Queer as Fact

Today's episode is on the Haitian Revolutionary religious leader Romaine-la-Prophétesse whose identity as a prophetess of the Virgin Mary was key to his leadership of an insurrectionary camp in pre-revolutionary Haiti. Join us to learn about Romaine's divine mission to abolish slavery, a definitely legitimate and not at all excommunicated priest, and the implications of getting topped by the Virgin Mary for your gender identity.   Check out our website, where you can find our sources, as well as 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 Instagram, Tumblr and Bluesky. [Image source: Romaine's signature, found in Terry Rey's The Priest and the Prophetess: Abbé Ouvière, Romaine Rivière, and the Revolutionary Atlantic World]

Transcribed - Published: 1 July 2025

Today's episode is on the 3rd-century North African saints, Felicity and Perpetua! Join us to hear about queer dreams, the mysterious absence of Felicity and Perpetua's husbands, and why early Christians wanted to abolish gender. Read the 3rd century Passion of Saints Felicity and Perpetua, discussed in the episode, here. Check out our website, where you can find our sources, as well as 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 Instagram, Tumblr and Bluesky. [Image: Mosaic of Felicity and Perpetua, Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington DC, USA]

Transcribed - Published: 15 June 2025

In today's episode, Jasmine, Irene and Alice discuss the 2017 Academy Award-winning Chilean film Una mujer fantástica (A Fantastic Woman). This film's grounded and sometimes surprisingly hopeful depiction of a trans woman's grief provided such a realistic depiction of legal barriers facing trans people in Chile that it contributed to positive changes in legislation around gender transition. Join us to talk about a three-dimensional trans protagonist, how queer suffering is not inevitable, and what made us genuinely love this sad queer movie. Check out our website, where you can find our sources, as well as 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 Instagram, Tumblr and Bluesky. [Image: A poster for the movie A Fantastic Woman featuring the face of lead actress Daniela Vega as main character Marina, with a rainbow lighting filter over her face]

Transcribed - Published: 1 June 2025

Today's episode is on asexual and aromantic history! We're talking with Luciella Scarlett, the curator of Nonlimerent // Monosexual: An Aromantic and Asexual History. Join us to hear about the first self-identified ace person, the evolution of ace and aro terminology, and how much we can learn from looking at history through an asexual lens. You can check out Nonlimerent // Monosexual: An Aromantic and Asexual History online here and see Luciella talk more about her work in the Aces Never Ever Sleep stream here. Check out our website, where you can find our sources, as well as 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 Instagram, Tumblr and Bluesky. [Image: Luciella Scarlett, smiling, in front of a progress pride flag]

Transcribed - Published: 15 April 2025

Today's Queer as Fiction episode discusses David Lowery's 2021 adaptation of Arthurian legend, The Green Knight. Join us for a romp through allegorical adventures of identity, whale-like giants and dissapointingly unsexy ents.  If you'd like to read Jude Doyle's review (that we discuss fairly extensively towards the end of the episode), you can do so here: https://judedoyle.medium.com/the-green-knight-is-the-existential-queer-folk-horror-we-need-843be5fbd1d6 If you never got around to our episode on the original Arthurian legend that this movie is based on, you can check that out here: https://queerasfact.podbean.com/e/sir-gawain-and-the-green-knight/ Check out our website, where you can find our sources, as well as 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 Instagram, Tumblr and Bluesky. [Image: Sir Gawain raises an axe on a hilltop, in front of the film's title which sits on a plain red background.]

Transcribed - Published: 31 March 2025

Today we’re talking about the Nigerian performer Area Scatter. Learn about her successful career as a trans performer in 1970s Nigeria, gender diversity in Igbo culture, and how we approach research when academic sources are limited. Check out our website, where you can find our sources, as well as 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 Instagram, Tumblr and Bluesky. (Image credit: Still from Jeremy Marre's Beats of the Heart: Konkombe (1979))

Transcribed - Published: 15 March 2025

Today's episode is on Italian-British sculptor Fiore de Henriquez, whose art reflected her own complicated relationship with gender and sex as an intersex person. Join us to hear about Fiore distracting Nazis with crepes, seducing everyone around her whether she meant to or not, refounding a town, and ruminating on the gendered nature of clay. Check out our website, where you can find our sources, as well as 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 Instagram, Tumblr and Bluesky.

Transcribed - Published: 1 March 2025

Today we're bringing you a little bonus episode to tide you over until March! We're chatting with George Savoulis, the curatorial director of Qtopia, Sydney's centre for queer history and culture. Join us to hear about queer shoes, the complexities of sharing queer history in an old police station, and why you should visit Sydney! Check out our website, where you can find our sources, as well as 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 Instagram, Tumblr and Bluesky.

Transcribed - Published: 25 February 2025

Today's episode is on Jane Schoenbrun's breakout 2024 horror film - I Saw The TV Glow. Join us for a discussion that is alternately haunting and deeply silly, featuring playground parachutes, TV-based queer awakenings and Alice's love of soup.  Check out our website, where you can find our sources, as well as 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 Instagram, Tumblr and Bluesky. [Image: A cropped poster for the movie I Saw The TV Glow, featuring our protagonist Owen sitting down, facing away from the camera staring into the pink static glow of an old TV set]

Transcribed - Published: 14 January 2025

Today's episode is on the Spanish-Chinese pilot, diplomat, and concentration camp survivor Nadine Hwang. Join us to learn about Parisian lesbians, the skills of the ultimate modern women, and Nadine's war-time romance with her life-partner Nelly Mousset-Vos. Check out our website, where you can find our sources, as well as 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 Instagram, Tumblr and Bluesky. [Image: Black-and-white photo of Nadine Hwang amongst refugees arriving in Malmö, Sweden, April 1945. Still from the documentary Nelly & Nadine]

Transcribed - Published: 1 January 2025

Today we're talking about Megillus, a trans-masculine character in the 2nd-century text Dialogues of the Courtesans. Tune in for three separate queer characters, the complexities of discussing transness in the ancient world, and a whole host of mythological examples of ways to be queer. If you want to listen to the episode on Roman women for some background, you can check it out here.  If you want to read the dialogue we're discussing, you can find it here.  Check out our website, where you can find our sources, as well as 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 Instagram, Tumblr and Bluesky. [Image: text in Greek from the Dialogues of the Courtesans, centering on the name 'Megillus'.

Transcribed - Published: 14 December 2024

Today's episode is on the 17th-century nun, saint, and religious leader Walatta Petros. Join us for Queer as Fact's first visit to Ethiopia, as we learn about 17th century religious conflicts; discuss Walatta Petros' lifelong relationship with Eheta Kristos; and wade into scholarly debate on exactly what the nuns in her community were getting up to. Check out our website, where you can find our sources, as well as 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 Instagram, Tumblr and Bluesky. [Image: Illustration of Walatta Petros, an Ethiopian nun wearing an orange patterned shawl. She is holding a cross, and has a halo above her head. Source.]

Transcribed - Published: 30 November 2024

Today’s episode is on 2021’s Rwandan/American science fiction musical, Neptune Frost. Join us for a discussion of cyberpunk fashion choices, technomagical gender transitions and some of the worst pigeon acting you’ve ever seen.  Check out our website, where you can find our sources, as well as 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 Instagram, Tumblr and Bluesky. [Image: A poster for the film Neptune Frost, featuring the two words of the title in distinct yet equally fantastical fonts, as well as actors Cheryl Isheja (playing Neptune) and Bertrand "Kaya Free" Ninteretse (playing Matalusa)]

Transcribed - Published: 15 October 2024

Today's episode is on the US Civil War soldier Albert Cashier. Tune in for some heartwarming trans acceptance in the 1910s, a wild genealogy trip, and an unpleasant discovery about how often Civil War soldiers bathed. Check out our website, where you can find our sources, as well as 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 Instagram, Tumblr and Bluesky. [Image: Portrait of Albert, a young man in Civil War uniform, c.1864]

Transcribed - Published: 1 October 2024

Today's episode is on the mystery of Australian banker and rower John Lempriere Irvine. Join us to hear about rollerskating balls, rowing drama, and the possibilities of gay life in 19th century Australia. Check out our website, where you can find our sources, as well as 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 Instagram, Tumblr and Bluesky. [Image: tintype photograph of John, who has large mutton chops and a moustache, from Wayne Murdoch's The Mystery of the Handsome Man: The Double Life of John Lempriere Irvine]

Transcribed - Published: 14 September 2024

Today we're joined by Lazou from Nuances: Our Asian Stories to discuss her series Queering Premodern Asia. Join us as we chat about the complexities of queer history, the importance of non-Western stories, and queer Chinese ghosts. You can check out Nuances here. Visit out our website, where you can find 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 Instagram, Tumblr and Bluesky.

Transcribed - Published: 1 September 2024

Today's episode is on a passage from the work of 14th century French Jewish writer and translator Qalonymos ben Qalonymos. Join us to learn about Qalonymos' life, explore their understandings of gender through a passage from their work the Even Bochan, and discuss its connections to historical and modern Jewish practice. Check out our website, where you can find our sources, as well as 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 Instagram, Tumblr and Bluesky. [Image: A close-up photo of a Hebrew manuscript; the text is the opening of the passage discussed in the episode, Internet Archive.]

Transcribed - Published: 15 July 2024

Today's episode is on the 19th-century Japanese artist Okuhara Seiko. Join us to learn about gender in Japan's Meiji era, an 1860s coming-out party, and getting a doctor's certificate to cut your hair. Check out our website, where you can find our sources, as well as 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 Instagram, Tumblr and Bluesky. [Image: Black-and-white photograph of Okuhara Seiko, an older Japanese person with short hair, Wikimedia Commons]

Transcribed - Published: 30 June 2024

Today's episode is on Cassandro, the 2023 biopic of luchador Saúl Armendáriz. Join us as we learn about the history of lucha libre, the growing visibility of queer wrestlers and whether a luchador could become president of Mexico. Check out our website, where you can find our sources, as well as 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 Instagram, Tumblr and Bluesky. [Image: Actor Gael García Bernal as Cassandro, wearing a long, glittering blue coat, sitting on the ropes of a wrestling ring.]

Transcribed - Published: 15 June 2024

We're back! Today's episode is on the Australian singer and male impersonator, Nellie Small. Join us to hear about the experiences of people of colour in 20th-century Australia, Nellie's extensive and stylish suit collection, and an unfortunate reminder that, regardless of your gender presentation, your boss will always try to steal your wages. Check out our website, where you can find our sources, as well as 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 Instagram, Tumblr and Bluesky.

Transcribed - Published: 1 June 2024

Today's episode is on the Dutch cellist, conductor, and WWII resistance fighter Frieda Belinfante. Join us to hear about Frieda's groundbreaking career as a female conductor, the many women who fell in love with her, and how to forge a 1940s Dutch ID card in excruciating detail.    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. [Image: Frieda dressed in a men's jacket and tie with a masculine haircut, smoking a cigarette and looking directly at the camera.]

Transcribed - Published: 5 October 2023

Today's episode is on the Hungarian palaeontologist, geologist, spy and ethnographer, Franz Nopcsa. Join us as we discuss dinosaurs, Franz's travels in Albania, and the world's first plane hijacking. 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. [Image: Franz in traditional Albanian dress, 1913]

Transcribed - Published: 14 September 2023

We're back! Today's episode covers depictions of queerness throughout the history of tabletop roleplaying games, including Dungeons & Dragons, Vampire: The Masquerade and many, many more. Join us for a discussion spanning nearly 50 years of D&D and TTRPG history, featuring masochistic clerics, gay vampire gangs and lesbian political satirists. If you enjoy our content, consider supporting us on Patreon, checking out our merch, and following us on Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook. [Image: The front cover of the 1983 Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set]

Transcribed - Published: 31 August 2023

Today's episode is on the English writer Jane Austen. Join us as we discuss whether Jane was queer, on-stage lesbian Mr Darcy, and the evolving queerness of Austen adaptations. 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. [Image: sketch of Jane Austen by her sister Cassandra Austen, c.1810 - source.]

Transcribed - Published: 15 July 2023

Today's episode covers the 1940s All American Girls Professional Baseball League, and the 2022 television series based on it, A League of Their Own. Join us for a discussion featuring shoes deemed "excessively masculine-looking", perhaps too many women named Dottie, and more "close, life-long friends and roommates" than you can shake a stick at. 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. [Image: A cropped version of the poster for the 2022 TV series A League of Their Own, featuring (left to right, top to bottom) Chante Adams as Maxine Chapman, Abbi Jacobson as Carson Shaw, Gbemisola Ikumelo as Clance Morgan and D'Arcy Carden as Greta Gill].

Transcribed - Published: 30 June 2023

In today's episode, Irene and Alice interview historian and author Danielle Scrimshaw about her new book, She and her Pretty Friend. She and her Pretty Friend is the first book of its kind, exploring the history of Australia's queer women. We discuss the queer generation gap, how to navigate changes in queer language and identity as a historian, and the experience of doing research in the spaces between recorded histories. 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. [Image: The cover of Danielle's Book, She and her Pretty Friend. It shows two women on a purple background surrounded by native Australian plants.]

Transcribed - Published: 15 June 2023

Today's episode is on Hijra in 19th-century India. Listen to learn about who these 19th-century Hijra were, how they structured their society, and their resistance in the face of British colonial oppression. 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. [Image: A Hijra and her companions in East Bengal, 1860s]

Transcribed - Published: 1 June 2023

Today's episode is on US dancer Isadora Duncan. Listen to find out how she revolutionised dance, what the Singer sewing machine had to do with it, and enjoy some sapphic love poetry. 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. [Image: Isadora Duncan in ancient Greek-inspired clothing - source]

Transcribed - Published: 15 April 2023

On today’s Queer as Fiction, we discuss the 1961 British noir film Victim. Join us for some dramatic performances, heavy-handed messaging and a surprising result from a government inquiry.

Transcribed - Published: 1 April 2023

Today's episode is on Elke Mackenzie, British lichenologist, Antarctic explorer and trans woman. We'll tell you about Elke's incredible devotion to her research, as well as penguin egg facts and one of the coolest landscapes known to humankind. 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.

Transcribed - Published: 15 March 2023

Queer as Fact is back from hiatus! Today we're talking about relationships between women in ancient Rome. Join us to hear a queer creation myth, read some ancient love poetry, and find out which whether your star sign made you gay. 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. [Image: Relief of two Roman women holding hands]

Transcribed - Published: 1 March 2023

This week's episode is on the West African soldiers known as the Agojie, sometimes called the Dahomey Amazons. Join us to hear about how women became the backbone of the Dahomean army, a very dubious cocktail recipe, and not one but two kinds of same-sex marriage! 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. [Image: drawing of Agojie Seh-Dong-Hong-Be by Frederick Forbes, 1851]

Transcribed - Published: 14 December 2022

Welcome to Season 10 of Queer as Fact! This week’s episode we're talking about a 1971 article from the Village Voice memorably titled ‘Asexuals Have Problems Too’. Join us to hear about being invited to orgies to pour the wine, why 101 Dalmatians is a piece of ace cinema, and how this satirical article became a surprising source of ace visibility. This episode was originally released on our Patreon as a bonus episode. 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. [Image description: a cropped image of the Village Voice article entitled Asexuals Have Problems Too]

Transcribed - Published: 30 November 2022

In today's episode we discuss Qiu Miaojin, a well-known Taiwanese lesbian writer. We've got details about Taiwanese lesbian gender identities, an experimental queer literary movement, and a very lovable crocodile. 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. [Image description: a photo of Qiu Miaojin, an ethnically Chinese person in thin-rimmed glasses, a dark blue coat, and a short, masculine hairstyle.]

Transcribed - Published: 15 October 2022

On this week's podcast, we're talking about the queer micronation, the Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands. Join us to hear about the joys and tribulations of founding a country, the Gay and Lesbian Kingdom's war with Australia, and of course, the Royal Dog. 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. [Image description: A sign on a beach which reads “Welcome to Heaven, Cato Island Post Code 0000, Capital of the Gay and Lesbian Kingdom, www.gayandlesbiankingdom.com” draped with a rainbow flag, next to a post box labelled “Royal Gay Mail”]

Transcribed - Published: 1 October 2022

This week's episode is on the 5th-century Irish abbess Saint Brigid. Join us to hear about a miraculous abortion, powerful women in the Catholic Church, and a flying priest. Transcript available here 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. [Image: stained glass window of St Brigid holding a lamp]

Transcribed - Published: 15 September 2022

In today's Queer as Fiction episode, we follow up our previous episode on historical piracy with a discussion about David Jenkins' 2022 pirate comedy Our Flag Means Death. Join us as we explore the historical figures of Major Stede Bonnet and Captain Edward "Blackbeard" Teach, discuss the evolution of pirate tropes and how they became associated with queerness, and revel in the multifaceted ways OFMD depicts its predominately queer characters. 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. [Image Description: The poster for Season 1 of Our Flag Means Death, featuring the main cast of rough looking pirates with Rhys Darby as Stede Bonnet in the centre, saluting and dressed fancily].

Transcribed - Published: 1 September 2022

Avast me hearties! This week's episode is about queerness during the Golden Age of Piracy. Join us to hear about the raging party culture of pirate ships, Eli and Jason getting gay pirate married, and our treasure hunt for evidence on the stormy seas of historical documents. 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. [Image description: a engraving of pirate captain Bartholomew Roberts holding a sword aloft in front of a pirate ship in a bay]

Transcribed - Published: 22 August 2022

Today we'll be talking about a recently discovered and possibly fraudulent archive of Frida's paintings, letters and possessions. Join us to hear about how to authenticate an artwork, Chavela Vargas' smoking gun, and 200 entire dogs. This episode was originally released on our Patreon as a bonus episode. The episode we intended to release today, on queerness in the Golden Age of Piracy has been delayed and will hopefully be released on August 15th.  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. [Image description: one of the cases allegedly owned by Frida Kahlo, containing various papers, with two small portraits of Frida in front of it.]

Transcribed - Published: 31 July 2022

This week on Queer as Fact, we're talking about the 8th-century Arabic poet Abu Nuwas. Join us to hear about wine poetry, sexuality in the Abbasid caliphate, and fun facts about cheetahs. Transcript available here 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. [Image: sketch of Abu Nuwas drawn by Khalil Gibran in 1916]

Transcribed - Published: 15 July 2022

Today’s episode of Queer as Fiction, as chosen by our patrons, is on the 1926 play “The Captive”. Join us as we discuss the sale of violets, the padlocking of theatres and the diverse ways a story can be interpreted by audiences and critics. Thank you to our Patrons for voting on this episode! 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. [Image description: A black and white photo of a theatre production of the Captive. Basil Rathbone and Helen Menken as Irene and Jacques face each other on lounge furniture.]

Transcribed - Published: 8 July 2022

This week we're talking about the early 20th century American cook, socialite and transgender woman Lucy Hicks Anderson. Join us to hear about Lucy's determination to live authentically in the face of repeated court cases, the enduring love and respect shown to her by her community, and the greatest dinner rolls ever made. 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. [Image description: Black and white photo of Lucy Hicks Anderson, a middle-aged African American woman. She is facing the camera and wearing a large hat and a pale jacket.]

Transcribed - Published: 15 June 2022

Join us for the first episode of Season 9 as we discuss the life and trial of 20th century Scottish aristocrat and farmer Dr Ewan Forbes. We'll be talking about how to transition in rural mid-20th century Scotland, an impressively bold legal defense strategy, and the perils of keeping lion cubs in your family home. 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. [Image: Photo of Ewan Forbes from 1952; he is a middle-aged man in a checked three-piece suit, smiling and talking to someone out of frame.]

Transcribed - Published: 1 June 2022

This week on Queer as Fact, we're talking about the 12th-century German nun and polymath Hildegard of Bingen. Join us for thorny theological questions, savage letters to the Pope and a medieval description of the female orgasm. 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. [Image: Medieval illustration of Hildegard in a nun's habit, writing. Red tendrils reach down towards her face. A monk is watching on.]

Transcribed - Published: 31 March 2022

In today's episode of Queer as Fiction we delve into James Baldwin's 1956 novel, Giovanni's Room. Join us as we discuss 1950s gender roles, the French gay bar scene and the concept of a Manic Pixie Dream Gay. Thank you to our Patrons for voting on this episode!  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. [Image: Front Cover of the Penguin Modern Classics edition of Giovanni's Room, the 1956 novel by James Baldwin. It features the silhouettes of two men and the legs of a woman]

Transcribed - Published: 1 March 2022

Today's episode is on the life and trial of early 20th century Australian transgender man Harry Crawford. Join us to learn what court records, newspaper articles and modern biographies can tell us about a century of Australian attitudes to transgender experiences. 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. [Image: Mugshot of Harry Crawford, taken by the New South Wales Police Department in 1920. It is a black and white photo Harry Crawford, a white man in a three piece suit looking at the camera with a serious expression.]

Transcribed - Published: 15 February 2022

This week, Queer as Fact is talking about the Asexual Manifesto, published in New York in 1972. Join us for our first deep dive into ace history, a discussion of the place of asexuality in 1970s feminism, and one of the first ever mentions of ace pride. 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.   [Image: 'Lesbian activists at Barnard provide labels', Off Our Backs vol. 3 no. 6 Feb/Mar 1973 - a young woman sits in front of a sign featuring various sexuality labels, including asexual]

Transcribed - Published: 31 January 2022

Today's episode is on beloved 19th century author Louisa May Alcott. Irene, Alice and Jason, who between them have read the 1868 novel Little Women, watched the 2017 movie Little Women, and read a good number of Louisa May Alcott's letters, diaries and papers, discuss the times when fiction might be more honest than autobiography, the ways that gender identity and gendered social roles interact, and the appeal (or lack thereof) of cold baths. Thank you to our Patreons for voting on this episode! It was fun to research and record. 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.   [Image: Portrait of Louisa May Alcott; Wikimedia Commons]

Transcribed - Published: 22 January 2022

Today marks our first Queer as Fiction episode for the season, as we discuss the 1999 film, directed by Lilly and Lana Wachowski, The Matrix. Join us as we explore the red pill, the blue pill, and everything in between.  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. [Image: The movie poster for 1999 film The Matrix, featuring the characters of Neo, Trinity, Morpheus and Cypher]

Transcribed - Published: 15 January 2022

This week on Queer as Fact we're talking about the Crow warrior and leader, Bíawacheeitchish, or Woman Chief. Join us to hear about Crow gender, fighting grizzly bears, and Bíawacheeitchish's four wives. 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.   [Image: Illustration of Barcheeampe (Pine Leaf) from The Life and Adventures of James P Beckwourth (1856)]

Transcribed - Published: 14 December 2021