15. Lizzie Borden Took a Labrys
/Way back in the first episode, Leigh and Gretchen formed a historical ‘murder wives’ ship starting with Anne Bonny; in this episode, they take a closer look at murder wife #2: Lizzie Borden! That’s right folks, she too may very well have had a thing for the ladies as well as possibly murdering her father and stepmother. Just how queer was she? Did she have an affair with her maid and her stepmother caught them? Why was she acquitted and what was society like for a single, Victorian woman? Find out on this week’s History is Gay!
Outline
0:00 – Introduction
3:30 – Content Warnings
5:07 – Historical Context: 19th Century Victorian Society
21:57 – Who Were They? Bio Time
30:55-31:56 – Content Warning Break: Mention of Incest
35:34 – Motives, The Murders, and Trial
58:24 – Why Do We Think They’re Gay?
1:07:10 – Fun Segment: Word of the Week: Spinsters
1:13:55 – Fun Segment: Pop Culture Tie-In
1:16:34 – How Gay were They?
1:20:32 – Closing and Where to Find Us Online
