Molly Houses

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society

History Hit

Society, Sex, Scandal, Education, History

4.8 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 19 May 2023

⏱️ 49 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

It’s hard to imagine London’s gay scene before vibrant night spots like Heaven and G.A.Y, but come back with us to the 18th Century to find out about where it all began: Molly Houses.

This was when to be gay in England was a crime punishable by death, and so a network of secretive gay gatherings in the backrooms of ale and coffee houses - known in the community as Molly Houses - were the place to go and meet other gay men.

Where did this term come from? And what took place at great risk behind these closed doors? Kate is joined by the legendary gay historian and author Rictor Norton to find out.

Produced by Sophie Gee. Senior Producer Charlotte Long. Mixed by Stuart Beckwith.

Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Everyone leaves a legacy.
0:02.2	But a legacy can change over time as new generations
0:05.6	re-examine old preputations.
0:07.6	From Wundery and Gohanger podcasts, I'm F4Hersh.
0:11.0	I'm Peter Frankapan, and in a brand new series,
0:14.0	we're exploring the lives of some of the biggest characters in history,
0:17.4	from Napoleon to Picasso.
0:19.2	And asking, what does their past tell us about our present?
0:23.4	This is legacy.
0:24.7	Follow now wherever you get your podcasts.
0:30.0	Hello, my lovely Patrixters.
0:34.2	It's me, Kate Lister.
0:35.5	I am here with your fair dues,
0:37.6	warning to protect you from yourselves,
0:39.8	to protect you from me, to protect you from this podcast.
0:43.2	I just want to protect you from everything.
0:45.5	Life in general, I want to wrap you up in cotton wool
0:48.0	and make sure that nothing ever assails
0:50.2	your delicate shell likes again.
0:52.7	All right, that's a bit extreme.
0:54.0	But you do need to know that this is an adult podcast
0:57.0	spoken by adults to other adults in an adulty way.
	...

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