Celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month with Grating the Nutmeg!

Celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month with Grating the Nutmeg!

June 1st marks the start of LGBTQ+ Pride Month. To celebrate, we’ve gathered a sampling of episodes that share the incredible stories of Connecticut’s LGBTQ+ history. Click on the links below, and then press play on the next page for your next good story. Once you’re done listening, be sure to click the last link to discover Connecticut Explored articles uncovering even more LGBTQ+ history in our state!

119. Uncovering Connecticut’s LGBTQ History: Lives of the state’s LGBTQ+ citizens have moved from being hidden and solitary to claiming visible, powerful, valuable, and contributing places in society. In this episode, Mary Donohue interviews historian William J. Mann about when and how the LGBTQ+ movement started in Connecticut, what legislative goals and strategies drove the movement, and what the current goals are for the LGBTQ+ movement. Mann also wrote Connecticut Explored’s “A Brief History of Connecticut’s Gay Media,” available here.

164. Philip Johnson’s Glass House: The Glass House, internationally famous for its design, is also a landmark in the history of historic preservation and the LGBTQ+ community. Tune in to hear the story of its owner and designer, Philip Johnson, and his Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut. You’ll hear from Glass House educator Gwen North Reiss, who also wrote Connecticut Explored’s “Philip Johnson’s 50-Year Experiment in Architecture and Landscape.” You can read her article here.

188. Revealing Queer Lives: Connecticut’s LGBTQ History: In our most recent episode, we celebrate the start of LGBTQ+ Pride Month by highlighting efforts to bring LGBTQ+ history to light. Author, professor, and historian William J. Mann returns with public history researcher, writer, and consultant Dr. Susan Ferentinos to talk about what historians have found in Connecticut’s colonial records and some surprising connections to famous individuals and landmarks. Stay tuned until the end of the episode where we will share three recommendations for places to visit in CT to celebrate LGBTQ+ history.  

Connecticut’s LGBTQ History: Loved what you listened to? Want to discover more about our state’s LGBTQ+ history? Click the link to explore Connecticut Explored articles relating to LGBTQ+ topics. You’ll find William J. Mann and Gwen North Reiss’ articles as well as other fascinating stories including East Haddam’s Palmer-Warner House, Bridgeport’s feminist bookstore and restaurant, Bloodroot, and early advocate for Connecticut’s gay community, Canon Clinton Jones.