44. Can We Just Title an Episode "Fuck Colonialism"?: Reclaiming Two-Spirit Histories

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?

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? Fuck Colonialism!
1:12:48 - 1:16:16 – Content Warning: Discussion of anti-Indigenous genocide
1:16:16 - 00 – Content Warning: Discussion of genocide and religious violence
1:23:23 – Pop Culture Tie-In
1:30:07 – How Gay were They?
1:32:30 – Closing and Where to Find us Online

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

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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! 

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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! 

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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

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

18. Girls Gone Wilde

What would an exploration of the Wilde family be without taking a closer look at Oscar Wilde’s ‘virulently lesbian’ niece Dolly Wilde? Gretchen and Leigh take you on a journey to learn more about this elusive personality. Unlike her uncle, Dolly left little written work behind and is best known from her letters and from what other people have to say about her. Come join the ouroboros of gay that is the Sapphic ‘sewing circle’ of 1920s Hollywood and Paris.

Outline

0:00 – Introduction
5:02 – Main Topic: Dolly Wilde
5:23 – Socio-Historical Context: Paris and London in the 1920s
10:20 – Who were they? Bio Time. 
48:53 – Why do we think they're gay?
58:50 – Fun Segment: Word of the Week
1:26:21 – How Gay were They?
1:28:44 – 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

17. He's a Real Wilde One

In honor of his 164th birthday, Leigh and Gretchen talk about the life and times of Oscar Wilde with special guest K. W. Moore from the blog “A Scholar of No Importance.” Wilde’s unwillingness to conform to Victorian sensibilities regarding keeping his private life private and the famous trials that resulted from it changed the shape of Western discussions of sexuality thereafter. His writing, too has left its mark both on the world, and on all three of our hosts this episode. So come join us as we pay homage to the Wilde man himself, the man who sought to live up to his blue china and worried he might fall short.

Outline

0:00 – Introduction
5:30 – Socio-Historical Context: 19th Century England, Male-Male Intimacy, and the Criminal Amendment Act of 1885
15:11 – Who were They/Why Do We Think They’re Gay: The Early Life, Loves, and Scandals of Oscar Wilde
20:50 – Fun Segment: Word of the Week
41:03 - 43:17 – Content Warning for mentions of child abuse & suicide
46:45- 51:12– Content Warning: Discussion regarding ephebophilia and pederasty
51:12 – The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, Exile, and Death
1:20:19 – Fun Segment: Pop Culture Tie-In
1:25:47 – How Gay were They?
1:28:04– 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

16. Lavender Apparitions

Happy Halloween everybody! As good Halloween gays, Leigh and Gretchen bring you a special, spoopy episode for Halloween. In the first half, they bring tales of gay and lesbian ghosts and lavender apparitions of all kinds, though of the kindly and perhaps a bit cheeky variety rather than bloody or scary. For the second half, they interview Joe Applebaum, one of the producers of Queer Ghost Hunters, a paranormal investigation series on YouTube focused on finding and talking to queer ghosts. So grab your bucket of candy and get ready for some spoopy fun on History is Gay!

Outline

0:00 – Introduction
6:41– Socio-Historic Context: Spiritualism
11:23 – Lavender Apparitions and Queer Ghosts
45:16 – Leigh and Gretchen Plan Their Hauntings
52:23 – Fun Segment: Pop Culture Tie-In
54:47 – How Gay were They?
56:31 – Interview with Joe Applebaum of Queer Ghost Hunters
1:44:47 – 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

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

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

Apple Podcasts  |    Google Play    |    RadioPublic    |    Stitcher    |    Download

12. Let's Have a Kiki with Queer as Fact!

Welcome to our very first extra special collaboration! Joining Leigh and Gretchen this episode are our friends over at Queer as Fact, a queer history podcast from Australia. Our topic of choice? Queer slang! Join us as we discuss lavender linguistics, the history of queer slang in Australian penal colonies, and our favorite slang words, both American and Australian! So brush off your oysters, pitch your tents for camp, sharpen up your Gillette blades, and let’s have a kiki with Queer as Fact!

Outline

0:00 – Introduction
09:14 – Historical Background: Lavender Linguistics
28:48 – Historical Background: History of Queer Slang in Australia
52:35 – Our Favorite Slang: America vs Australia
1:36:56 – Closing and Where to Find us Online

Queer as Fact can be found on Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook, and you can listen to them on your podcatcher app of choice!

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

Apple Podcasts  |  RadioPublic  |  Google Play    |    Stitcher    |   Download

11. Rainbow Rising: The First Pride

Leigh and Gretchen welcome you to their first Pride month special and the first of an ongoing series on Queer civil rights movements in the United States. And what better way to do both than to dive into the lives of Gilbert Baker---the maker of the first rainbow pride flag---and Brenda Howard---one of the primary organizers of the first Pride march commemorating the Stonewall riots and Pride week. Pride is a special month for those of us in the queer community, so we wanted to celebrate our forefathers and foremothers that make this month possible. So, without further ado, let's chat about the Mother of Pride and the Gay Betsy Ross!

Outline

0:00 – Introduction
2:56 – Content Warnings
6:35 – Historical Context: Brief Discussion of the Stonewall Riots and Aftermath
22:10 – Brenda Howard: Mother of Pride
41:25 – Gilbert Baker: Creator of the LGBT+ Rainbow Flag
1:06:01 – Fun Segment: Pop Culture Tie-In
1:09:06 – How Gay were They?
1:11:35– Closing and Where to Find Us Online

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

Apple Podcasts  |    Google Play    |    Stitcher    |    Download