Today we bring you our second episode on the 19th-century British military doctor Dr James Barry. Join us to learn about Florence Nightingale's desperate need for sunscreen, how to dress stylishly as a trans man in the 1800s and a mysterious black box. Check out our website , where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact. If you enjoy our content, consider supporting us on Patreon , checking out our merch , and following us on Twitter , Tumblr and Facebook ....
Oct 14, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 125
This week, Queer as Fact is talking about the 19th-century British military surgeon, Dr James Barry. Join us to hear about anatomy classes in the 1800s, James' scandalous relationship with the governor of Cape Town, and two bonus James Barrys! Check out our website , where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact. If you enjoy our content, consider supporting us on Patreon , checking out our merch , and following us on Twitter , Tumblr and Facebook ....
Oct 01, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 124
Today's episode is on Mexican nun, writer and polymath Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. Join Irene and Alice to hear about the realities of life in a 17th century convent, poetry ranging from sweet to filthy, and one weird tip for teaching yourself Latin. Check out our website , where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact. If you enjoy our content, consider supporting us on Patreon , checking out our merch , and following us on Twitter , Tumblr and Facebook ....
Sep 15, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 123
Today's episode is Beki, the queer language of the Philippines. Join us for some new queer vocab, a surprise cameo from a past episode, and to discover how a queer language went mainstream. Check out our website , where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact. If you enjoy our content, consider supporting us on Patreon , checking out our merch , and following us on Twitter , Tumblr and Facebook ....
Aug 31, 2021•51 min•Ep. 122
Queer as Fiction is back, and greener than ever, as we discuss the 14th century poem, recently adapted into a film by David Lowery starring Dev Patel, commonly referred to as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Join us for a discussion of colour theory, kissing games, gendered napping and yet more colour theory. Check out our website , where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact. If you enjoy our content, consider supporting us on Patreon , checking out our merch , and fo...
Aug 15, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 121
We're back this week with the latest in our Roman emperor series! Today we're talking about the emperor Hadrian and his lover Antinous. Join us to learn about one of the most famous male-male couples of all time, the mystery of Antinous' death, and how to make your boyfriend into a god. Check out our website , where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact. If you enjoy our content, consider supporting us on Patreon , checking out our merch , and following us on Twitter ,...
Aug 01, 2021•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 119
This bonus episode is a recording of a live session from the Storytelling Podcast Week live program. Alice, Irene and Jason bring queer history to life, dive into behind the scenes of their favourite Queer As Fact episodes and answer your questions! Check out our website , where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact. If you enjoy our content, consider supporting us on Patreon , checking out our merch , and following us on Twitter , Tumblr and Facebook ....
Aug 01, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 120
In today's episode, Eli and Alice review James Romm's new book, the Sacred Band, and we talk more generally about the Sacred Band of Thebes, an ancient Greek military unit made up of gay lovers. Featuring: Plato's Symposium, the power of gay love, and yet another instance of Queer As Fact coming up with an imaginary queer movie. Check out our website , where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact. If you enjoy our content, consider supporting us on Patreon , checking ou...
Jul 15, 2021•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 118
Following on from last week's episode on the 1980s UK activist group Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners, today's Queer as Fiction episode delves into the 2014 film adaptation of the historical events that led to LGSM. Join us for a discussion of the film's presentation of politics, (more) hatred of Thatcher, and why Pride feels about three seconds away from being a musical at all times. Check out "All Out! Dancing in Dulais", a documentary made by LGSM and mentioned throughout the episode, her...
Jul 07, 2021•54 min•Ep. 117
In today's (COVID-delayed) pride special, we're talking about the 1980s UK activist group Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners, and their work with the Neath, Delais and Swansea Valley miners support groups in South Wales. Join us to hear the true story of the events of the movie Pride (2014), featuring our hatred of Thatcher, a 27-person (and 2-dog) queer sleepover, and an inspiring story of solidarity. Check out our website , where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fa...
Jun 30, 2021•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 116
Today we're talking about queerness in video games. We'll be starting in the 80s with one of the first queer video games, Caper in the Castro , before moving on to Nintendo's controversial trans character Birdo, and ending with what may be the world's first online pride parade, which took place in World of Warcraft . Join us for a noir detective story, trans dinosaurs and our dubious knowledge of how the internet works. Play Caper in the Castro online here , and if you do, please donate to an HI...
Jun 15, 2021•44 min•Ep. 115
Happy Pride! We're starting off our Pride content by talking about the South African activist Simon Nkoli. Join us to hear about Simon's gay rights and anti-apartheid work, Africa's first Pride, and a lot of wholesome personal growth. Check out our website , where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact. If you enjoy our content, consider supporting us on Patreon , checking out our merch , and following us on Twitter , Tumblr and Facebook ....
Jun 01, 2021•57 min•Ep. 114
Today we're talking about the life of trans activist Maryam Khatoon Molkara. Join us to hear about Tehran's 1970s queer scene, an amazing velvet suit, and almost 40 years spent advocating for trans people in Iran. Check out our website , where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact. If you enjoy our content, consider supporting us on Patreon , checking out our merch , and following us on Twitter , Tumblr and Facebook ....
Apr 15, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 113
Join Irene and Alice in this bonus episode for an interview with Roland Betancourt Professor of Art History at the University of California, Irvine, about his new book, Byzantine Intersectionality: Sexuality, Gender & Race in the Middle Ages. Amongst other things, we discuss transgender Byzantine saints, the future of queer scholarship, and how to sneak queer history into everything you write. Check out our website , where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact. If ...
Apr 08, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 112
Today's episode of Queer as Fiction takes us back...to the future! Join us for a brief, light-hearted romp through Theodore Sturgeon's 1953 science fiction short story, The World Well Lost. Look out for appearances from gay aliens, Kurt Vonnegut and Kirk/Spock shipping! Check out our website , where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact. If you enjoy our content, consider supporting us on Patreon , checking out our merch , and following us on Twitter , Tumblr and Faceb...
Mar 31, 2021•31 min•Ep. 111
Today we're bringing you part 2 of our discussion on the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Join us as we figure out exactly what surrealism is, discuss Frida's relationships with women, and provide a thorough list of her pets. Note: If you're really just here for our discussion of Frida's sexuality, that begins at 1:03:23. Check out our website , where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact. If you enjoy our content, consider supporting us on Patreon , checking out our merch ...
Mar 23, 2021•1 hr 47 min•Ep. 110
Today's long-awaited episode is on the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Join us for the first of two episodes on Frida, while we discuss pyrotechnic pranks, the first of many self-portraits, and the complicated politics behind Frida's famous style of dress. Note: We are aware of and apologise for the audio issue at 41:23. It continues only until 41:31. Check out our website , where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact. If you enjoy our content, consider supporting us on Pa...
Mar 14, 2021•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 109
Today we're looking at sexuality in Pompeii through the lens of the so called "Two Maidens", found embracing in their final moments. Join us as we discuss how toxic masculinity skews our views of the past, read some sexy graffiti, and discover what may be the only surviving piece of female-female love poetry in ancient Rome. Check out our website , where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact. If you enjoy our content, consider supporting us on Patreon , checking out ou...
Feb 28, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 108
Welcome back to our two-part mini-series on the 19th-century Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. In this episode, we'll be talking about how to score yourself a wealthy patron, the rumours surrounding Pyotr's death, and understanding sexuality through the metaphor of asparagus. Check out our website , where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact. If you enjoy our content, consider supporting us on Patreon , checking out our merch , and following us on Twitter , T...
Feb 15, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 107
Today's episode is the first of our two-part series on Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, 19th century Russian composer and the most handsome boy at his high school. Join us to learn about abandoning your public service job for a career in the arts, and scolding your dog through song. Check out our website , where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact. If you enjoy our content, consider supporting us on Patreon , checking out our merch , and following us on Twitter , Tumblr and...
Jan 31, 2021•57 min•Ep. 106
It's back to back episodes featuring recent Netflix films as we discuss Mart Crowley's 1968 play, twice adapted into film, The Boys in the Band. Join us for a discussion of "turning on" and other 60s language, mining the death of your parents for dialogue and the controversial place the play has held in gay culture throughout the 52 years of its existence. Check out our website , where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact. If you enjoy our content, consider supporting...
Jan 14, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 105
Happy New Year! 2021's first Queer as Fact is on the Mother of the Blues, Ma Rainey. We'll be talking about the blues and Black identity in the Great Migration, the new Netflix film Ma Rainey's Black Bottom , and a possible lesbian orgy. Check out our website , where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact, including source posts for each episode of our current season. If you enjoy this episode, consider supporting us on Patreon , checking out our merch , and following u...
Dec 31, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 104
Today's episode is on the 1985 slasher film A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge . Join us as we discuss the slasher genre's complicated depictions of gender, finger knife fellatio, and what a better, gayer draft of the script might have looked like. Check out our website , where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact. If you enjoy our content, consider supporting us on Patreon , checking out our merch , and following us on Twitter , Tumblr and Facebook ....
Dec 14, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 103
Welcome to the first episode of Queer As Fact season 6! Today’s episode is on Yoshiko Kawashima, a queer Chinese-Japanese spy and public figure. Join us for rituals to commemorate queer life milestones, smuggling an ex-Empress in the boot of a car, and no less than four pet monkeys. NOTE: This episode contains a brief discussion of sexual assault from 24:30 - 27:10. Check out our website , where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact. If you enjoy our content, consider ...
Nov 30, 2020•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 102
In today's bonus episode, Alice and Irene interview author emily m danforth, the author of queer YA novel The Miseducation of Cameron Post about her new book, Plain Bad Heroines . Tune in to hear us discuss uncovering our hidden histories, Emily's experiences researching and writing queer historical fiction, and openly bisexual early 20th century writer Mary MacLane. Check out our website , where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact. If you enjoy our content, consider...
Nov 15, 2020•34 min•Ep. 101
To celebrate 100 episodes of Queer as Fact, we asked our listeners to submit questions, and now we have answers! Join the whole Queer as Fact Qrew for answers to questions like how we got started as a podcast, our thought process when dealing with the pronouns of historical figures and, perhaps most importantly, whether Patroclus was a pineapple on pizza kinda guy. Look out for another bonus episode coming soon, and Season 6 starting on December 1st! Please note the following content warnings fo...
Nov 12, 2020•50 min•Ep. 100
Welcome to the final episode for Season 5, where we are discussing Jennie Livingston's 1990 documentary Paris is Burning . Join us as we explore the creation, critical response and legacy of the film, featuring cameos from Madonna and Ru Paul. Stick around until the end for an exciting announcement about our upcoming 100th episode! Check out our website , where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact, including source posts for each episode of our current season. If you ...
Oct 14, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 99
In today's episode, we discuss Kapaemahu, a Hawai'ian sacred site commemorating four non-binary individuals. Join us to learn about gender in Kānaka Maoli culture, how the story of these stones has survived four centuries, and the logistical difficulties of moving large rocks. Check out our website , where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact, including source posts for each episode of our current season. If you enjoy this episode, consider supporting us on Patreon , ...
Oct 01, 2020•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 98
Today's episode is on transgender pioneer, Roberta Cowell. We'll be covering everything from her career as a race-car driver and her time flying Spitfires in WWII, to her battle to access medical transition in the 1950s and the complexities on how she presented her story to the public. Check out our website , where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact, including source posts for each episode of our current season. If you enjoy this episode, consider supporting us on P...
Sep 14, 2020•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 97
Today's episode is on American blues singer Gladys Bentley. Join us for our first venture into the Harlem Renaissance, where you'll find eight hour piano marathons, explicitly queer lyrics, and legally recognised weddings between women. Check out our website , where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact, including source posts for each episode of our current season. If you enjoy this episode, consider supporting us on Patreon , checking out our merch , and following us...
Sep 01, 2020•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 96
