| Making Gay History |
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| Genre | LGBTQ oral history |
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| Language | English |
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| Hosted by | Eric Marcus |
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| Audio format | Podcast (via streaming or downloadable MP3) |
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| No. of seasons | 15 |
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| Original release | October 13, 2016 (2016-10-13) |
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| Updates | Weekly |
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| Website | makinggayhistory.org |
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Making Gay History is an oral history podcast on the subject of LGBT history, featuring trailblazers, activists, and allies. Most episodes draw on the three-decade-old audio archive of rare interviews conducted by the podcast's founder and host Eric Marcus in the late 1980s and 1990s.
Background
Marcus began interviewing notable figures in the LGBTQ civil rights movement in the late 1980s while writing an oral history of the movement. The first edition of the book, published in 1992 under the title Making History: The Struggle for Gay and Lesbian Equal Rights, 1945-1990,[1][2] was a Stonewall Book Award winner in 1992 and was described by acclaimed oral historian Studs Terkel as "[o]ne of the definitive works on gay life." In the late 1990s, Marcus undertook another round of interviews for the updated second edition of the book, which was titled Making Gay History (2002).
In 2016, Marcus revisited the archive of his original recordings, which had since been digitized by the New York Public Library, along with executive producer Sara Burningham, who suggested that the interviews be used as the basis for a podcast.[3][4]
Since its launch in October 2016, the podcast has featured interviews with transgender rights icon Sylvia Rivera;[5] pioneering lesbian writer Edythe D. Eyde aka Lisa Ben;[6] American comedian, talk show host, and actress Ellen DeGeneres;[7] popular advice columnist and LGBT advocate Pauline Phillips ("Dear Abby");[8] and others. It has also drawn on other audio archives to highlight the contributions of activists like Ernestine Eckstein and Bayard Rustin, and has used contemporary interviews to chronicle the life and work of Magnus Hirschfeld and Reed Erickson.[9][10] In December 2019, they released the earliest known recording of Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson.[11]
For the eighth season of the podcast, Marcus partnered with the Studs Terkel Radio Archive to release interviews conducted by the legendary radio host and oral historian Studs Terkel. Marcus cites Terkel and his work as inspiration for his own.[12]
In February 2020, Making Gay History was adapted for the stage at New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.[13]
The podcast's ninth season, "Coming of Age During the AIDS Crisis," is an audio memoir exploring Marcus's memories of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s.[14]
Awards and honors
- In September 2017, NBC Out polled its constituents about their "favorite LGBTQ-inclusive podcasts," and Making Gay History was voted #2 out of 11 ranked.[15]
- In October 2017, the Oral History Association honored Making Gay History with its Oral History in a Nonprint Format Award.[16]
- On December 27, 2019, The Atlantic named Making Gay History's Stonewall 50 season one of the best podcasts of 2019.[17]
Seasons and episodes
| Season 1 |
Episode |
Date |
| Episode 1 |
Sylvia Rivera, Part I |
October 13, 2016 |
| Episode 2 |
Wendell Sayers (called Paul Phillips in the book Making Gay History)[18] |
October 20, 2016 |
| Episode 3 |
Edythe Eyde |
October 27, 2016 |
| Episode 4 |
Dr. Evelyn Hooker |
November 3, 2016 |
| Episode 5 |
Frank Kameny |
November 10, 2016 |
| Episode 6 |
Jeanne & Morty Manford |
November 17, 2016 |
| Episode 7 |
Chuck Rowland |
November 23, 2016 |
| Episode 8 |
Pauline Phillips (Dear Abby) |
December 1, 2016 |
| Episode 9 |
Barbara Gittings & Kay Tobin Lahusen |
December 8, 2016 |
| Episode 10 |
Vito Russo |
December 15, 2016 |
| BONUS |
Love is Love |
February 14, 2017 |
| Season 2 |
Episode |
Date |
| Episode 1 |
Marsha P. Johnson & Randy Wicker |
March 2, 2017 |
| Episode 2 |
Shirley Willer |
March 9, 2017 |
| Episode 3 |
Hal Call |
March 16, 2017 |
| Episode 4 |
Jean O'Leary, Part I |
March 23, 2017 |
| Episode 5 |
Jean O'Leary, Part II |
March 26, 2017 |
| Episode 6 |
Morris Foote |
March 30, 2017 |
| Episode 7 |
Herb Selwyn |
April 6, 2017 |
| Episode 8 |
Barbara Gittings & Kay Tobin Lahusen, Part II |
April 13, 2017 |
| Episode 9 |
Evander Smith & Herb Donaldson |
April 20, 2017 |
| Episode 10 |
Joyce Hunter |
April 27, 2017 |
| Episode 11 |
Tom Cassidy |
May 4, 2017 |
| BONUS |
Rewind: Sylvia Rivera, Part I |
October 5, 2017 |
| BONUS |
Edythe Eyde's Gay Gal's Mixtape |
October 11, 2017 |
| Season 3 |
Episode |
Date |
| Episode 1 |
Sylvia Rivera, Part II |
October 22, 2017 |
| Episode 2 |
Perry Watkins |
October 26, 2017 |
| Episode 3 |
Ellen DeGeneres |
November 2, 2017 |
| Episode 4 |
J.J. Belanger |
November 9, 2017 |
| Episode 5 |
Deborah Johnson & Zandra Rolón Amato |
November 16, 2017 |
| Episode 6 |
Larry Kramer |
November 23, 2017 |
| Episode 7 |
Phyllis Lyon & Del Martin |
November 30, 2017 |
| Episode 8 |
Morris Kight |
December 7, 2017 |
| Episode 9 |
Paulette Goodman |
December 14, 2017 |
| Episode 10 |
Greg Brock |
December 21, 2017 |
| Episode 11 |
Morty Manford |
December 28, 2017 |
| BONUS |
Love Is Love |
February 14, 2018 |
| BONUS |
Kay Lahusen's Gay Table |
June 21, 2018 |
| BONUS |
Farewell Dick Leitsch |
June 23, 2018 |
| Season 4 |
Episode |
Date |
|---|
| Episode 1 |
Introduction |
October 25, 2018 |
| Episode 2 |
Magnus Hirschfeld |
October 25, 2018 |
| Episode 3 |
Harry Hay |
November 1, 2018 |
| Episode 4 |
Billye Talmadge |
November 15, 2018 |
| Episode 5 |
Dorr Legg, Martin Block & Jim Kepner of ONE |
November 29, 2018 |
| Episode 6 |
Stella Rush (who wrote under the pseudonym Sten Russell) |
December 13, 2018 |
| Episode 7 |
Reed Erickson |
December 27, 2018 |
| Episode 8 |
Bayard Rustin |
January 10, 2019 |
| Episode 9 |
Ernestine Eckstein |
January 24, 2019 |
| Episode 10 |
Dick Leitsch |
February 7, 2019 |
| Episode 11 |
Martha Shelley |
February 21, 2019 |
| Season 7 (Revisiting the Archive) |
Episode |
Date |
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| Episode 1 |
Frank Kameny |
March 21, 2020 |
| Episode 2 |
Edythe Eyde |
March 28, 2020 |
| Episode 3 |
Wendell Sayers |
April 4, 2020 |
| Episode 4 |
Shirley Willer |
April 11, 2020 |
| Episode 5 |
Vito Russo |
April 18, 2020 |
| Episode 6 |
Kay Lahusen's Gay Table |
April 25, 2020 |
| Episode 7 |
Ellen DeGeneres |
May 2, 2020 |
| Episode 8 |
Morris Foote |
May 9, 2020 |
| Episode 9 |
Joyce Hunter |
May 16, 2020 |
| Episode 10 |
Perry Watkins |
May 23, 2020 |
| Episode 11 |
Larry Kramer |
May 29, 2020 |
| Episode 12 |
Bayard Rustin |
June 7, 2020 |
| Episode 13 |
Larah Helayne & Jean O'Leary |
June 18, 2020 |
|
| Season 9 (Coming of Age During the AIDS Crisis) |
Episode |
Date |
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| Chapter 1 |
Buried Headline |
July 1, 2021 |
| Chapter 2 |
Not Alone |
July 15, 2021 |
| Chapter 3 |
318 West 22nd Street |
July 30, 2021 |
| Chapter 4 |
Complications of AIDS |
August 12, 2021 |
| Chapter 5 |
In or Out |
August 27, 2021 |
| Chapter 6 |
Making History |
September 10, 2021 |
| Season 10 |
Episode |
Date |
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| Episode 1 |
Randy Shilts |
February 24, 2022 |
| Episode 2 |
Dr. Ronald Grossman |
March 3, 2022 |
| Episode 3 |
Sara Boesser |
March 10, 2022 |
| Episode 4 |
Randy Boyd |
March 17, 2022 |
| Episode 5 |
Ann Northrop |
March 24, 2022 |
| Episode 6 |
Michelle Lopez |
March 31, 2022 |
| BONUS |
Rewind: Stonewall 50: Episode 1: Prelude to a Riot |
June 2, 2022 |
| BONUS |
Rewind: Stonewall 50: Episode 2: "Everything Clicked...And the Riot Was On" |
June 9, 2022 |
| BONUS |
Rewind: Stonewall 50: Episode 3: "Say It Loud! Gay & Proud!" |
June 16, 2022 |
| BONUS |
Rewind: Stonewall 50: Episode 4: Live from Stonewall |
June 23, 2022 |
| Season 11 |
Episode |
Date |
|---|
| Episode 1 |
Craig Rodwell |
November 3, 2022 |
| Episode 2 |
Rev. Carolyn Mobley-Bowie |
November 10, 2022 |
| Episode 3 |
Faygele Ben-Miriam |
November 17, 2022 |
| Episode 4 |
Urvashi Vaid |
November 24, 2022 |
| Episode 5 |
Robert Bauman |
December 1, 2022 |
| Episode 6 |
Kathleen Boatwright |
December 8, 2022 |
| BONUS |
A Complicated Love Story |
February 14, 2023 |
| Season 12 (Coming of Age During the 1970s) |
Episode |
Date |
|---|
| Chapter 1 |
A Surge of Energy |
April 13, 2023 |
| Chapter 2 |
Fire Island and Other Stories |
April 27, 2023 |
| Chapter 3 |
Family Ties |
May 11, 2023 |
| Chapter 4 |
Respectable |
May 25, 2023 |
| Chapter 5 |
Thank You, Anita |
June 8, 2023 |
| Chapter 6 |
Marching On |
June 29, 2023 |
| Season 13 (Dismantling a Diagnosis) |
Episode |
Date |
|---|
| Episode 1 |
A Kind of Madness |
December 15, 2023 |
| Episode 2 |
The Cure |
December 22, 2023 |
| Episode 3 |
Out of the DSM & into the Present - A Conversation about LGBTQ+ Mental Health |
December 29, 2023 |
| GUEST |
Blindspot: The Plague in the Shadows: Mourning in America |
February 15, 2024 |
| BONUS |
Feminist Bookstores: A Love Story - with June Thomas |
May 23, 2024 |
| Season 14 (The Nazi Era) |
Episode |
Date |
|---|
| Episode 1 |
Prologue |
January 27, 2025 |
| Episode 2 |
Overview, Part I |
January 30, 2025 |
| Episode 3 |
Overview, Part II |
February 6, 2025 |
| Episode 4 |
Stefan Kosinski |
February 13, 2025 |
| Episode 5 |
Pierre Seel |
February 20, 2025 |
| Episode 6 |
Frieda Belinfante |
February 27, 2025 |
| Episode 7 |
Gad Beck |
March 6, 2025 |
| Episode 8 |
Lucy Salani |
March 13, 2025 |
| Episode 9 |
Margot Heuman |
March 20, 2025 |
| Episode 10 |
Kenneth Roman |
March 27, 2025 |
| Episode 11 |
Fredy Hirsch |
April 3, 2025 |
| Episode 12 |
Epilogue |
April 10, 2025 |
References
- ↑ Marcus, Eric. (2018). Making history : the struggle for gay and lesbian equal rights, 1945–1990. London: HarperImpulse. ISBN 978-0-06-284826-0. OCLC 1041619749.
- ↑ "Nonfiction Book Review: Making History: The Struggle for Gay and Lesbian Equal Rights, 1945-1990: An Oral History by Eric Marcus, Author HarperCollins Publishers $25 (532p) ISBN 978-0-06-016708-0". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
- ↑ "About Making Gay History". Making Gay History.
- ↑ "Three podcasts that explore queer history, identity and intimacy". The Washington Post. June 12, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
- ↑ "Episode 01 — Sylvia Rivera". Making Gay History.
- ↑ "Episode 03 — Edythe Eyde". Making Gay History. Archived from the original on May 20, 2024.
- ↑ "Ellen DeGeneres". Making Gay History. Archived from the original on May 20, 2024.
- ↑ "Episode 08 — Dear Abby". Making Gay History. Archived from the original on May 20, 2024.
- ↑ "Magnus Hirschfeld". Making Gay History.
- ↑ "Reed Erickson". Making Gay History.
- ↑ "Earliest Known Recording of Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera Found". www.advocate.com. December 29, 2019. Archived from the original on December 29, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
- ↑ "Gay history podcast has new host: Studs Terkel – LGBT News – Windy City Times". www.windycitymediagroup.com. September 29, 2020. Archived from the original on August 4, 2024. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
- ↑ "NYU Steinhardt's Educational Theatre Production 'Making Gay History: Before Stonewall' Turns the Popular Podcast into a Play". New York University. February 19, 2020. Archived from the original on February 26, 2020.
- ↑ Shapiro, Ari; Brown, Ashley; Caldwell, Noah (October 7, 2021). "Host of 'Making Gay History' reflects on coming of age during the AIDS crisis". NPR. Archived from the original on July 22, 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
- ↑ "11 LGBTQ-Inclusive Podcasts You Should Know". Nbcnews.com. September 2017. Archived from the original on September 1, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
- ↑ "Oral History Association Gives MGH 2017 Award!". Making Gay History. October 5, 2017. Archived from the original on August 4, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
- ↑ "The 50 Best Podcasts of 2019". TheAtlantic.com. December 27, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
- ↑ "Episode 02 — Wendell Sayers". Making Gay History. Archived from the original on May 20, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2020.