Historical Homos

What happens when a teen prodigy meets a drunk poet with a pistol in his pocket (the gun kind, not the fun kind)?Answer: extremely gay chaos.This week on Historical Homos, we’re diving into the doomed romance of Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine—the most sensationally toxic boyfriends in the history of French poetry.With our guest this week, Robert St. Clair, we’ll unpack:The social revolution of the 19th century: just a fun little reminder of where class warfare was born!Rimbaud and Verlaine’s poetry: because toxic people can be great artists tooThe couple’s love letters, extortion notes, and pornographic sonnets: including a gorgeous reading of 1872’s “To the Butthole”The Brussels Incident™: in which our drunken hero pulls a gun, fires wildly with his eyes covered, and somehow manages to shoot his boyfriend in the wristCourtroom dick reports. in which forensic "doctors" examine the hero’s hole and pole to “prove” he was gay, because it turns out science is just as toxic as poetryTheir legacy. Rimbaud stopped writing at 20, Verlaine went to prison for love and revolution – and both still managed to change poetry forever.It’s toxic. It’s fascinating. It’s, how you say, very fucking French🎧 Listen now on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or wherever you pod. Pipe and syphilis sold separately.📱 Follow Historical Homos on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and do ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sign up to our newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you care about gay people, like, at all.Most importantly, if you like what you hear, please do leave us a ⭐ FIVE STAR ONLY ⭐ review.Episode CreditsWritten and hosted by BashEdited by Alex ToskasProduced by Dani HenionGuest host: Robert St. Clair, Associate Professor of French, Dartmouth College

We all know James Baldwin the high priest of Civil Rights, but what about Jimmy B, the extremely horny homosexual? JB was a chain-smoking, vodka-swilling romantic who fell hard and often—usually for straight men he could never have.This week, Bash and his bestie guestie, Clark Moore, crack open Baldwin’s chaos: from his Harlem childhood all the way to his retirement villa in the South of France.Along the way we meet the English teachers who found him a pleasure to have in class, revisit the first gay nights in Greenwich Village, and soak in the winter sun at his Swiss twink's chalet.This is a tour of Baldwin's life through his greatest loves.Get ready to talk about:Love with a capital L, and how it was the key to Baldwin's ideas on race, sex, and revolutionThe contradictions of Baldwin's genius—he was a brilliant debater who lived on a bottle a day and a prophet of love, who struggled to love himselfGiovanni’s Room, the gay novel he swore wasn’t about being gayAnd why his words still influence us today, from antiracists "doing the work" to an almost annual New Yorker article summing up his life, work, or legacy🎧 Listen now on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or wherever you pod. Vodka and cigarettes sold separately.📱 Follow Historical Homos on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and do ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sign up to our newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you care about gay people, like, at all.Most importantly, if you like what you hear, please do leave us a ⭐ FIVE STAR ONLY ⭐ review.Episode CreditsWritten and hosted by Bash. Produced by Dani Henion.Edited by Alex Toskas.© Sebastian Hendra 2025

"Make love, take a bath, make love again."That was Frida Kahlo’s motto—and sweetie, she LIVED by it.We all know about Frida’s messy, horny marriage to Diego “Toad Face” Rivera and her revenge fling with Leon Trotsky.But what about the women? The affairs, the crushes, the rumors, the gossip that turned her into Mexico’s most iconic bisexual?This week, we’re serving you a slutty portrait of the artist as she truly was: a fearless, flirtatious rake who let the gossip mills churn while she tallied up an ever-increasing body count.We discuss:✨ Georgia O’Keeffe NOT making love to Frida while hospitalized (Frida's response: "Too bad.")✨ Hitting it off with the Real Housewife of Parisian Surrealism, Jacqueline Lamba, who kept Frida entertained at her first expo in Paris✨ A tasty rumour that Josephine Baker, the Beyoncé of 1930s Europe, reportedly got it on with the newly divorced Frida on the eve of WWII✨ Hollywood starlets and Mexican divas—like Dolores del Río and Paulette Goddard—getting plowed and painted by the Rivera-Kahlos back at the Casa Azul✨ Chavela Vargas, a ranchera rebel who moved in with Frida on the first date, serenading Frida while she painted✨ Why Frida’s bisexuality mattered—it's not just gossip, but a core part of her art, politics, and legendSo grab your tequila and maybe pack an extra toothbrush—you never know where a night with Frida might end up.🎧 Listen now on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or wherever you pod. Lesbian manicure sold separately.📱 Follow Historical Homos on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and do ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sign up to our newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you care about gay people, like, at all.Most importantly, if you like what you hear, please do leave us a ⭐ FIVE STAR ONLY ⭐ review.Episode CreditsWritten and hosted by Bash.Edited by Alex Toskas.Produced by Dani Henion.

"Love was the foundation of everything for Frida. This bisexuality, this eroticism was fundamental to her character."She’s on your ex-girlfriend’s tote bag, your niece’s notebook, and probably a few questionable dorm-room tapestries.But behind the unibrow is a Frida Kahlo you don’t know: a bisexual, communist, pain-embracing rascal who painted from her gut and fucked whomstsoever she pleased.This week, we’re peeling back the kitsch to get at the real Frida, with filmmaker Carla Gutierrez, director of the fabulous new documentary, Frida (now streaming on Prime).We discuss:Little Frida the rascal—from classroom pranks and her muchacho wardrobe, to falling in love with everything that moved.The bus crash that made her body a battlefield and her art a visceral diary of painHer toxic, electric, and surprisingly horny marriage to the muralist Diego Rivera (aka "Toad Face), until he went one boink too far...Frida's bisexual chaos: her lovers of all genders, from Chavela Vargas to Leon Trotsky, plus the lady lovers she painted boldly onto the canvas for all to seeHow Frida became less “artist” and more “branded merch” — and why she still matters as a queer revolutionarySo: grab your eyeliner and fill in that unibrow you've been growing out, because it's time to get freaky with Frida.🎧 Listen now on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or wherever you pod. Pet monkey and traditional garb sold separately.📱 Follow Historical Homos on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and do ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sign up to our newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you care about gay people, like, at all.Most importantly, if you like what you hear, please do leave us a ⭐ FIVE STAR ONLY ⭐ review.Episode CreditsWritten and hosted by Bash. Edited by Alex Toskas. Produced by Dani Henion.

Powdered wigs. Satin breeches. Candlelit salons.And of course: sodomy.This week we’re swanning back into Georgian England (1714–1837), a century of empire, cholera, imperialism, and very flouncy coats – but also one of the gayest domestic revolutions in history.With special guest Dr. Anthony Delaney (author of Queer Georgians, out today!), we explore the LGBTQIA+ pioneers who didn’t just hook up in parks or "molly houses," but built full-fledged homes, lives, and legacies together.Inside this episode:🍸 Molly Houses — the proto-gay bars of London, where effeminate “mollies” cultivated community (and each other's C*CKS)👬 An Odd Couple of "Cotqueans" — Lord John “Jack” Hervey and Stephen Fox: two aristocrats who went on a very gay Grand Tour of Europe, wrote love letters to one anotherwith phrases like “I look upon you as my dwelling,” and redecorated their way into history👒 The Ladies of Llangollen — Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby, two cottagecore lesbians who fled Ireland with a dog named Frisk and set up their gothic sapphic country paradise in Wales🏠 Queer Domesticity — how 18th-century queers literally invented the idea of “home," defying societal expectations through the radical power of hot sex and interior design.Because sometimes being gay isn’t just about who you shag—it’s about how nice your fucking house is.🎧 Listen now on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or wherever you pod. Perruque and East India Company shares sold separately.📱 Follow Historical Homos on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and do ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sign up to our newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you care about gay people, like, at all.Most importantly, if you like what you hear, please do leave us a ⭐ FIVE STAR ONLY ⭐ review.Episode CreditsWritten and hosted by Bash. Edited by Alex Toskas. Produced by Dani Henion.

The Dark Ages: Rome has fallen, the Church won't shut the fuck up, there's a killer plague for every season, and everyone else is dying of BOREDOM.Right? WRONG.Western Europe may have been a shitshow for much of what we ridiculously call the "Dark Ages," but the rest of the world had its act together.Specifically: Baghdad around the 800s AD. At the height of the Golden Age of Islam. They had libraries, they had mathematics, and...they had lesbian sex scientists.This week we’re taking a tantalizing dip into the Golden Age of Islam to uncover a treasure trove archive of lesbionic women from medieval Arabia.Muslim philosophers and physicians had actual words for lesbians (or lesbian-like women), entire books about famous lesbian couples, and specific manuals that explained how to vigorously rub one out with your beloved.From labia gas to celery-and-rocket shakes, the science was...shaky, at best. But the spirit of inquiry was strong, and the genuine respect for lesbian love profound.Tune in to explore:Why doctors thought the only sensible treatment for lesbianism was – get this! – lesbian sexA 13th-century Kama Sutra-style manual that coined the “saffron massage” (and came with a guide to lesbian sound effects)The interfaith power couple Hind Bint al-Nu'man and al-Zarqāʾ, whose legendary love story inspired queer and heterosexual writers for centuries to comeThe lost books of lesbian couples with names like Basil and Clove and Justice and Happiness (welcome, ladies, to the queer Muslim SPICE RACK)How medieval lesbian communities were rumoured to hold meetings and sex ed classes, because like all good homosexuals, they got organized.🎧 Listen now on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or wherever you pod. Willow oil and saffron grinder sold separately.📱 Follow Historical Homos on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and do ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sign up to our newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you care about gay people, like, at all.Most importantly, if you like what you hear, please do leave us a ⭐ FIVE STAR ONLY ⭐ review.Episode CreditsWritten and hosted by Bash. Edited by Alex Toskas. Produced by Dani Henion.

Welcome to The Hanky Code, aka Grindr for Boomers.Following on from our cruise through history last week, we've delved deeper into the notorious handkerchief code.The code was a form of flagging, which used different coloured bandanas to signal sexual / kink preferences.In this bonus Quickie episode, Bash unpacks the extremely colourful history of flagging—from gay Gold Rush cowboys to scrappy leather entrepreneurs in San Francisco. Along the way, we learn:How a 1923 law in New York basically criminalized the gayest activity in history (loitering)The surprising role of the BDSM community and their business cards in spreading the codeInventive twists and additions for the lesbians (white lace for Victorian kink , anyone?).And just how absurdly complicated it got—aka how to distinguish lemon from mustard yellow at 1AM in Central Park? Spoiler alert: you can't.The hanky code wasn’t just about getting off—it was about queer ingenuity, solidarity, and desire in a hostile world.Today it may be more relic than reality, but it still reminds us of the brilliant, horny creativity of our queer elders.We'll be back on September 4 with our next full episode on the history of Queer Georgian homemakers. So stay tuned!Till then, enjoy this bonus episode and get ready for some exciting announcements from us when we all go back to school...🎧 Listen now on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠, or wherever you pod. Fluid-stained bandanas sold separately.📱 Follow Historical Homos on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and do ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sign up to our newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you care about gay people, like, at all.Most importantly, if you like what you hear, please do leave us a ⭐ FIVE STAR ONLY ⭐ review.Episode CreditsWritten and hosted by Bash. Edited by Alex Toskas. Produced by Dani Henion.

You know the feeling: when you lock eyes and the look lingers just a little too long. His hand brushes over his fly. And boom! A small smile confirms it: You're about to be cruising, my king!And all it took was a public park, centuries of sexual shame, and a little bit of courage to get you there...Now it's no surprise that the elegant and much-envied act of Fucking in Public has been around for thousands of years.But how did the "radical pastime" of modern-day cruising develop? Why did men start having sex with men in public parks and bathrooms? And why, in an allegedly sexually liberated world, do we still cruise today?Join Bash and his guest this week, Professor Alex Espinoza, as they chart over 4,000 years of men getting it off with men. From the Roman bathhouse to Paris' first urban parks, this is a steamy, rushed romp through history designed to be enjoyed from your very own public bathroom stall.You're welcome.We will cover:Why cruising needs cities, strangers, and the thrill of getting caught to really thriveThe ancient rules of cruising the Roman bathhouseHow policing and persecution actually helped cruising thrive, creating the modern "homosexual"Cruising as class-conscious RESISTANCEThe rise of cottaging in London's public bathroomsAl Pacino's absurdly terrible 1980 film CruisingWhether the eroticism of "looking" can survive Grindr's Era of Headless Torsos🎧 Listen now on ⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠, or wherever you pod. Grindr Unlimited subscription sold separately.📚 Grab a copy of Alex's book ⁠⁠Cruising: An Intimate History of a Radical Pastime⁠ on Bookshop.org (NEVER Amazon!)📱 Follow Historical Homos on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and do ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sign up to our newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you care about gay people, like, at all.Most importantly, if you like what you hear, please do leave us a ⭐ FIVE STAR ONLY ⭐ review.Episode CreditsWritten and hosted by Bash. Guest: Alex Espinoza.Edited by Alex Toskas. Produced by Dani Henion.

He fiddled while Rome burned. He married two men. He may even have kicked his pregnant wife to death.But he ALSO  invented animal pelt kink, so could he have been THAT BAD?!This week, Bash is joined by classicist and queer historian, Professor Andrew Lear, to discuss the scandalous, salacious, and slanderous life of Emperor Nero — Ancient Rome’s most notorious bisexual bad boy.From castrating (and marrying) his wife’s male doppelgänger to "mauling" strangers’ crotches in animal pelts, the stories about Nero are a masterclass in ancient PR. But why did so many historians vilify Nero in this intensely OTT way?Join us as we explore the answer to this question and many more, such as:How did Nero’s mother orchestrate his rise to power – and DID he murder her via collapsible boat?Did Nero really get gay married? Twice?!What did Roman “homosexuality” actually look like at the time — and why was being a bottom “not the Roman thing to do” (IYKYK)?Along the way, we’ll learn why the real scandal for the raunchy Romans wasn’t so much Nero’s queer behaviour, but his dangerous subversion of class and gender hierarchy.Plus: Justice For Roman Bottoms (my new charity), ancient pegging theories, and a verdict on the real question on everyone’s lips for the past two thousand years:Was Nero a monster… or the "Elvis Presley Emperor" of the 1st century AD?🎧 Listen now on ⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠, or wherever you pod. Roman villa sold separately.📱 Follow Historical Homos on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and do ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sign up to our newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you care about gay people, like, at all.Most importantly, if you like what you hear, please do leave us a ⭐ FIVE STAR ONLY ⭐ review.Episode CreditsWritten and hosted by Bash.Guest: Andrew Lear.Edited by Alex Toskas.Produced by Dani Henion.

🏴‍☠️ Before there was BRAT, there were Butt Pirates. 🏴‍☠️This week we're hoisting our slutty sails – that's what I call my underpants – to plunder the treacherous homosexual deep, with pirate historian and author Dr. Rebecca Simon (Pirate Queens; The Pirate’s Code) to answer the age-old question: Why are men on a ship always kinda gay?First of all, when we say "pirate," we mean the real 17th- and 18th-century swashbucklers who sailed the high seas. This is not Johnny Depp in eyeliner, but actual rum-soaked, textile-stealing anarcho-queers of the Caribbean.Join us as we dive into the Golden Age of Piracy (c.1650–1730), and reveal the surprising egalitarianism of pirate society (it was pretty democratic and they had health insurance!) and its complex manifestations of queer desire — from situational sodomy to full-on civil unions (bonjour, matelotage 👬).We also discuss:The difference between freelance pirates and government-backed privateersHow pirate ships fucked up the burgeoning capitalism (and monopolistic tendencies) of 17th century imperial powersTheir extraordinarily lush accessories budgetHow to board and charge a ship nakedThe 1720s pirate Anne Bonny's discovery that her crush “Mark” was actually a "Mary"The romance of John Swan and Robert Culliford: gay historical roommates... who were, tragically, actually roommatesAnd, finally, a story about a French colony that proves the bonds of sodomy may be stronger than the bonds of (straight) marriage🎧 Listen now on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, or wherever you pod. Parrot and peg leg sold separately.📚 Grab a copy of Rebecca's book ⁠The Pirate Queens at our shop on Bookshop.org📱 Follow Historical Homos on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and do ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sign up to our newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you care about gay people, like, at all.Most importantly, if you like what you hear, please do leave us a ⭐ FIVE STAR ONLY ⭐ review.Episode CreditsWritten and hosted by Bash. Guest: Rebecca Simon.Edited by Alex Toskas. Produced by Dani Henion.