E112: [FREE EPISODE] Radical Reads - Be Gay Do Crime
Working Class History
Working Class History
5.0 • 813 Ratings
🗓️ 18 October 2025
⏱️ 113 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Radical Reads is one of our Patreon-only exclusive series, where we discuss texts – both old and new – that have either influenced the WCH project, or texts that we generally think that people involved in radical and working-class movements should be engaging with, discussing, and using to inform their activism.
Our podcast is brought to you by our Patreon supporters. Our supporters fund our work, and in return get exclusive early access to podcast episodes without ads, bonus episodes, free and discounted merchandise and other content. Supporters also get access to two exclusive podcast series: Radical Reads and Fireside Chats. Join us or find out more at patreon.com/workingclasshistory
As attacks on queer and trans people around the globe escalate, we felt it was more important than ever to highlight stories of LGBT+ resistance throughout history. Be Gay, Do Crime: Everyday Acts of Queer Resistance and Rebellion is your ultimate guide to LGBTQ+ resilience and revolt. Packed with hundreds of snapshots of radical queer history for every day of the year, this book celebrates the bold, the brave, and the beautifully defiant moments that have shaped the fight for justice. In this episode, we discuss the book, our current moment, the connections between LGBT+ movements and other aspects like race, class, gender and disability. We look at historical repression of queer identities, colonialism, and talk about what stories from the past can point to away towards a better future.Hope you enjoy this episode, and make sure to get hold of a copy of the book, available in our online store with global shipping.
- Listen without ads here on Patreon
- Buy the book here
- Full show notes here on our website
- Y’all Means All: The Emerging Voices Queering Appalachia – Z. Zane McNeill – Zane’s previous book with PM Press, in our online store.
- Deviant Hollers: Queering Appalachian Ecologies for a Sustainable Future – Zane McNeill and Rebecca Scott – a collection of texts using the lens of queer ecologies to explore environmental destruction in Appalachia while mapping out alternative futures
- Follow Riley on Bluesky
- Thanks to our Patreon supporters for making this podcast possible. Special thanks to Jazz Hands.
- The episode graphic is of LGBT Pride in São Paulo, 2014, taken by Ben Tavener, bentavener.com, CCA 2.0.
- Edited by Jesse French
- Our theme tune is Montaigne’s version of the classic labour movement anthem, ‘Bread and Roses’, performed by Montaigne and Nick Harriott, and mixed by Wave Racer. Download the song here, with all proceeds going to Medical Aid for Palestinians. More from Montaigne: website, Instagram, YouTube
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | As we come marching, marching in the beauty of the day, |
| 0:09.0 | A million darkened kitchens, a thousand mill of square |
| 0:14.0 | are brightened by the beauty, the sun and sun discloses, |
| 0:19.0 | and the people here are seeing bread and roses bread and roses |
| 0:25.5 | hi everyone and welcome to another episode in our radical read series where we talk about |
| 0:32.8 | historical and political texts that we think are important for workers and organisers to read, discuss and inform our activity. |
| 0:40.7 | Just a reminder that our podcast is brought to you by our Patreon supporters. |
| 0:45.1 | Our supporters fund our work and in return get exclusive early access to podcast episodes without ads, |
| 0:51.1 | bonus episodes, free and discounted merchandise and other content. |
| 0:56.0 | Supporters also get access to two exclusive podcast series, radical reads, as well as |
| 1:01.0 | fireside chats. Join us and find out more at patreon.com slash working class history. |
| 1:07.5 | Usually this series is actually available exclusively for our supporters on Patreon, but in this |
| 1:12.2 | case, we're releasing this entire episode for free for everyone. |
| 1:16.2 | Today's book is Be Gay, Do Crime, Everyday Acts of Queer Resistance and Rebellion, edited |
| 1:21.8 | by Zane McNeil, Riley Claire Valentine and Blue Buchanan. |
| 1:26.0 | It's the second book in our Everyday Act series, published |
| 1:29.0 | by us, working class history, alongside our friends at PM Press. The book's full of hundreds |
| 1:34.6 | of stories of LGBTQ people's history for every day of the year. And so, given the widespread |
| 1:40.2 | assault against queer and trans rights going on around the world, we wanted to get together |
| 1:44.7 | with Zane, Riley and Blue to discuss the book, learn more about queer history and its relevance to our |
| 1:50.8 | current moment. The book is out now, available with global shipping in our online store, |
| 1:55.5 | so do make sure you get hold of a copy today at shop.workclasshistory.com link in the show notes. |
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