817: The Dark Gay-ges with Making Gay History

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Welcome back to Lez Hang Out, the podcast that believes sharing our individual stories is a powerful way to inspire change.

This week, Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida) hang out with journalist and historian Eric Marcus (@makinggayhistorypodcast), the creator of Making Gay History, the podcast that brings LGBTQ+ history to life through intimate, first-person stories from the people who lived it. This is a bit of a heavier episode than we usually do, so please take care of your mental health and listen mindfully. 

From conversations with trailblazers like Sylvia Rivera and Frank Kameny to countless unsung heroes whose stories deserve to be heard, Making Gay History is a powerful reminder that queer liberation has always been hard-won. (After all, the first Pride was a riot.) These first-hand accounts offer more than nostalgia. They’re blueprints for a much needed resistance. At a time when book bans, anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, and chillingly fascist rhetoric are once again becoming the norm, Eric’s archive provides a pivotal look into our collective past so that we can all be better prepared for the road ahead. The struggle sadly isn’t new; but with a little courage and a lot of community, we believe that queer people will always persevere. 

Eric shares the origins of Making Gay History (which originally started as a book in the late 80s!), the importance of preserving queer voices, and the deep responsibility of memory work in the face of erasure. This episode is both a tribute to the ancestors that fought for our rights and a call to action: to listen, to remember, and to keep telling our stories, especially now.

You can explore Eric’s archive and the most recent season of the podcast (A 12-part series about the experiences of LGBT+ people during the rise of the Nazi regime, World War II, and the Holocaust) at makinggayhistory.org. 

Remember, you can give us your own answers to our Q & Gay on Instagram and follow along on Facebook, TikTok, and BlueSky @lezhangoutpod. 

Find your fav tol and smol hosts Ellie & Leigh at @elliebrigida and @lshfoster respectively.

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