

Lez Hang Out | A Lesbian Podcast
Ellie Brigida and Leigh Holmes Foster
Hang out with Ellie Brigida and Leigh Holmes Foster, the lesbians you'd want at your potluck! Covering topics on lesbian experiences, representation, culture, life, love, etc. for some sapphic socialization!
Episodes
Mentioned books

May 20, 2024 • 1h 14min
SBG 126: Hawkeye with Big Gay Energy Pod
Welcome back to Lez Hang Out, the podcast that can (and will) make absolutely any character gay. This week, Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida) hang out with Kaitlynn and Theora, the co-hosts of Big Gay Energy Podcast (@biggayenergypod), to talk about why the MCU mini-series Hawkeye Should’ve Been Gay. This show is absolutely overflowing with gay energy and wildly queer casting choices, yet only has one canonically gay character. In spite of that sad fact, we can honestly read every single character in this mini-series as some flavor of queer (yes, even Clint). If you’re unfamiliar with Hawkeye, all you really need to know is that the main character Kate Bishop is played by none other than Hailee Steinfeld, an actor we truly cannot read as heterosexual after watching her in Pitch Perfect and Dickinson. Kate is a part of the Young Avengers, following in Hawkeye’s footsteps. From having the audacity to say she’s the best archer directly to Hawkeye’s face to rebelling against her mom’s stereotypically feminine outfit selection for the gala and instead showing up in a sexy black suit, everything about Kate screams ‘lesbian’. She may be one of the good guys, but that does not stop her from flirting with hot female “villains” like Maya and Yelena. In the comics, Yelena is presumed to be asexual, a fact that has since been confirmed by one of the comic artists. We are fully here for this representation, especially since there is a serious lack of ace and aro rep in media. However, we still can’t help but notice the palpable and incredibly flirtatious energy between Yelena and Kate in the mini-series. The “mac and cheese scene” is quite literally the reason Kaitlynn selected Hawkeye for this SBG. Whether it is meant to be sexual, romantic, or simply playful platonic banter, the chemistry between them is undeniable. In addition to the sapphic yearning we witness every single time Kate and Yelena lock eyes, we also get an Avengers Musical within the show, Linda Cardellini as Hawkeye’s wife, an entire episode dedicated to the LARPers, and even a quirky animal sidekick (Pizza Dog, you will always be famous in our hearts). We did the math and there is no planet where this mini-series could be interpreted as anything other than gay. We know one thing for sure, Hawkeye Should’ve Been Gay. Follow us on Twitter: (@lezhangoutpod) and answer our Q & Gay questions at the end of every episode. You can also join us on Facebook.com/lezhangoutpod and Instagram (@lezhangoutpod). Find us individually on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok at Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida).You can support Lez Hang Out while unlocking a bunch of awesome perks like access to our exclusive Discord, monthly full length bonus episodes, weekly ad free episodes, and more by joining us on Patreon at bit.ly/lezpatreon. You can also support the podcast by buying our original merch at bit.ly/lezshop and purchasing our original Lez-ssentials songs for as little as $1 each on Bandcamp! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 13, 2024 • 1h 2min
719: Below the Belt with Eleanor Medhurst
Welcome back to Lez Hang Out, the podcast that wants to know if you wear Docs, Crocs, or Birkenstocks. This week Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida) hang out with Eleanor Medhurst (@dressingdykes), lesbian fashion historian and author of both the blog Dressing Dykes and the soon-to-be-released book, Unsuitable: A History of Lesbian Fashion, to talk about lesbian, and more broadly, queer, fashion throughout the ages. Although often subtle to the heterosexual observer, the decision to dress in a way that pushes the envelope on what is considered acceptable is one that queer people have made time and time again, often at great risk to their personal safety. As times and laws regarding acceptable dress have changed, queer fashion has followed suit, making it possible for historians like Eleanor to track these changes through recorded history. Fashion provides a rather useful historical record of queerness, shifting over time to reflect the ever-moving needle of societal acceptability. The modern lesbian uniform of “Docs, Crocs, and Birkenstocks”, flannels, beanies, and carabiners did not just crop up one day out of nowhere, but instead developed out of a necessity for queer people to both flag themselves as outside of the norm and to find one another in an otherwise heteronormative world. Nowadays, lesbians in many areas of the world have the opportunity to dress however they would like, whether that be more masculine, androgynous, feminine or all over the spectrum. Sadly, not very long ago, that was simply not the case. Due to laws like New York’s 3-piece Clothing Law ( which required people to wear at minimum 3 pieces of “correctly-gendered” clothing), queer people of the past had to be extremely cautious of their fashion choices or risk being arrested. This can make it a little more difficult to track queer people through history, as of course, the ones who make more risky fashion choices are often the ones who make it into the history books. Those who fell in line with the laws of the time, typically femmes, were mostly invisible outside of the lens of a more masculine-presenting partner. In addition to providing a way for queer people to look back and see ourselves represented throughout all of time, fashion is still used in modern media to express things about the characters to the audience. Take Gentleman Jack, for instance. While the show was based on the very real person, Anne Lister, some things were changed about Anne’s fashion to make her more understandable as “outside of society’s norms” to a modern audience. The real Anne Lister never would have worn a top hat on the regular and likely would have worn a more typical bonnet like other women of the time. However, the showrunners did not feel that this look would make Anne stand out quite enough and chose to give her a top hat to more strongly emphasize her masculinity and power.Eleanor’s book, Unsuitable: A History of Lesbian Fashion, will be available beginning June 1st and is available for pre-order now.Follow us on Twitter: Lez Hang Out (@lezhangoutpod) and answer our Q & Gay questions at the end of every episode. You can join us on Facebook.com/lezhangoutpod and follow us on Instagram (@lezhangoutpod). Find us individually on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok at Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida). You can support Lez Hang Out while unlocking a bunch of perks including access to our exclusive Discord channel, monthly full-length bonus episodes, weekly ad-free episodes, and more by joining us on Patreon at bit.ly/lezpatreon. You can also support the podcast by buying our original merch at bit.ly/lezshop and purchasing our original Lez-ssentials songs for as little as $1 each on Bandcamp! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 6, 2024 • 1h 27min
SBG 125: Van Helsing with Alix Markman
Welcome back to Lez Hang Out, the podcast that will now be brought to you with a Transylvanian accent. This week, Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida) hang out with Alix Markman (@markwoman), television and video game writer and returning podcast guest, to talk about why the 2004 campy, spooky action masterpiece Van Helsing Should’ve Been Gay. If you are like Leigh and somehow managed not to see the chaotic bisexual fever dream that is Van Helsing 2004, the movie is essentially The Avengers for classic monsters like Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, and the good ol’ fashion werewolf. This monster hodgepodge is incredibly queer throughout, with Dracula’s wives in a sexy polycule, Dracula himself having an intriguing lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers vibe with monster slayer “GAY-briel” Van Helsing, and a beautiful bond developing between Van Helsing and Frankenstein’s Monster (and beloved himbo Carl) throughout the film. Of course, because it is 2004, literally every queer-coded woman ends up dead in the end, and we will not stand for this injustice! In our better, gayer version of Van Helsing, we honestly do not even have to change that many things. There was every reason for Anna to either get bitten by her brother to become the werewolf that ultimately ends Dracula or to get turned by seductive vampire Aleera and join the power polycule. She 100% did not have to die before ever getting revenge for her family, but of course, Van Helsing gets the glory instead. Along with talking about how we would change the movie to be even gayer, we also discuss the inherent queerness of monsters (there is no such thing as a heterosexual vampire and you cannot convince us otherwise) and briefly touch on the trans allegory of Frankenstein’s Monster. We know one thing for sure, Van Helsing Should’ve Been Gay. Follow us on Twitter: (@lezhangoutpod) and answer our Q & Gay questions at the end of every episode. You can also join us on Facebook.com/lezhangoutpod and Instagram (@lezhangoutpod). Find us individually on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok at Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida).You can support Lez Hang Out while unlocking a bunch of awesome perks like access to our exclusive Discord, monthly full-length bonus episodes, weekly ad-free episodes, and more by joining us on Patreon at bit.ly/lezpatreon. You can also support the podcast by buying our original merch at bit.ly/lezshop and purchasing our original Lez-ssentials songs for as little as $1 each on Bandcamp! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 29, 2024 • 1h 15min
718: Zero Gay PR
Welcome back to Lez Hang Out, the podcast where you could qualify for reward points every time you get your gay card stamped.This week Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida) hang out to talk about the absolute PR disaster that is JoJo Siwa’s pivot into so-called “Gay Pop” (which apparently didn’t exist before her). If you’ve been a listener for a while, you’re likely aware of how much Leigh in particular was really rooting for JoJo Siwa. But even Leigh can’t excuse the complete mess that JoJo has created for herself. Honestly, every mistake JoJo has made in her press appearances should have been so easy to avoid that we are convinced her PR team must actually consist of 6 dopey dogs in a trench coat rather than actual trained media professionals (and certainly zero queer elders). Whether you think JoJo’s team is simply failing her or you believe the disappointing PR around her career pivot and latest song, Karma, is a very intentionally done psyop (as Ellie does), it is very clear that regardless of the intentions, it’s just not working for the gay community. If you are not chronically online like we are you may be surprised to find out that 20 year old JoJo Siwa has gone from being a beloved icon for queer youth to a laughing stock in a really short amount of time for reasons that just seem so completely unnecessary. She maybe could have walked back a few concerning statements like being the creator of a “brand new genre” of music (gay pop), if she wasn’t made to look like a complete fool in every subsequent interview. Yet, she just keeps doubling down on being massively uninformed about queer history and music in general. Between her team choosing to dress her up as Gene Simmons (while actively teaching her exactly zero facts about KISS), creating a bizarrely sanitized ‘bad girl’ music video that feels more straight pageant than gay camp, and failing to broaden her exposure to actual pre-existing gay pop (aside from 40-year-old songs by Madonna), we can’t quite wrap our heads around what her PR team is thinking. We currently live in a golden era of gay music and there is honestly zero excuse to not at least be aware of what is going on within the industry, especially if you are literally trying to pivot into that genre. As someone who grew up super-sheltered and always in the spotlight, we aren’t that surprised about JoJo’s overall lack of experience with queer history and the community as a whole. The problem is that someone at her level of fame should really have a more well-informed PR team supporting her through this. If she had spoken to literally any older gay people beforehand, JoJo could have avoided putting her foot in her mouth so many times. Follow us on Twitter: Lez Hang Out (@lezhangoutpod) and answer our Q & Gay questions at the end of every episode. You can also join us on Facebook.com/lezhangoutpod and follow on Instagram (@lezhangoutpod). Find us individually on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok at Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida). You can support Lez Hang Out while unlocking a bunch of perks including access to our exclusive Discord channel, monthly full-length bonus episodes (including our latest episode on Red, White & Royal Blue), weekly ad-free episodes, and more by joining us on Patreon at bit.ly/lezpatreon. You can also support the podcast by buying our original merch at bit.ly/lezshop and purchasing our original Lez-ssentials songs for as little as $1 each on Bandcamp! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 22, 2024 • 1h 10min
SBG 124: A Simple Favor
Welcome back to Lez Hang Out, the podcast that would risk it all for Linda Cardellini to paint us like one of her French girls. This week, Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida) hang out to talk about why the 2018 crime comedy A Simple Favor Should’ve Been Gay(er). This movie is honestly a masterpiece. It stars Blake Lively, Anna Kendrick, Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians), and queer icon Linda Cardellini. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this movie somehow, it follows the story of two moms, Stephanie and Emily, who meet at their kids’ school and quickly become unlikely besties with benefits. When Emily suddenly goes missing after asking for ‘a simple favor’, Stephanie leaps into action to unravel the mystery of her best friend’s disappearance (but not without fucking Emily’s husband, wearing all her clothes, and playing mommy to Emily’s son).Every gay remembers where they were when they first saw Blake Lively kiss Anna Kendrick on the mouth after calling her baby approximately 69 times. Nothing is more frustrating than eating up 2 hours of chart-topping chemistry and glaringly obvious foreplay to then watch Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) and Emily (Blake Lively) betray one another in the end. Even with the disappointing ending, this is a movie we can’t help loving wholeheartedly for being just so incredibly gay and bonkers unhinged. Emily is canonically bisexual from the jump, quick to tell Stephanie all about her hot painter ex (Linda Cardellini) and threesome with her husband’s TA. After all, what straight woman has a life-size portrait of their full bush just hanging in the main room of their house for all to see? In addition to the dating and sexual experiences that she is absolutely not shy about, Emily exudes bisexual confidence from the second she appears on screen in slow-mo in the pouring rain wearing the hottest suit ever made. From the moment we watch Stephanie become a mess of gay panic in front of Emily, we are hooked on them as a couple. The two U-Haul faster than anything we’ve ever seen before; sharing martinis, secrets, husbands, houses and spit while loudly declaring themselves to be “best friends” after knowing one another for approximately 2 weeks.While Emily may be the most open about her queerness, there is no question in our minds about Stephanie’s sexuality. This girl is down bad for Emily, oscillating between the classic “Do I want to be her or be with her” that many a sapphic can relate to. Sure, she sleeps with Emily’s husband, but you cannot convince us that she actually cares about that man. Emily doesn’t even care about that man. It still makes zero sense to us that Stephanie and Emily do not take the 4 million dollars and run away together into the sunset after toasting with martinis over Emily’s gravestone. We know one thing for sure, A Simple Favor Should’ve Been Gay(er). Follow us on Twitter: (@lezhangoutpod) and answer our Q & Gay questions at the end of every episode. You can also join us on Facebook.com/lezhangoutpod and Instagram (@lezhangoutpod). Find us individually on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok at Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida). You can support Lez Hang Out while unlocking a bunch of awesome perks like access to our exclusive Discord, monthly full-length bonus episodes (including a brand new one dropping today on Red, White, and Royal Blue), weekly ad-free episodes, and more by joining us on Patreon at bit.ly/lezpatreon. You can also support the podcast by buying our original merch at bit.ly/lezshop and purchasing our original Lez-ssentials songs for as little as $1 each on Bandcamp! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 15, 2024 • 1h 11min
717: Lesbian Master Talk
The podcast discusses the controversial Lesbian Masterdoc, covering issues of compulsory heterosexuality, sexuality nuances, and inclusivity. It humorously critiques the document and explores personal experiences in navigating societal norms and self-discovery. The conversation also delves into humor, misconceptions of sexuality, and dynamics of theatrical relationships.

Apr 8, 2024 • 1h 13min
716: Lez-ssentials Bound
Welcome back to Lez Hang Out, the podcast that is in its Wachowski Sisters Era. This week, Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida) talk about the 1996 crime thriller Bound for this Lez-ssentials episode, a recurring segment on the essential movies and TV shows in the lesbian canon. Even though this film is from the 90s, it still has some of the best lesbian representation, including a sex scene that doesn’t just cut away to crashing waves and a happy ending a la Thelma and Louise where our lesbians escape together while making out in a pickup truck. If you haven’t seen Bound, it is a really fun thriller about recently freed ex-con Corky (Gina Gershon) and high femme sex worker Violet (Jennifer Tilly). The two end up in the same apartment elevator and as soon as their eyes meet the game is on. Violet and her mob boyfriend Caesar live in the apartment directly next to the unit that Corky is currently working on, so Corky can hear everything that goes on. In a move taken right out of a porno, Violet ‘loses’ her earring down the sink and Corky shows up to save the day with her strong muscles and super gay arm tats. Corky does not make any immediate moves, wrongly assuming that Violet must be just a straight girl up for a little experimenting.Luckily for Corky, Violet is not shy about making her wants known and after boldly pointing out that she knows what the labras on Corky’s arm signifies, she shows off her own tattoo which happens to be like a centimeter away from her nipple. We all know where this is going and it would have gone a lot farther if not for freaking Caesar who shows up and is so homophobic that he doesn’t even realize his girlfriend was getting railed by the plumber. Things escalate quickly after this, with Violet zeroing in on Corky as her perfect partner for planning her escape from Caesar and the mob (but not without stealing 2 million dollars first). They have sex all of one time and in true lesbian fashion, Corky is ready to risk it all, all over again. Bound holds up as a Lez-ssential after all these years, because it is so openly and unapologetically queer, especially for 1996. Both main characters are established queer women who are secure in their sexual identities, the story doesn’t revolve around them coming out or conflict specifically due to them being gay, there is a scene in a lesbian bar, and we get a happy ending. All the boxes are checked off and we genuinely can’t think of anything we would change. At the end of the episode, stick around to hear our original song based on Bound, also titled “Bound”, written by Leigh Holmes Foster and produced by Ellie Brigida. Join us on Patreon at bit.ly/lezpatreon for instant access to mp3 downloads of all our original songs or find us on Bandcamp to purchase songs individually.Follow along on Twitter: Lez Hang Out (@lezhangoutpod) and answer our Q & Gay at the end of every episode. Leigh Holmes Foster (@lshfoster) and Ellie Brigida (@elliebrigida). You can also join us on Facebook.com/lezhangoutpod and follow along on Instagram (@lezhangoutpod).You can support Lez Hang Out while unlocking a bunch of perks like access to our exclusive Discord community, monthly full-length bonus episodes, weekly ad-free episodes, and more by joining us on Patreon at bit.ly/lezpatreon. You can also support the podcast by checking out our original merch at bit.ly/lezshop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 1, 2024 • 1h 3min
SBG 123: V for Vendetta
Welcome back to Lez Hang Out, the podcast that just wants everyone to, “Remember, remember, the Fifth of November, the Gunpowder Treason and Plot.”This week, Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida) hang out to talk about why the 2005 cult classic film V for Vendetta Should’ve Been Gay. This film is based on a graphic novel and is set in a dystopian British society that is overrun by fascism. While it certainly made a splash in 2005, it really hits different watching it now after experiencing the tumultuous political environment of the past few years.Whether you’ve seen V for Vendetta or not, you’re likely familiar with the character of V. V is incredibly recognizable with a flamboyant black cape, top hat, and Guy Fawkes mask. This super queer freedom fighter is honestly a gay icon that we are sure many drag troupes have replicated. In the film, V is basically a theater kid turned murderer fighting back against the tyrannical government that performed illegal experiments on him and countless others who didn’t fit within their standards of an ideal citizen. V was captured and kept in a top-secret government testing facility that was essentially a concentration camp. Thanks to being inexplicably immune to the toxic chemical being used, V was able to escape by setting the whole place on fire. He somehow survives the fire and comes out stronger than ever, which honestly is a pretty gay allegory. After this experience, he sets about his goal of destroying everyone who had been involved in the secret facility and bringing down the fascist government. During V’s attempt to overthrow the government, he encounters Evey, played by Natalie Portman. He somehow manages to recognize that she also stands on the fringes of society (ie. she’s gay af) and they both become a bit fascinated by one another. He is so excited to show her his own secret bunker full of banned objects (like homoerotic art, books, and music). Unfortunately for Evey, V’s time in the government facility twisted him quite a lot and his version of love ends up a bit toxic. He captures Evey and sets up these tests for her, making it seem like she’d been captured by the government the way he and her own parents had been in the past. He puts her through similar things to what he was subjected to including shaving her head so that she really looks like the lesbian she is inside. While trapped in what she thinks is a government cell, Evey discovers letters written by Valerie, a lesbian who had been captured previously and learns about her love story and everything that she endured just for loving who she did. This lesbian letter fills her with the strength to fight back and escape captivity. Although there is some gay content in the film with Valerie and her backstory, we wish there had been more! V and Evey both have transformative queer journeys and yet it is never really discussed. We know one thing for sure, V for Vendetta Should’ve Been Gay. Follow us on Twitter: (@lezhangoutpod) and answer our Q & Gay questions at the end of every episode. You can also join us on Facebook.com/lezhangoutpod and Instagram (@lezhangoutpod). Find us individually on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok at Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida). You can support Lez Hang Out while unlocking a bunch of awesome perks like access to our exclusive Discord, monthly full-length bonus episodes (which there are already 19 of ready for you to listen to!), weekly ad-free episodes, and more by joining us on Patreon at bit.ly/lezpatreon. You can also support the podcast by buying our original merch at bit.ly/lezshop and purchasing our original Lez-ssentials songs for as little as $1 each on Bandcamp! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 18, 2024 • 1h 20min
SBG 122: Quiz Lady with Sam and Aussie
Welcome back to Lez Hang Out, the podcast that is absolutely not down for any Mr. Linguini erasure, thank you very much. This week, Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida) hang out with Sam (@conscious.altruism) and Aussie (@aussie_has_fomo), the Keep It Saussie (@keepitsaussie) duo best known for their appearance on The Ultimatum: Queer Love to talk about why the 2023 comedy Quiz Lady Should’ve Been Gay. We kick off the pod by taking a little walk down memory lane to revisit Sam and Aussie’s Ultimatum experience and congratulate them on being the last couple standing. Then, it’s time to dive right into one of the best direct-to-streaming comedies we have seen in awhile. For those of you unfamiliar with Hulu’s Quiz Lady, the movie follows queer-coded sisters Jenny (Sandra Oh) and Anne (Awkwafina) as they attempt to win a game show in order to save their beloved pug Mr. Linguini from dognappers (and pay off their mother’s gambling debt). Additionally, it stars Holland Taylor as grumpy neighbor Francine. From the cast alone, the movie is already off to a pretty gay start. Even though neither sister is ever explicitly stated to be part of the alphabet mafia, every single thing about them screams gay. Jenny is a classically chaotic bisexual with a Subaru and blue hair. She runs on nothing but pure 80s music video vibes and iced coffee. Younger sister Anne is a homebody gay with social anxiety, a game show hyperfixation, and an incredibly close connection with her emotional support dog Mr. Linguini. There is just no way at all to read these two as straight characters. We talk about ways to make the movie even gayer, like turning Mr. Linguini into a cat and shipping Jenny with Francine in a classic Holland Taylor age-gap relationship. We know one thing for sure, Quiz Lady Should’ve Been Gay. Follow us on Twitter: (@lezhangoutpod) and answer our Q & Gay questions at the end of every episode. You can also join us on Facebook.com/lezhangoutpod and Instagram (@lezhangoutpod). Find us individually on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok at Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida). You can support Lez Hang Out while unlocking a bunch of awesome perks like access to our exclusive Discord, monthly full length bonus episodes, weekly ad free episodes, and more by joining us on Patreon at bit.ly/lezpatreon. You can also support the podcast by buying our original merch at bit.ly/lezshop and purchasing our original Lez-ssentials songs for as little as $1 each on Bandcamp! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 11, 2024 • 1h 4min
715: Forbidden Love
Welcome back to Lez Hang Out, the podcast that is a little concerned about what the queer community’s obsession with ‘forbidden romance’ says about us. This week Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida) hang out to talk about the trope that has historically overwhelmingly dominated queer media- forbidden love. The allure of forbidden love makes it a popular trope across all media, not just queer media, and dates all the way back to Romeo and Juliet. However, forbidden love is so overrepresented in queer media that it is difficult to even name a story where it isn’t the dominant trope. Sure there are the obvious examples, the period pieces like Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Ammonite, but it goes much deeper than that. Everyone’s favorite romcom Imagine Me and You? Forbidden love. Campy classics D.E.B.S. and But I’m A Cheerleader? Forbidden love. It’s the one thing that nearly all queer stories in our media have in common with very few outliers. When considering why forbidden love is so pervasive within queer stories, it is impossible to ignore the very real consequences of gay relationships throughout history. For example, ignoring the forbiddenness of a queer relationship for an American film set in the years between DOMA and Obergefell would be historically inaccurate. Because of this all gay stories were technically stories about forbidden love up until quite recently. The interesting thing is that even after ‘gay’ no longer immediately equaled ‘forbidden’, queer stories continued to find ways to incorporate the trope. There is something too appealing about forbidden love to leave it in the past. Now there are just extra steps included for why the relationship is forbidden such as an affair (Imagine Me and You), a concerning age gap (Carol), or unhealthy power dynamics like the ever popular student/teacher relationship (Loving Annabelle). One of our favorite unique twists on the forbidden love trope is actually the short-lived Netflix series First Kill, which flipped the genre on its head by making the forbidden aspect be that one of the girls was a vampire and the other a monster hunter. Whether we should all be in therapy for our penchant for forbidden love remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure, we aren’t going to stop eating these stories up anytime soon! Follow us on Twitter: Lez Hang Out (@lezhangoutpod) and answer our Q & Gay questions at the end of every episode. You can also join us on Facebook.com/lezhangoutpod and follow on Instagram (@lezhangoutpod). Find us individually on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok at Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida). You can support Lez Hang Out while unlocking a bunch of awesome perks like access to our exclusive Discord, monthly full length bonus episodes, weekly ad free episodes, and more by joining us on Patreon at bit.ly/lezpatreon. You can also support the podcast by buying our original merch at bit.ly/lezshop and purchasing our original Lez-ssentials songs for as little as $1 each on Bandcamp! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


