In this interview episode, Leigh sits down with scholar and creator of the Queer Digital History Project Avery Dame-Griff to discuss his book The Two Revolutions: A History of the Transgender Internet and all it contains about the magic of the evolution of trans folks on the internet. From BBSes (bulletin board system) to Twitter, we discuss how trans people have always existed on and created their own unique spaces on the World Wide Web, tapping into Avery’s extensive research, interviews, and media archaeology. Where to find more from Avery Dame-Griff online:   AveryDame.net   Mastodon: apdamegriff@aoir.social   Queer Digital History Project   Also, some additional awesome news about internet trans history! As listeners may know, Leigh works at the GLBT Historical Society for their day job. And recently, a volunteer archivist, Cara Esten Hurtle, discovered an amazing CD-ROM containing the entirety of Transgender Forum, (TGForum.com) from 1995 to 1998, one of the largest trans communities online at that time, that Avery Dame-Griff also covers in his book! Hurtle uploaded the CD-rom online for anyone to peruse and it’s absolutely amazing to see the 90s trans community right there before your very eyes! The discovery has been covered by them online in a fantastic article which you can read here: This Archive Offers an Incredible Window Into the Early Trans Internet. And you can peruse the  CD-Rom of TGForum.com here, where Cara uploaded the archive! Just click the “START.HTM” file in the tgfcd window, and browse to your heart’s content! Want Leigh to do an interview with Cara about her discovery? Let us know! Want to help us continue to make the show? Support us on Patreon and get awesome goodies, behind-the-scenes access, special minisodes, and more! We have a Discord server for everyone to hang out in, exclusive O.G. Lesbian Sappho t-shirts, Pop-Culture Tie-In movie watches, and some really fun extras coming your way! You can also get merch in our store! Shirts, hoodies, totes, mugs, magnets, and other neat things! If you’d like to help us transcribe the show for our d/Deaf and hard of hearing fans, please head on over to www.historyisgaypodcast.com/transcribe to join the team of volunteers! Find our full list of sources and bonus content at www.historyisgaypodcast.com. Find us on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! Don't forget to rate and review so more folks can see the show!

0.20. Dialing in to Gender: Tracing Trans Internet History with Avery Dame-Griff

This episode has EVERYTHING: gay haircuts, yearning, rage against the patriarchy, they were *roommates*....let’s talk about the magical world of Yoshiya Nobuko, girls’ culture, and lesbian fiction in Taishō era Japan! Leigh is joined by guest host Erica Friedman, speaker, editor, researcher and an expert on all things Yuri. Yoshiya Nobuko was an extremely popular writer in 20th century Japan who lived with her beloved female partner for 50 years and her legacy continues today as “the Grandmother of Yuri.”. The tropes and storylines established in her writing can still be seen today in queer girls stories in and outside of Japan– get ready to learn all about modern Japan’s very own Sappho. After all, it’s all in the yearning.   Erica Friedman writes about Yuri anime, manga and related media on her blog Okazu, and can be found on Twitter as @okazuyuri, Bluesky as Okazu and @EricaFriedman@mastodon.social   Erica’s book  By Your Side: The First 100 Years of Yuri Anime and Manga is the first in-depth study of Yuri in English. Outline 0:00 Introduction 7:29 Socio-Historical Context 24:00 Who Were They? Bio Time 41:36 - 43:42 Content Note: discussion of WWII  48:37 Why Do We Think They’re Gay?: Some More Socio-Historical Context 50:12 - 55:30 Content Note: discussion of pathologizing of homosexuality 55:30 - 58:00 Content Note: discussion of suicides in the news at the time 58:34 Word of The Week: “S Class” 1:06:56 Why Do We Think They’re Gay?: Yoshiya’s Life 1:17:47 Queer Themes in Yoshiya’s Fiction 1:21:30 -1:22:39 Content Note: brief reference to suicide 1:30:07 Pop Culture Tie-Ins 1:36:00 How Gay Were They? 1:37:15 Conclusion and Sign off  Want to help us continue to make the show? Support us on Patreon and get awesome goodies, behind-the-scenes access, special minisodes, and more! We have a Discord server for everyone to hang out in, exclusive O.G. Lesbian Sappho t-shirts, Pop-Culture Tie-In movie watches, and some really fun extras coming your way! You can also get merch in our store! Shirts, hoodies, totes, mugs, magnets, and other neat things!  If you’d like to help us transcribe the show for our d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing fans, please head on over to www.historyisgaypodcast.com/transcribe to join the team of volunteers!  Find our full list of sources and bonus content at www.historyisgaypodcast.com. Find us on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! Don't forget to rate and review so more folks can see the show!  

46. A Husband is Unnecessary: Yoshiya Nobuko & Japanese Girls' Culture

Hello queerlings! Leigh here with an exciting announcement! |  Join us on Sunday, October 1 at 5:00 pm Pacific Time / 8:00 pm Eastern for our first-ever virtual LGBTQ+ History Trivia Night, presented by History is Gay! All listeners and friends are invited to come join the fun, make a team (or get to know new friends), and flex your queer history and trivia knowledge, with a mix of questions about general queer history and some memories from History is Gay episodes past!  Tickets are $10 for the general public, $5 for History is Gay Patrons at any level, and FREE for patrons at the Lavender Menace tier and above. Check out our Patreon for promo codes that were sent out to patrons.   Go to www.historyisgaypodcast.com/trivia to see details and get your tickets! We can't wait to see you :D

History is Gay Presents: LGBTQ+ History Trivia Night!

In this interview episode, Leigh talks with Dr. Elizabeth Gloyn, Reader in Latin Language and Literature at Royal Holloway, the University of London, and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Her research focuses on the intersection between Latin literature, ancient philosophy, and gender studies; as well as topics of classical reception (particularly monsters) and the history of women in Classics. She is also the author of Tracking Classical Monsters in Popular Culture. Thanks to listener Cheryl Morgan for connecting us for this wonderful conversation on queerness in the ancient world (including adorable poly couples), what Seneca really said about the Amazons, and how fanfiction has created a unique space for queering classical monsters.  Where to find more from Liz Gloyn online:  @lizgloyn on Twitter Classically Inclined, Liz's blog on Wordpress  "Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is the latest film to give a monster a makeover"  Want to help us continue to make the show? Support us on Patreon and get awesome goodies, behind-the-scenes access, special minisodes, and more! We have a Discord server for everyone to hang out in, exclusive O.G. Lesbian Sappho t-shirts, Pop-Culture Tie-In movie watches, and some really fun extras coming your way! You can also get merch in our store! Shirts, hoodies, totes, mugs, magnets, and other neat things! If you’d like to help us transcribe the show for our d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing fans, please head on over to www.historyisgaypodcast.com/transcribe to join the team of volunteers! Find our full list of sources and bonus content at www.historyisgaypodcast.com. Find us on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! Don't forget to rate and review so more folks can see the show!

0.19. Classical Myths, Monsters, and Ancient Gays: A Conversation with Liz Gloyn

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.  Thank you to Averie Severs for editing this episode.  Our guest host for this episode, Frankie de la Cretaz, can be found online @thefrankiedlc on Twitter and Instagram. You can check out their Linktree for links to purchase their book, Hail Mary: The Rise and Fall of the National Women's Football League and see more of their writing. Support filmmaker Adam Chu’s efforts to create Their Turn at Bat: The Story of the National Girls Baseball League, a documentary film about Chicago’s forgotten women’s baseball league at www.nationalgirlsbaseballleague.com! 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 Want to help us continue to make the show? Support us on Patreon and get awesome goodies, behind-the-scenes access, special minisodes, and more! We have a Discord server for everyone to hang out in, exclusive O.G. Lesbian Sappho t-shirts, Pop-Culture Tie-In movie watches, and some really fun extras coming your way! You can also get merch in our store! Shirts, hoodies, totes, mugs, magnets, and other neat things! If you’d like to help us transcribe the show for our d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing fans, please head on over to www.historyisgaypodcast.com/transcribe to join the team of volunteers! Find our full list of sources and bonus content at www.historyisgaypodcast.com. Find us on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! Don't forget to rate and review so more folks can see the show!

45. There's No Crying in Baseball, But There Are Lesbians! Queer History of the AAGPBL

Have you, like our dear host Leigh, gotten totally sucked into the amazing new Amazon Prime adaptation of A League of Their Own? Do you want to hear all about the show, its meticulous research into queer life of the 1940s and how the writers, producers, and cast opened up the scope of the movie to focus on the lives of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League’s queer players? Well then, hop in to this episode, where I’m joined by co-creator Will Graham to dive deep into A League of Their Own, early queer nightlife, the importance of representation both on and behind the camera, and what it means to be a young, queer kid who just wants to play ball and has finally found their team. Where To Find Will Graham Online:   @WillWGraham on Twitter   @willwisslergraham on Instagram   And for more info on A League of Their Own:   @LeagueOnPrime on Twitter   @LeagueOnPrime on Instagram   Want to help us continue to make the show? Support us on Patreon and get awesome goodies, behind-the-scenes access, special minisodes, and more! We have a Discord server for everyone to hang out in, exclusive O.G. Lesbian Sappho t-shirts, Pop-Culture Tie-In movie watches, and some really fun extras coming your way! You can also get merch in our store! Shirts, hoodies, totes, mugs, magnets, and other neat things! If you’d like to help us transcribe the show for our d/Deaf and hard of hearing fans, please head on over to www.historyisgaypodcast.com/transcribe to join the team of volunteers! Find our full list of sources and bonus content at www.historyisgaypodcast.com. Find us on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! Don't forget to rate and review so more folks can see the show!

0.18. Take Me Out to the Ball Gayme: Will Graham Talks "A League of Their Own"

Anyone remember that pin & bumper sticker with the slogan that serves as the title for this episode? Well, I hope you’re hungry, because we’re talking lesbians and food in this interview with Dr. Alex Ketchum, Director of the Just Feminist Tech and Scholarship Lab, lecturer, and author, whose work integrates food, environmental, technological, and gender history. We talk about her latest book, Ingredients for Revolution: A History of American Feminist Restaurants, Cafes, and Coffeehouses, the first history of the more than 230 feminist and lesbian-feminist restaurants, cafes, and coffeehouses that existed in the United States from 1972 to the present. We dive into the ways these institutions provided spaces and community to tackle questions around the intersections between feminism, food justice, queer rights, and other social justice movements while serving as training grounds for women workers and entrepreneurs, as well as what the landscape of queer feminist restaurants looks like today. You can order your copy of Ingredients for Revolution for 20% off (for U.S. readers) through  University of Chicago Press, or through Concordia University Press for Canadian readers, and listen to the accompanying podcast, full of interviews with others in the food justice and feminism world, at TheFeministRestaurantProject.com Where To Find Dr. Alex Ketchum Online:  www.alexketchum.ca www.thefeministrestaurantproject.com @aketchum22 on Twitter @dr.alexketchum on Instagram  Want to help us continue to make the show? Support us on Patreon and get awesome goodies, behind-the-scenes access, special minisodes, and more! We have a Discord server for everyone to hang out in, exclusive O.G. Lesbian Sappho t-shirts, Pop-Culture Tie-In movie watches, and some really fun extras coming your way! You can also get merch in our  store! Shirts, hoodies, totes, mugs, magnets, and other neat things! If you’d like to help us transcribe the show for our d/Deaf and hard of hearing fans, please head on over to www.historyisgaypodcast.com/transcribe to join the team of volunteers! Find our full list of sources and bonus content at www.historyisgaypodcast.com. Find us on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! Don't forget to rate and review so more folks can see the show!

0.17. Dip Me in Honey & Throw Me To the Lesbians: Queer Feminist Restaurant History

For this episode, Leigh is joined by guest host Sam Campbell for the pod’s first episode focusing on Indigenous North America, discussing the history behind various Two-Spirit identities and Indigenous cultural norms around gender and sexuality. In this episode, we’ll talk about the pre-colonial significance of Two-Spirit people to Indigenous communities, how early colonists were able to shape the narrative of what it meant to be Two-Spirit and how that has changed, and lastly, how colonization has nearly eradicated Two-Spirit histories. How can we uplift these stories to highlight Two-Spirit resilience despite the genocide they faced?     Learn more about our guest host Sam Campbell's work by following them on  Instagram and TikTok, and check out their TEDx Talks linked in the blog post for this episode on our website.     If you're local to the San Francisco Bay Area, check out the 12th Annual Bay Area American Indian Two Spirit (BAAITS) Powwow, coming up on Saturday, February 4, 2023!     Outline   0:00 – Introduction and Announcements 7:49 – Socio-Historic Context 12:40 – Main Topic: What is Two-Spirit?: Indigenous Gender & Sexuality 14:33 – Word of the Week 24:47 – Two-Spirit Identity: Gender, Sexuality, Spirituality 50:04 – Different Tribal Two-Spirit Roles 1:04:26 – What Happened to these Histories? F*ck Colonialism! 1:12:48 - 1:16:16 – Content Warning: Discussion of anti-Indigenous violence and genocide 1:23:23 – Pop Culture Tie-In 1:30:07 – How Gay were They? 1:32:30 – Closing and Where to Find us Online     If you’d like to help us transcribe the show for our d/Deaf and hard of hearing fans, please head on over to  www.historyisgaypodcast.com/transcribe to join the team of volunteers!     Find our full list of sources and bonus content at www.historyisgaypodcast.com. Find us on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! Don't forget to rate and review so more folks can see the show!

44. Can We Just Title An Episode "F*ck Colonialism"?: Reclaiming Two-Spirit Histories

In this interview episode, Leigh sits down for a conversation with historian and writer Hugh Ryan about his landmark book The Women's House of Detention: A Queer History of a Forgotten Prison. The Women's House of Detention is the story of one building: the people it caged, the neighborhood it changed, and the resistance it inspired. Listen for an extremely enlightening conversation on the unlikely queer community found in a space of incarceration in the heart of New York's Greenwich Village, the ways in which the carceral state specifically targets queer women and transmasculine people, and the case for abolition as prioritizing of systems of care.  Where To Find Hugh Ryan Online:  www.hughryan.org  @hughryan on mastodon.lol @hugh_ryan on twitter @hughoryan on instagram  Want to help us continue to make the show? Support us on Patreon and get awesome goodies, behind-the-scenes access, special minisodes, and more! We have a Discord server for everyone to hang out in, exclusive O.G. Lesbian Sappho t-shirts, Pop-Culture Tie-In movie watches, and some really fun extras coming your way! You can also get merch in our store! Shirts, hoodies, totes, mugs, magnets, and other neat things! If you’d like to help us transcribe the show for our d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing fans, please head on over to www.historyisgaypodcast.com/transcribe to join the team of volunteers! Find our full list of sources and bonus content at www.historyisgaypodcast.com. Find us on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! Don't forget to rate and review so more folks can see the show!  

0.16. Undoing Silence: Hugh Ryan & The Women's House of Detention

Another interview episode for you all in the feed today, this time Leigh sat down with author Malinda Lo about her writing, her interest and research into queer history, and the trajectory of queer literature since her first published book in 2009.  Her award-winning novel Last Night at the Telegraph Club is a queer historical fiction coming-of-age story set in 1954 San Francisco, following Chinese-American teenager Lily Hu as she discovers her queer identity, falls in love with classmate Kath Miller, and sneaks out to the Telegraph Club, a lesbian bar humming with life and new experiences. We dive into the research and real-life queer San Francisco scene Lo explored to create the world of Last Night at the Telegraph Club, as well as her newest book, A Scatter of Light, a companion novel set against backdrop of the first major Supreme Court decisions legalizing gay marriage.  A Scatter of Light released October 4, 2022-- go check it out!  Where To Find Malinda Lo Online:  www.malindalo.com  @malindalo on twitter @malindalo on instagram  Want to help us continue to make the show? Support us on Patreon and get awesome goodies, behind-the-scenes access, special minisodes, and more! We have a Discord server for everyone to hang out in, exclusive O.G. Lesbian Sappho t-shirts, Pop-Culture Tie-In movie watches, and some really fun extras coming your way! You can also get merch in our store! Shirts, hoodies, totes, mugs, magnets, and other neat things! If you’d like to help us transcribe the show for our d/Deaf and hard of hearing fans, please head on over to www.historyisgaypodcast.com/transcribe to join the team of volunteers! Find our full list of sources and bonus content at www.historyisgaypodcast.com. Find us on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! Don't forget to rate and review so more folks can see the show!

0.15. Malinda Lo and Queer YA Historical Fiction

While Leigh is working on putting together the next regular History is Gay episode for you, we've got a special treat in the form of a minisode, all about the new film BROS, making history as the first romantic comedy from a major film studio about two gay men and featuring an all LGBTQ+ principal cast! It's uproariously funny, filled with queer history tidbits, and we worked on it! History is Gay did some research consulting for the film back in 2021 as they were building out their set design of The LGBTQIA+ Museum, which serves as backdrop for some of the film, and Leigh got a chance to sit down with three of the cast members who play board members of the museum -- Dot-Marie Jones, Academy Award winner Jim Rash, and Eve Lindley-- to talk about their roles, their own queer history knowledge, and what it meant to them to be part of this project!  BROS is out in theaters now as of September 30, 2022 -- go support the film, and keep your eyes peeled for a fun History is Gay easter egg in the film! Tweet us your thoughts! Learn more about BROS and our guests for this episode:  https://www.brosthemovie.com Dot-Marie Jones Jim Rash Eve Lindley   

0.14. A Pod Meets BROS Love Story: Making Queer (Romcom) History!

For this bonus episode, Leigh sat down with Dr. Kit Heyam, university lecturer, queer history activist, and trans awareness trainer, about their new book, Before We Were Trans: A New History of Gender. We talked about gender diversity throughout the world, the importance of getting into “messy” or not easily-categorized gender variance in queer history, and more! The book comes out in North America today (September 13, 2022), so go check it out!  Where To Find Kit Online:  www.kitheyam.com @krheyam on Twitter  Want to help us continue to make the show? Support us on Patreon and get awesome goodies, behind-the-scenes access, special minisodes, and more! We have a Discord server for everyone to hang out in, exclusive O.G. Lesbian Sappho t-shirts, Pop-Culture Tie-In movie watches, and some really fun extras coming your way! You can also get merch in our  store! Shirts, hoodies, totes, mugs, magnets, and other neat things! If you’d like to help us transcribe the show for our d/Deaf and hard of hearing fans, please head on over to www.historyisgaypodcast.com/transcribe to join the team of volunteers! Find our full list of sources and bonus content at www.historyisgaypodcast.com. Find us on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! Don't forget to rate and review so more folks can see the show!  

0.13. Before We Were Trans: A Convo with Kit Heyam

For this episode, Leigh is joined again by guest host Tyler Albertario, as we continue diving into the history of the Homophile movement. In this second and final part of this discussion, Leigh and Tyler cover the rise of East Coast Homophile Organizations (ECHO), its restructuring as the North American Conference of Homophile Organizations (NACHO), and the ultimate downfall of NACHO and most of its member organizations in the wake of the Stonewall Rebellion. What are the lessons we can learn and take from early gay rights organizing, and how the movement transitioned into gay liberation?Learn more about Tyler Albertario and his work by checking out his articles on Medium, follow on Twitter @TylerAlbertario, and support him on Patreon!  Outline 0:00 – Introduction and Announcements3:33 – Follow-Ups/Corrections from last episode4:59 – Socio-Historic Context17:16 – Phase One: Coming Together – Regional organizing & Collaboration22:21 - 31:07 – Content Warning: Discussion of attempted Nazi invasion26:24 - 26:34 – Content Warning: Suicide attempt mention44:24 – Phase 2: Homophile Organizing Goes National1:03:32 – Phase 3: Stonewall & Failure to Capture Lighting in a Bottle1:05:04 - 1:05:30 – Content warning: Blood mention1:14:54 – Epilogue & Final Thoughts/Takeaways1:18:03 – Pop-Culture Tie-In1:22:26 – How Gay were They?1:23:58 – Closing and Where to Find us Online This episode is sponsored by Surfshark VPN, an awesome app and browser extension that not only protects your privacy online, but changes the virtual location of your phone or computer to anywhere in the world, allowing you access to content geoblocked content.  Surfshark VPN is offering 83% off and 3 months free for History is Gay listeners. Just head over to https://surfshark.deals/HISTORYISGAY or go to surfshark.com and enter code HISTORYISGAY to redeem this amazing deal! Plus, it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can try it out risk-free.    Want to help us continue to make the show? Support us on Patreon and get awesome goodies, behind-the-scenes access, special minisodes, and more! We have a Discord server for everyone to hang out in, exclusive O.G. Lesbian Sappho t-shirts, Pop-Culture Tie-In movie watches, and some really fun extras coming your way! You can also get merch in our  store! Shirts, hoodies, totes, mugs, magnets, and other neat things! If you’d like to help us transcribe the show for our d/Deaf and hard of hearing fans, please head on over to www.historyisgaypodcast.com/transcribe to join the team of volunteers! Find our full list of sources and bonus content at www.historyisgaypodcast.com. Find us on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! Don't forget to rate and review so more folks can see the show!

43. Rainbow Rising: Homo-Feels About Homophiles, Part 2

42. Rainbow Rising: Homo-Feels about Homophiles, Part 1

For this bonus episode, we're bringing you an interview with esteemed art historian, art director, and curator Barbara Bloemink about her recently published comprehensive biography of turn-of-the-century Modernist painter Florine Stettheimer. Stettheimer, a cousin of Natalie Clifford Barney's, painted the vibrant world of New York between the two world wars and welcomed gay, lesbian, and bisexual friends and family into her Manhattan salon at a time when it was dangerous and illegal to be out in New York. Listen on to hear Bloemink talk about Stettheimer's painting style, her relationships with the queer art elite of New York, and the ways the contemporary art world has shunned away from diving deeply into subversive and feminist painters.

0.12. Florine Stettheimer's Gay Salon (An Interview with Barbara Bloemink)

Buckle up, folks – this episode contains your hosts doing a lot of swears and yelling at the general AAAAAAAAAHHHHH of the world right now. For this episode, Leigh is joined once again by guest host Aubree Calvin, for a crossover episode with Southern Queeries talking about the rise of the anti-gay Christian right movement and homophobic legislation that swept the United States in the 1970s with Anita Bryant, Save Our Children, and the Briggs Initiative, whose proponents used “parental rights” language to justify their homophobia, in an eerily similar manner as we are seeing today with anti-LGBTQ and specifically anti-trans legislation and arguments. Listen to this episode to hear the history behind all this, as well as some bits of levity we made sure to put in (listen to Anita Bryant get hit with a pie and learn about the glorious protest tactic of glitterbombing), and hear how the LGBTQ community of yesteryear rose up to fight these counter-movements, and what we can learn from them in today’s fight.  Then, when you’re finished with this episode, head on over to  Southern Queeries for the second part of our conversation, talking in depth about the current rash of anti-LGBTQ legislation in the country, our reactions and feelings, and how it’s the same conversation and language as back in 1977 and 1978.  Outline 0:00 – Introduction and Announcements Content Warning: References to historical lies tying queer people to child molestation and child pornography are contained in this episode in the following time-codes: 14:23 - 16:59; 59:33 - 59:48; 1:10:54 - 1:11:06; 1:13:44 - 1:15:32 7:39 – Socio-Historic Context 17:16 – Dade County FL, Anita Bryant &amp; Save Our Children 32:06 – LGBTQ Response 51:03 – Word of the Week 57:35 – Spread Across the Country: John Briggs &amp; CA’s Proposition 6 1:17:12 – Main Takeaways and Conclusions 1:24:46 – Pop-Culture Tie-In 1:28:23 – How (Anti) Gay were They? 1:31:28 – Closing and Where to Find us Online  This episode is sponsored by Surfshark VPN, an awesome app and browser extension that not only protects your privacy online, but changes the virtual location of your phone or computer to anywhere in the world, allowing you access to content geoblocked content.    Surfshark VPN is offering 83% off and 3 months free for History is Gay listeners. Just head over to https://surfshark.deals/HISTORYISGAY or go to surfshark.com and enter code HISTORYISGAY to redeem this amazing deal! Plus, it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can try it out risk-free.    Want to help us continue to make the show? Support us on our NEWLY REVAMPED Patreon and get awesome goodies, behind-the-scenes access, special minisodes, and more! We have a brand-new Discord server for everyone to hang out in, exclusive O.G. Lesbian Sappho t-shirts, and some really fun extras coming your way! You can also get super cool merch in our brand new TeePublic  store! Shirts, hoodies, totes, mugs, ma

41. Send in the Clowns: Anita Bryant, the Briggs Initiative, and the Rise of the Anti-Gay Right

Happy 2022 and welcome to another episode of History is Gay! This time, we’re picking up where we left off with Meghan Rose and S.C. Lucier in our discussion of Amazons and real-life warrior women in history! It’s not just the Greco-Roman world that marveled at fierce, strong female fighters, but all over the world! This episode, we’re visiting Benin, Africa to learn about the real-life dora milaje of Black Panther fame, the gender-bending Dahomey Amazons; badass female samurai defending their homesteads in Japan, and Viking shieldmaidens and mythical Valkyries– who may have been a third gender? Strap-in for a whirlwind worldwide tour of gender transgression and badass real-life Xenas we want to see all the movies about!  You can learn more about our guest hosts Meg and Luce, Xena: Warrior Musical, and more of their forthcoming projects at www.xenawarriormusical.com, @XenatheMusical on Twitter, and @XenaWarriorMusical on  Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube!    Outline0:00 – Introduction4:27 – Announcements7:51 – Follow-Up from Last Episode 12:48 – Main Topic: Warrior Women Across the World 13:33 – Word of the Week 18:54 – Amazon-Like Women in Africa: Dahomey Amazons/mino43:22-44:13 – Content warning: Discussion of slave trade46:22 – Amazon-Like Women in Japan: onna-bugeisha1:06:50 – Amazon-Like Women in Scandinavia: the Vikings!1:30:48 – Pop-Culture Tie-In1:33:43 – How Gay were They?1:39:07 – Closing and Where to Find us Online This episode is sponsored by Surfshark VPN, an awesome app and browser extension that not only protects your privacy online, but changes the virtual location of your phone or computer to anywhere in the world, allowing you access to content geoblocked content.   Surfshark VPN is offering 83% off and 3 months free for History is Gay listeners. Just head over to  https://surfshark.deals/HISTORYISGAY or go to surfshark.com and enter code HISTORYISGAY to redeem this amazing deal! Plus, it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can try it out risk-free.   Want to help us continue to make the show? Support us on our NEWLY REVAMPED Patreon and get awesome goodies, behind-the-scenes access, special minisodes, and more! We have a brand-new Discord server for everyone to hang out in, exclusive O.G. Lesbian Sappho t-shirts, and some really fun extras coming your way! You can also get super cool merch in our store! Shirts, hoodies, totes, a coloring book, and other neat things. If you’d like to help us transcribe the show for our d/Deaf and hard of hearing fans, please head on over to www.historyisgaypodcast.com/transcribe to join the team of volunteers!  Find our full list of sources and bonus content at www.historyisgaypodcast.com. Get at us on Twitter and Instagram @historyisgaypod, Tumblr at historyisgaypodcast, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! Don't forget to rate and review so more folks can see the show!

40. Real-Life Xenas: Warrior Women Across the World

Today’s episode brings you not one, but two, wonderful guest hosts – Meghan Rose and S.C. Lucier, (known collectively as Lucier&Rose), the creators of Xena: Warrior Musical - The Lost Scroll, joining Leigh to talk about everyone’s favorite badass warrior women of antiquity, Amazons! In this first part of a two-part episode examining warrior women throughout history, we’ll dive full-tilt into the myths, legends, and misconceptions about the all-female militant society that struck fear into the hearts of ancient Greek men – powerful women, GASP! Where did these stories come from? How queer were they? And were they real, or just figments of mythology? Listen to this episode to hear us answer all these questions and talk even more, including jokes about penis bones, drinking horse-milk booze, and smoking pot with Herotodus.  Plus, Meg and Luce debut the very first song from their forthcoming musical, titled Atalanta: The Long Shot!  You can learn more about Meg and Luce, Xena: Warrior Musical, and more of their forthcoming projects at www.xenawarriormusical.com, @XenatheMusical on Twitter, and @XenaWarriorMusical on  Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube! This episode was edited by Ellie Brigida of Lez Hang Out podcast and The Flame: A Podcast Musical. Outline0:00 – Introduction10:37 – Socio-Historical Context13:33 – The Amazons of Myth and Legend31:10 – A tour through some Amazon queens38:27-39:05 – Content warning: rape mention40:34 – Atalanta, The Greek “Amazon” 59:55 – Real-Life Amazons: Warrior Women of Scythia1:09:28 – Why do we think they're gay? 1:26:16 – Pop-Culture Tie-In1:37:37 – How Gay were They?1:46:09 – Closing and Where to Find us OnlineHelp us close out 2021 and give us your feedback with our History is Gay Listener Survey! We want to hear from YOU and your thoughts about the show! What do you like? What do you dislike? What do you want us to know? Go to www.historyisgaypodcast.com/survey to fill it out.   Want to help us continue to make the show? Support us on Patreon and get awesome goodies, behind-the-scenes access, special minisodes, and more, and get ready for a new Patreon revamp in 2022 with awesome new perks! You can also get super cool merch in our store! Shirts, hoodies, totes, a coloring book, and other neat things. If you’d like to help us transcribe the show for our d/Deaf and hard of hearing fans, please head on over to www.historyisgaypodcast.com/transcribe to join the team of volunteers! Find our full list of sources and bonus content at www.historyisgaypodcast.com. Get at us on twitter @historyisgaypod, tumblr at historyisgaypodcast, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! Don't forget to rate and review so more folks can see the show!

39. The Amazons: Stoner Horse Girl Warriors of Antiquity

If you’ve ever enjoyed disco, EDM, changed your voice with auto-tune, or danced along to Daft Punk, you’ve got the subject of today’s episode to thank! In this episode of History is Gay, Leigh is joined by guest host Hannah van Rhee (they/them) of the QueerSounds Podcast to talk about Wendy Carlos, electronic music pioneer, synthesizer queen, film soundtrack composer extraordinaire, and trans woman! We’ll get into all the exciting details, like weird stories about Stanley Kubrick during A Clockwork Orange, comedy albums with Weird Al Yankovic, living inside a faraday cage, and more cats than you can shake a dangly, shiny stick at. Our wonderful guest host for this episode, Hannah van Rhee, can be found on twitter at @duchessofdeer, and you can follow their podcast QueerSounds on twitter @queersoundspod, Instagram @queersoundspod, and at www.queersounds.com. Outline 00:00 – Introduction 5:01 – Main Topic: Trans-sister Radio: Synth Icon Wendy Carlos 7:09 – Socio-Historical Context 13:06 – A Note on Sources 14:23 – Who were they? Bio Time. 48:09 – Why do we think they're gay?  52:15 - 52:58 — Content warning: Descriptions of dysphoria and internalized transphobia 53:23 - 54:07 — Content warning: Suicidal ideation 1:07:36 – Word of the Week 1:20:46  – Main Takeaways and Final Conclusions: Wendy Carlos’ Legacy 1:28:54 – How Gay were They? 1:31:34 – Closing and Where to Find us Online Want to help us continue to make the show? Support us on Patreon and get awesome goodies, behind-the-scenes access, special minisodes, and more! You can get super cool merch in our store! Shirts, hoodies, totes, a coloring book, and other neat things. If you’d like to help us transcribe the show for our d/Deaf and hard of hearing fans, please head on over to www.historyisgaypodcast.com/transcribe to join the team of volunteers! Find our full list of sources and bonus content at www.historyisgaypodcast.com. Get at us on twitter @historyisgaypod, tumblr at historyisgaypodcast, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! Don't forget to rate and review so more folks can see the show!

38. Trans-sister Radio: Synth Icon Wendy Carlos

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 Want to help us continue to make the show? Support us on Patreon and get awesome goodies, behind-the-scenes access, special minisodes, and more! You can get super cool merch in our store! Shirts, hoodies, totes, a coloring book, and other neat things. If you’d like to help us transcribe the show for our d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing fans, please head on over to www.historyisgaypodcast.com/transcribe to join the team of volunteers! Find our full list of sources and bonus content at www.historyisgaypodcast.com. Get at us on twitter @historyisgaypod, tumblr at historyisgaypodcast, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! Don't forget to rate and review so more folks can see the show!

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