History is Gay
132 episodes - English - Latest episode: 7 months ago - ★★★★★ - 462 ratingsHistory 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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Episodes
Episode 12: Let's Have a Kiki with Queer as Fact!
August 06, 2018 14:00 - 1 hour - 77.5 MBWelcome to our very first extra special collaboration! Joining Leigh and Gretchen this episode are our friends over at Queer as Fact, a queer history podcast from Australia. Our topic of choice? Queer slang! Join us as we discuss lavender linguistics, the history of queer slang in Australian penal colonies, and our favorite slang words, both American and Australian! So brush off your oysters, pitch your tents for camp, sharpen up your Gillette blades, and let’s have a kiki with Queer as Fact...
0.3. A Sneak Peek into Sappho's Salon
July 16, 2018 07:00 - 15 minutes - 10.9 MBInstead of a regular episode this week, Leigh & Gretchen treat you to a very special sneak peek into Sappho's Salon, an exclusive place where the sighs, yearnings, tragedies, and triumphs of queer love are brought to life. If you enjoyed this minisode and would like more of these queer readings, keep an eye out for our upcoming Patreon launch and consider becoming a patron to get all the secret goodies and behind-the-scenes glimpses we're excited to bring you from History is Gay! Find our ...
Episode 0.3: A Sneak Peek into Sappho's Salon
July 16, 2018 07:00 - 15 minutes - 10.9 MBInstead of a regular episode this week, Leigh & Gretchen treat you to a very special sneak peek into Sappho's Salon, an exclusive place where the sighs, yearnings, tragedies, and triumphs of queer love are brought to life. If you enjoyed this minisode and would like more of these queer readings, keep an eye out for our upcoming Patreon launch and consider becoming a patron to get all the secret goodies and behind-the-scenes glimpses we're excited to bring you from History is Gay! Find our ...
11. Rainbow Rising: The First Pride
July 02, 2018 07:00 - 1 hour - 56.8 MBLeigh and Gretchen welcome you to their first Pride month special and the first of an ongoing series on Queer civil rights movements in the United States. And what better way to do both than to dive into the lives of Gilbert Baker---the maker of the first rainbow pride flag---and Brenda Howard---one of the primary organizers of the first Pride march commemorating the Stonewall riots and Pride week. Pride is a special month for those of us in the queer community, so we wanted to celebrate our...
Episode 11: Rainbow Rising: The First Pride
July 02, 2018 07:00 - 1 hour - 56.8 MBLeigh and Gretchen welcome you to their first Pride month special and the first of an ongoing series on Queer civil rights movements in the United States. And what better way to do both than to dive into the lives of Gilbert Baker---the maker of the first rainbow pride flag---and Brenda Howard---one of the primary organizers of the first Pride march commemorating the Stonewall riots and Pride week. Pride is a special month for those of us in the queer community, so we wanted to celebrate our...
Episode 10: Thigh Fencing and the Saffron Massage
June 18, 2018 07:00 - 1 hour - 72.1 MBIn 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, th...
10. Thigh Fencing and the Saffron Massage
June 18, 2018 07:00 - 1 hour - 72.1 MBIn 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, th...
Episode 10: Thigh Fencing and the Saffron Massage
June 18, 2018 07:00 - 1 hour - 72.1 MBIn 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, th...
Episode 0.2: T'Aint Nobody's Bizness: An Interview with Robert Philipson
June 11, 2018 07:00 - 38 minutes - 27.8 MBLeigh & 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 ...
0.2. T'Aint Nobody's Bizness: An Interview with Robert Philipson
June 11, 2018 07:00 - 38 minutes - 27.8 MBLeigh & 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 ...
9. Nazi Punks Fuck Off, Pt 2: Claude Cahun
June 04, 2018 07:00 - 1 hour - 64.3 MBAs 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 th...
Episode 9: Nazi Punks Fuck Off, Pt 2: Claude Cahun
June 04, 2018 07:00 - 1 hour - 64.3 MBAs 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 th...
8. Nazi Punks Fuck Off, Pt 1: Magnus Hirschfeld
May 21, 2018 07:00 - 1 hour - 61 MBWe'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 ...
Episode 8: Nazi Punks Fuck Off, Pt 1: Magnus Hirschfeld
May 21, 2018 07:00 - 1 hour - 61 MBWe'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 ...
0.1. Queer, There, and Everywhere
April 16, 2018 07:00 - 40 minutes - 25.3 MBWelcome 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 Prage...
Episode 0.1: Queer, There, and Everywhere
April 16, 2018 07:00 - 40 minutes - 25.3 MBWelcome 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 Prage...
7. F is For Friend Who Did Not Have Gender
April 02, 2018 07:00 - 1 hour - 66.5 MBR 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 i...
Episode 7: F is For Friend Who Did Not Have Gender
April 02, 2018 07:00 - 1 hour - 66.5 MBR 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 i...
Episode 6: 3 Genders? In Ancient Egypt? It's More Likely Than You Think
March 19, 2018 07:00 - 1 hour - 69.3 MBIn 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 t...
6. Three Genders? In Ancient Egypt? It's More Likely Than You Think
March 19, 2018 07:00 - 1 hour - 69.3 MBIn 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 t...
Episode 6: 3 Genders? In Ancient Egypt? It's More Likely Than YouThink
March 19, 2018 07:00In 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 t...
Episode 5: Stars from a Bi-Gone Era
March 05, 2018 08:00 - 49 minutes - 34.9 MBIn 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...
5. Stars from a Bi-Gone Era
March 05, 2018 08:00 - 49 minutes - 34.9 MBIn 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...
Episode 4: Bulldaggers and Lady Lovers
February 20, 2018 19:51 - 1 hour - 50 MBIn 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 – Introduction 3:46 – The Harlem Renaissance, Cultural Context, and the Langu...
4. Bulldaggers and Lady Lovers
February 20, 2018 19:51 - 1 hour - 50 MBIn 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 – Introduction 3:46 – The Harlem Renaissance, Cultural Context, and the Langu...
3. Mei Ai Hold Your Hand? Homosexuality in Imperial China
February 05, 2018 09:00 - 1 hour - 54.5 MBAs 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...
Episode 3: Mei Ai Hold Your Hand? Homosexuality in Imperial China
February 05, 2018 09:00 - 1 hour - 54.5 MBAs 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...
2. Cloistered Queers
January 15, 2018 09:03 - 1 hour - 60.1 MBIn this episode, your hosts Gretchen and Leigh continue to examine the overlooked and underappreciated queer ladies, gents, and gentle-enbies in the unexplored corners of history by traveling to the cloisters of Medieval Europe. They’ll uncover unique views of sex and sexuality that made the practice of ‘brother making’ possible both within and outside the monastic community but also made it hard for medieval theologians to understand sex between women. Come slake your thirst for queer poems...
Episode 2: Cloistered Queers
January 15, 2018 09:03 - 1 hour - 60.1 MBIn this episode, your hosts Gretchen and Leigh continue to examine the overlooked and underappreciated queer ladies, gents, and gentle-enbies in the unexplored corners of history by traveling to the cloisters of Medieval Europe. They’ll uncover unique views of sex and sexuality that made the practice of ‘brother making’ possible both within and outside the monastic community but also made it hard for medieval theologians to understand sex between women. Come slake your thirst for queer poems...
1. Were Some Pirates Poofters?
January 01, 2018 14:00 - 1 hour - 41.7 MBIn our first episode, your hosts Gretchen & Leigh begin their series examining the overlooked and underappreciated queer ladies, gents, and gentle-enbies from the unexplored corners of history with a discussion of the high seas. Meet Anne Bonny, Mary Read, John “Calico Jack” Rackham, and Pierre “the pansy pirate” Bouspet, a quartet of pirates from the golden age of piracy with a flair for the dramatic and some very interesting lifestyle choices. Anne kicking Jack out of his quarters and shar...
Episode 1: Were Some Pirates Poofters?
January 01, 2018 14:00 - 1 hour - 41.7 MBIn our first episode, your hosts Gretchen & Leigh begin their series examining the overlooked and underappreciated queer ladies, gents, and gentle-enbies from the unexplored corners of history with a discussion of the high seas. Meet Anne Bonny, Mary Read, John “Calico Jack” Rackham, and Pierre “the pansy pirate” Bouspet, a quartet of pirates from the golden age of piracy with a flair for the dramatic and some very interesting lifestyle choices. Anne kicking Jack out of his quarters and shar...
Introducing History is Gay!
December 19, 2017 22:54 - 10 minutes - 7.23 MBIntroducing History is Gay, a new podcast where your hosts Gretchen & Leigh examine the overlooked and underappreciated queer ladies, gents, and gentle-enbies from the unexplored corners of history. Whether shining a light on queer pirate adventures, emo lesbian Sappho, or your other faves from the pages of textbooks you never knew were queer, it’s time to bring our stories out of the shadows. Because history has never been as straight as you think. Get at us on twitter @historyisgaypod, t...