45. There's No Crying in Baseball, But There Are Lesbians! Queer History of the AAGBPL
/An episode Leigh has been dreaming of since the start of the pod is finally here! In this ep, Leigh is joined by guest host Frankie de la Cretaz, sports journalist, queer history buff, and certified Gaylor Swiftie, to discuss the queer history of women’s baseball & softball, in particular the story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, aka the inspiration behind A League of Their Own! We discuss all the extreme “no-homo”ing that was happening in the League’s rules and regulations, and all the YES HOMO-ing that happened in spite of it, making the sport into an important site of queer community. We also introduce you to the wonderful world of AAGBPL’s rival for women’s baseball at the time, the National Girls’ Baseball League, and the contrasts between the two leagues.
Also, don’t forget to check out our bonus episode discussing A League of their Own, with co-creator Will Graham!
Outline
0:00 Introduction
5:26 Socio-Historic Context
12:12 The Leagues: AAGPBL
27:42 Why Do We Think They’re Gay?: Queerness and Women’s Sports
31:48-34:44 Word of the Week: Muscle Moll
34:44 Back to why do we think they’re gay
47:07 The Leagues: NGBL
53:19 Who Were They? Queer ball players of note
1:24:00 -1:24:53 Content Warning: Homophobic violence
1:27:50 Pop Culture Tie In
1:34:15 How Gay Were They?
1:39:50 Closing and Where to Find Us Online
