37. The Life of Pauli Murray - My Gender is Imp, Part 2

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

For a full list of sources and bonus content, visit our Notes page! 

Apple Podcasts  |    Google Play    |    RadioPublic    |    Stitcher    |   Download

36. The Life of Pauli Murray - Confrontation by Typewriter, Part 1

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!

Outline
0:00 – Introduction
10:00 – Main Topic: Pauli Murray
13:06 – Socio-Historical Context
14:36 – A Note on Pronouns
16:11 – Who were they? Bio Time.
19:26 – Content Warning: Racial violence
30:05 – Fun Segment: Word of the Week
57:13 – Poetry and Memoir Writing
1:12:19 – Content Warning: Stark descriptions of slave trade
1:20:55 – Closing and Where to Find Us Online

For a full list of sources and bonus content, visit our Notes page (coming soon with Part 2)! 

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35. Claim to Flame: Edmonia "Wildfire" Lewis and her Harem Scarem

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!

Outline
0:00 – Introduction
7:18 – Socio-Historical Context
20:58 – Who were they? Bio Time.
25:06 – 26:18 — Content warning: racial violence
30:29 – Fun Segment: Word of the Week
58:27 – Why do we think they're gay? 
1:22:52  – Main Takeaways and Final Conclusions
1:27:51 – How Gay were They?
1:30:53 – Closing and Where to Find us Online

For a full list of sources and bonus content, visit our Notes page! 

Apple Podcasts  |    Google Play    |    RadioPublic    |    Stitcher    |   Download

34. Queers in the Civil Rights Movement

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 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

For a full list of sources and bonus content, visit our Notes page! 

Apple Podcasts  |    Google Play    |    RadioPublic    |    Stitcher    |   Download

33. Besotted with Beefcake: A MichelangelHO Story

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. 

Outline
00:00 – Introduction
5:36 – 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

For a full list of sources and bonus content, visit our Notes page! 

Apple Podcasts  |    Google Play    |    RadioPublic    |    Stitcher    |   Download

32. Stealing Horses & Hearts: Trans Vagabonds of the Wild West

In this episode of History is Gay, Leigh and guest host Ashten Hope slap on some cowboy boots and head to the wild west to tip our hats to a slew of badass transgender pioneers. We’ll first meet Harry Allen, a handsome horse-stealing and heart-stealing trans man who was both loved and hated by papers and police across the pacific northwest. Then we’ll dance with the dazzling and talented Mrs. Nash, who’s baking and sewing charmed many a soldier boy. Lastly, prepare to be lassoed by the legendary Charley Parkhurst who was known as one of the best “whips” in all the west. Grab your horse and your headphones and get ready to ride into the fantastic lives of these frontier queers.

Outline: 

0:00 – Introduction
4:12 – Main Topic: Stealing Horses & Hearts: Trans Vagabonds of the Wild West
4:47 – Socio-Historical Context: What was the Wild West and Why do we think its gay?
16:51 – Who were they? Bio Time: Harry Allen
31:40 – 33:04 – Content warning: suicide mention
36:29 – Word of the Week
39:12 –39:31 – Content warning: sexual assault reference
42:52 – 43:03 – Content warning: substance abuse mention
50:26 – Who were they? Bio Time: Mrs. Nash
1:01:26 – 1:03:06 – Content warning: suicide mention
1:06:54 – Who were they? Bio Time: Charley Parkhurst
1:21:16  – Main Takeaways and Final Conclusions
1:22:36 – How Gay were They?
1:25:47 – Closing and Where to Find us Online

For a full list of sources and bonus content, visit our Notes page! 

Apple Podcasts  |    Google Play    |    RadioPublic    |    Stitcher    |   Download

31. The Gaymother of Rock n' Roll, O.G. Electric Lady: Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Holy crap, y’all! It’s already AUGUST. Somehow this year has simultaneously lasted forever and also gone by way too quickly. We’re back in your podcatchers today with a new episode, this time introducing you all to the Godmother (or Gaymother) of Rock n’ Roll, the original stadium rockstar, and badass Black woman guitar virtuoso, Sister Rosetta Tharpe! Think Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry invented rock n’ roll? Think again! Sister Rosetta was shredding on guitar way before them, and it’s time she gets the credit she is due. She broke boundaries wherever she went, straddling the line between worldly and chaste, secular and gospel, and loved both men and women.

Our wonderful guest host for today’s episode is Aubree Calvin- writer, professor, and podcast host! You can learn more about Aubree and her freelance writing at her website www.aubreecalvin.com, and check out her brand new podcast Southern Queeries, all about LGBTQ life in the South!

For a full list of sources and bonus content, visit our Notes page! 

Apple Podcasts  |    Google Play    |    RadioPublic    |    Stitcher    |    Download

BONUS 0.8. Alternate Channels - Talking Queer TV with Steven Capsuto

For a full list of sources and bonus content, visit our Notes page! 

We’re bringing you a bonus episode here on the History is Gay feed today, so get ready for a ride through the history of queers on TV! Leigh got a chance to sit down and talk with Steven Capsuto, author of Alternate Channels: Queer Images on 20th-Century TV, a deep dive into the history of queer representation on radio and the small screen from the 1930s to 2000! We chat about our favorite moments of representation from the era, the impact and role of gay activists in moving the needle forward for narrative depictions of queerness, and more!

Check out Steven and his work at www.alternatechannels.net and follow him on twitter @StevenCapsuto for daily “Today in Queer TV” history tidbits and more!

For a full list of sources and bonus content, visit our Notes page! 

Apple Podcasts  |    Google Play    |    RadioPublic    |    Stitcher    |    Download

30. Alan Turing: Computer Daddy

In this episode of History is Gay, Leigh and guest host Maren tackle the father of modern computing, and gay geek hero, Alan Turing! Whether he be sending love-struck letters about astronomy to his high school bestie, riding a bicycle in a gas mask, or completely revolutionizing mathematics and machinery, we’re in awe of Alan. Listen as we talk about his successes and foibles, and how history did this code-breaking, number-crunching badass dirty. 

Outline: 

01:43 – Introduction
6:01 – Main Topic: Alan Turing: Computer Daddy 
7:38 – Socio-Historical Context
11:53 – Who were they? Bio Time.
44:55 – 45:23 - Content warning: suicide mention
46:02 – Why do we think they're gay? 
1:05:45  – Main Takeaways and Final Conclusions
1:05:49 – 1:08:41 - Content warning: suicide mention
1:19:27 – How Gay were They?
1:20:56 – Closing and Where to Find us Online

For a full list of sources and bonus content, visit our Notes page! 

Apple Podcasts  |    Google Play    |    RadioPublic    |    Stitcher    |   Download

BONUS 0.7. Rainbow Revolutionaries: An(other) Interview with Sarah Prager

Welcome to History is Gay's latest minisode! This time, we're interviewing author and queer historian Sarah Prager again, in anticipation of her new book Rainbow Revolutionaries: Fifty LGBTQ+ People Who Made History. 

We get into the details of who is featured in this new book, what it was like writing for a young audience, and get some sneak peek details about the illustrations for the book and the upcoming release party!

You can follow Sarah's work on her website, www.sarahprager.com and check out her daily queer history app, Quist. You can also follow her on twitter @Sarah_Prager! Rainbow Revolutionaries comes out on May 26, preorder it from your favorite indie bookstore! You can find your local store by going to www.indiebound.com and putting in your location. 

For a full list of sources and bonus content, visit our Notes page! 

Apple Podcasts  |    Google Play    |    RadioPublic    |    Stitcher    |    Download

29. Beyond the Rainbow: Building Queer Symbologies Before and After Gilbert Baker

For this very first solo episode, we’re bringing you a whole bunch of history at once, for everyone’s quarantined entertainment! Presented live on Zoom, we revisited a presentation that Leigh originally gave at the GLBT Historical Society Museum about the history of queer symbols before and after the creation of the rainbow flag, and sharing some stories from folks who participated in a flag-making workshop! From 600 B.C. to right now, queer people have used hundreds of symbols to refer to themselves, find community, and create shared language. Learn about just some of them in this episode, and tell us your favorites! What symbols are your favorites? If you were to create a new queer symbol or flag, what would you do?

Outline

0:00 – Introduction
3:42 – Main presentation: Beyond the Rainbow
57:31 – Interviews with flag workshop participants
1:09:57 – Closing Announcements and Where to Find us Online

For a full list of sources and bonus content, visit our Notes page! 

Apple Podcasts  |    Google Play    |    RadioPublic    |    Stitcher    |    Download

28. Anne Lister Goes to TGIFemslash

Welcome to Gretchen and Leigh’s annual episode hosted live at TGIFemslash! This is the con where it all began, and what better way to celebrate our origins than with the ‘first modern lesbian’, Anne Lister! Join us as we learn more about her life, her loves, and her extensive diaries that she used to record her sexual escapades, and you can even play along with the games we hosted live at TGI!

Outline

0:00 – Introduction
6:11 – Main Topic: Anne Lister
6:37 – Who were they? Bio Time 
12:43 – Why do we think they're gay?
25:37 – Fun Segment: Dialogue or Diary?
31:39 – Words of the Week: So You Want to Be a 19th Century Lesbian?
45:39 – How Gay were They?
46:26 – Closing 

For a full list of sources and bonus content, visit our Notes page! 

Apple Podcasts  |    Google Play    |    RadioPublic    |    Stitcher    |    Download

BONUS 0.6. A Gay Poetry Salon with Alexandra Tydings

Happy Valentines’ Day, loves! We’re here today with a special treat bonus episode for you with a very special guest! You may know her from Xena: The Warrior Princess as the patron god of Sappho, the goddess of love, Aphrodite: it’s Alexandra Tydings! You heard her voice briefly in our last episode on Sappho, but we had so much fun talking with Alex about the Poetess, gay feelings, hysteria, and more, that we created a whole episode for it.

For a full list of sources and bonus content, visit our Notes page! 

Apple Podcasts  |    Google Play    |    RadioPublic    |    Stitcher    |    Download

27. Sappho: F*cking Superb, You Funky Little Lesbian

At long last, hosts Gretchen and Leigh are going back to the beginning, to the OG lesbian: Sappho herself. Despite the dearth of information about her life and history, your hosts still find plenty to say about Sappho, her poetry, her legacy, and all the debate that’s circled around her for years. Find out what Leigh and Gretchen think about the many questions about Sappho and listen to fragmentary poetry filled with queer longing and other relatable feels like fire burning beneath flesh, wind crashing through mountain oaks, and…celery.

Outline

0:00 – Introduction
4:57 – Main Topic: The OG Lesbian Sappho
5:08 – Socio-Historical Context
13:02 – Who were they? Bio Time. 
23:42 – Sappho’s Poetry
56:12 – Fun Segment: Word of the Week
1:16:40 – Why do we think they're gay?
1:30:12 – How Gay were They?
1:33:48 – Closing and Where to Find us Online

As a special bonus, two of our amazing listeners created a Sappho poetry generator you can play around with, as referenced in this episode!

Check it out here!

For a full list of sources and bonus content, visit our Notes page! 

Apple Podcasts  |    Google Play    |    RadioPublic    |    Stitcher    |    Download

26. A Royal Troublemaker in King Kristina of Sweden

Welcome to winter! Join Leigh and guest host V Silverman as they dive into the fascinating history of King Kristina of Sweden. A probably nonbinary, most likely asexual, definitely biromantic monarch of 17th century Sweden, Kristina was known for their aesthetic tastes, insatiable hunger for knowledge, and absolutely atrocious spending habits. Obviously this episode has all the queer kingly content your heart could desire, but did you know it also has: Coffin Time With Daddy (Deceased), dramatic French executions of Italian noblemen by Swedish royalty, BFFing with Bernini, no fewer than 4 bids for a throne (not all the same one), and how to kidnap your favorite philosopher? Get ready for the incredible story of the jam-packed life of Kristina of Sweden on this episode of History is Gay!

Outline

0:00 – Introduction
5:22 – Main topic: King Kristina of Sweden
7:45 – Socio-Historical Context: 17th Century Europe
11:38 – Who Were They? Bio Time
39:10 – Why do we think they're gay?
1:13:08 – Fun Segment: Pop Culture Tie-In
1:15:35 – How Gay were They?
1:17:02 – Closing and Where to Find us Online

For a full list of sources and bonus content, visit our Notes page! 

Apple Podcasts  |    Google Play    |    RadioPublic    |    Stitcher    |    Download

25. Chrysanthemums and Golden Bums: Male Love in Pre-Modern Japan

That’s right, Leigh and Gretchen are back with another delightful look at the history of homosexuality in East Asian history! Episode 3 explored homosexuality in Ancient China but this time, they’re heading over to Japan to take a closer look at Buddhism, samurai tradition, and the economy-shaped homosexuality in the Tokugawa shogunate. But it’s not all context, you’ll laugh along with us at some of the monks’ exploits, swoon over romantic queer poetry, and peer into the delights of the floating world. So strap in for an exciting look at the rich history of male and female homosexuality in Japan!

Outline
0:00 – Introduction
6:37 – Main Topic: Male/Male Homosexuality in Tokugawa Japan
6:52 – Socio-Historical and Religious Context
15:47 – Fun Segment: Word of the Week
25:25 – Earliest References to Male Love in Japan
28:47 – The Monastic Tradition
42:40 – The Samurai Tradition and Undying Devotion
48:44 – The Rise of Kabuki and Commercialized Nanshoku
1:03:00 – Male Love in Popular Tokugawa Literature and Art
1:17:57 – Female/Female Homosexuality in Japan
1:23:43 – Main Takeaways/Conclusions
1:25:29 – How Gay were They?
1:26:40 – Closing and Where to Find us Online

For a full list of sources and bonus content, visit our Notes page! 

Apple Podcasts  |    Google Play    |    RadioPublic    |    Stitcher    |    Download

24. Transcestor Artists, A Look At Art Beyond the Binaries

Leigh and Gretchen are back from hiatus with an extra special episode! Recorded live at the Dallas Museum of Art on June 21st as part of the museum’s Pride events, your friendly neighborhood queer history nerds sat down to chat about gender diversity in art and mythology. Come take a tour through Mesopotamian, Hindu, and Norse mythology, then dive into two modern artists who questioned and transcended gender norms in their lives and art: Anton Prinner and Frida Kahlo. So pull up a chair and hang out with a couple of gayvenclaws to, retroactively, celebrate pride and art beyond the binary!

Outline
0:00 – Introduction
8:02 – Gender Diversity in Mythology: Inanna/Ishtar
16:19 – Gender Diversity in Mythology: Hapi
23:24 – Gender Diversity in Mythology: Hindu gods
30:32 – Gender Diversity in Mythology: Loki
36:43 – Anton Prinner
46:12 – Frida Kahlo
52:44 – How Gay were They?
53:40 – Closing and Where to Find us Online

For a full list of sources and bonus content, visit our Notes page! 

Apple Podcasts  |    Google Play    |    RadioPublic    |    Stitcher    |    Download

23. Bury the Hays Code

It’s that time of year again, time for the second annual live episode of History is Gay, live-recorded at TGIFemslash, the convention that birthed our little podcast! Join Leigh, Gretchen, and special guest host Morgan as they discuss the origins of queer censorship in the 20th century. They dive into the Hays Code, lesbian pulp fiction, and briefly discuss Patricia Highsmith, author of The Price of Salt---the lesbian pulp fiction novel from 1952 that became the 2015 blockbuster Carol. And don’t worry, this story has a happy ending!

Outline

0:00 – Introduction
2:58 – The Hays Code
22:39 – Lesbian Pulp Fiction
35:32 – Patricia Highsmith and The Price of Salt
41:56 – Closing and Where to Find us Online

For a full list of sources and bonus content, visit our Notes page! 

Apple Podcasts  |    Google Play    |    RadioPublic    |    Stitcher    |    Download

22. Bae-yard Rustin: The Man Behind the March

February means love and Black history, so join Gretchen and Leigh as they celebrate both by diving into into the life and work of civil rights activist Bayard Rustin! Due to his being gay, Rustin’s role as advisor to Martin Luther King, Jr. and in organizing the 1963 March on Washtington was actively erased for several decades. Fortunately, he’s been gaining more recognition in recent years and both queer history and civil rights history is actively recovering his memory and legacy. So join us as we talk about one of the most impactful but least well-known activists of the civil rights movement.

Outline

0:00 – Introduction
5:14 – Main Topic: Bayard Rustin, the Man Behind the March
5:23– Socio-Historical Context
12:00 – Who were they? Bio Time.
1:05:17 – Why do we think they're gay?
1:23:17 – Fun Segment: Pop Culture Tie-In
1:27:05 – How Gay were They?
1:29:20 – Closing and Where to Find us Online

For a full list of sources and bonus content, visit our Notes page! 

Apple Podcasts  |    Google Play    |    RadioPublic    |    Stitcher    |    Download

21. The Real Housewife of Rome

What better way to celebrate the New Year than with a new episode of History is Gay? This time, Gretchen and Leigh dive into the brief, controversial, and totally extra reign of Emperor Elagabalus of Rome. Or rather, Empress Elagabalus! Whether it be marrying multiple wives and one husband, revolutionizing the Roman religion, installing women as senators, throwing parties with sex workers, or enjoying the attention of well-endowed men, Elagabalus was as unconventional as they come. And chances are, she may very well have been a trans woman.

Outline

0:00 – Introduction
4:23 – Main Topic: Elagabalus
8:40 – Socio-Historical and Religious Context
13:31 – Fun Segment: Word of the Week
22:47 – Elagabal and Roman Religion
29:39 – Who were they? Bio Time. 
54:48 – Why do we think they're gay?
1:08:30 – Analysis from Queer Historians
1:09:49 – Fun Segment: Pop Culture Tie-In
1:12:45 – How Gay were They?
1:17:10 – Closing and Where to Find us Online

For a full list of sources and bonus content, visit our Notes page! 

Apple Podcasts  |    Google Play    |    RadioPublic    |    Stitcher    |    Download