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! 

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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

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

Apple Podcasts  |    Google Play    |    RadioPublic    |    Stitcher    |    Download