2. Cloistered Queers
History is Gay
Leigh Pfeffer
4.6 • 536 Ratings
🗓️ 15 January 2018
⏱️ 89 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode, your hosts Gretchen and Leigh continue to examine the overlooked and underappreciated queer ladies, gents, and gentle-enbies in the unexplored corners of history by traveling to the cloisters of Medieval Europe. They'll uncover unique views of sex and sexuality that made the practice of 'brother making' possible both within and outside the monastic community but also made it hard for medieval theologians to understand sex between women. Come slake your thirst for queer poems and love letters because guess what? There are lots of monks and nuns with a strong desire for "special friendship" with each other. Notables include: Alcuin, Two Bavarian Nuns, St. Anselm of Canterbury, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Baudri of Bourgeuil, Aelred of Rievaulx, Benedetta Carlini, and many more!
Outline
0:00 – Introduction
1:31 – Word of the Week: Adelphopoiesis and Affrerement
6:30 – What do you mean they're not straight?
6:40 – Social Context: Medieval Views of Sex & Sodomy
10:15 – Social Context: Sex Between Women in the Middle Ages
26:00 – Social Context: Escaping Heteronormativity through Monastacism
33:35 – Homoeroticism Among Female Mystics
40:40 – The Lives and Love Letters/Poems of Gay Monks and Lesbian Nuns
1:10:00-1:19:21 – CONTENT WARNING for discussions of sexual violence
1:23:17 – How gay were they?
1:26:40 – Where to find us online
Special Links: Humon's Tumblr comic about monastic views of sex and sexuality
Find our full list 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!
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey folks, before we get started, we just want to let you know that we have a section of this episode that comes with some content warnings. |
| 0:06.4 | So if that's a concern for you, please check out our show notes for time codes where you can skip particularly sensitive subjects. |
| 0:12.8 | Now, on to the show. |
| 0:16.6 | Hello, and welcome to History is Gay, a podcast that examines the underappreciated and overlooked |
| 0:22.5 | queer ladies, gents, and gentle enbies that have always been there in the unexplored |
| 0:27.1 | corners of history, because history has never been as straight as you think. Hey folks, I'm Lee. |
| 0:49.6 | And I'm Gretchen. |
| 0:50.5 | And in this episode of History is Gay, we're talking about lesbian nuns. |
| 0:55.3 | And gay monks! |
| 0:57.1 | Yes! |
| 0:58.1 | I'm so excited. |
| 1:01.2 | Everybody was so wonderful and generous with all of their comments and responses to our |
| 1:05.2 | first episode and we're pleased as punch and now we're really, really excited to tell |
| 1:09.7 | you about some more super queer |
| 1:12.2 | people from the annals of history. |
| 1:14.9 | I know. |
| 1:15.3 | We got our first fan email. |
| 1:17.0 | Thank you so much, Alex. |
| 1:18.8 | Shout out. |
| 1:19.6 | We loved it. |
| 1:20.1 | It was awesome to hear from you. |
| 1:21.7 | This episode is going to be a little bit of a different format than the last one, |
... |
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