Corrections Corner: On Egyptian Lettuce
5:22 – Main Topic: Jemima Wilkinson, The Publick Universal Friend
7:54 – Socio-Historical and Religious Context
27:48 – Who were they? Bio Time.
48:42 – Why do we think they're gay?
1:05:08 – Analysis from Queer Historians
1:17:15 – Fun Fact: One of our Hosts is Related!
1:20:40 – How Gay were They?
1:27:10 – Closing and Where to Find us Online
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 today's episode, Leigh and Gretchen head way back in time to Ancient Egypt. That's right, get ready to walk like an Egyptian! Take a tour through Egyptian mythology to discuss what Set and Nephthys imply about Egypt having a concept of third gender. Plus, the dancing woman mummy, gender transformation in burial, the gender presentation of women pharaohs like Hatshepsut, and Gretchen's favorite gay Egyptian tomb! By the end, you'll see why having 3 genders in Ancient Egypt is more likely than people think!
Outline0:00 – Introduction
5:38 – A Note on Mythological Sources
9:44 – Gender Ambiguity in Mythology
30:29 – What Does this Have to do with Gender?
40:00 – Other Evidence of Non-Cisheteronormative Gender
54:58 – Linguistic Evidence of Third Gender
1:07:36 – Two Famous hm Priests: Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep
1:23:52 – Takeaways
1:29:39 – How Gay Were They?
1:36:51 – Closing and Where to Find us Online
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 very special episode, hosts Leigh & Gretchen travel to the red carpet and the silver screen to hear stories about queer actors from the golden age of Hollywood. Along for the ride is a room full of queer people who came to listen to the podcast being recorded live at TGIFemslash, a convention dedicated to the queer ladies of media, the ladies who love them, and the fans who love them. Join us and a room full of big gay nerds as we discuss the early years of film, the sexploits of the rich and famous, and other favorite queermos from history! Outline0:00 - Pre-show announcements
2:25 – Introduction
4:44 – Game: Silver Screen Sexploits
10:54 – Word of the Week: Lavender Marriages
12:54 – More Stars of a Bi Gone Era: Why Do We Think They're Gay?
17:15 – How Gay Were They?
22:20 – Group Discussion: Favorite Queermos from History
45:15 – Closing and Where to Find us Online
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 awesome nerdy queer merch like buttons, shirts, necklaces, and other fantastic things to deck your femslash-loving self out in, please check out our amazing friend's shop mentioned in the show, Glorious Weirdo! They make stuff for nerds, fangirls, feminists, queers, geeks & other cool people. Their designs celebrate the things we love, and we hope you'll love them too.
In this episode, your hosts Leigh & Gretchen take a stroll down Jungle Alley and bring you stories of the vibrant black lesbian and gay subculture of the Harlem Renaissance and the blues legends who sang of its glory. With wild parties, bathtub gin, clandestine orgies, and crooning bulldaggers, the lesbian and bisexual blues legends of the 1920s and 1930s were definitely not as straight as you think.
Outline
0:00 – Introduction3:46 – The Harlem Renaissance, Cultural Context, and the Language We Used10:42 – Bio Time!: Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Bessie Smith, Gladys Bentley, Ethel Waters (& Ethel Williams), Alberta Hunter, & Lucille Bogan39:13 – What Do You Mean They're Not Straight? 39:28 – Evidence from Historical/Cultural Context: Queer subculture & performance in Harlem nightlife44:06 – Word(s) of the Week: Rent Party & Buffet Flat 48:56 – Evidence from Their Personal Lives & Music 1:04:41 – Pop Culture Tie-In: Bessie (2015) 1:05:29 – Takeaways 1:07:55 – How Gay Were They? 1:08:31 – Closing and Where to Find Us Online
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!
As your hosts return to examine the unexplored corners of history to highlight overlooked queer ladies, gents, and gentle-enbies, they bring a conversation about homosexuality in Imperial China. They will discuss the unique tradition of male homosexuality present for over 2500 years, what made it possible, and how tragic it's loss is for modern China. And don't worry, even though female homosexuality doesn't have the same strong literary tradition, there are plenty of delightful stories, and a new 'word of the week' related to queer lady experience!
Outline
0:00 – Introduction 3:55 – Main Topic: Homosexuality in Imperial China 13:38 – Social Context: Confucianism, Daoism, and Conceptions of Sex 22:46 – Social Context: Different Kinds of Sexual Relationships Between Men 23:41-24:36 - CONTENT WARNING: pederasty mention 30:23– Examples! 1:10:30 - CONTENT WARNING: pederasty mention 1:11:50 – Word of the Week: dui shi ("shared eating") 1:17:33 – Takeaways 1:20:14 – How gay were they? 1:23:06 – Where to find us online
Links to 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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