Queer at Last

This episode is an epic one - we are talking about Claude Cahun, a queer Jewish Marxist surrealist photographer, artist and writer who ran a successful resistance against the Nazis in WW2 with Marcel Moore, their life-partner and step-sister. Join Harriet and Katherine as they explore Cahun's extraordinary life, their relationship with Moore and their complex gender identity. Starting off with the...

This episode we chat about Inari, the Japanese kami of rice, foxes, swordsmiths, brothels and prosperity, who presents as male, female, both and neither. We also explore the tradition of Kitsune who are mischievous shape-shifting fox spirits with an insatiable craving for rice and tofu. And, most importantly, we ruin our nerd credibility forever... Want to find out how Pokemon and Sonic the Hedgeh...

Today we get a rare glimpse into queer life in 14th century England through the story of Eleanor Rykener - a trans woman who was an embroiderer, barmaid and sexworker, and did not hold back when sharing details about the men and women she slept with. We know about Eleanor's life through the written record of her questioning after she was arrested for having sex with a man, which is an incredible r...

4,500 years ago, two ancient Egyptian men named Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep decided they wanted to spend eternity together. Were they just bros - or something more...? Content warnings: This episode contains adult themes and discussions or mentions of death, sex, and swearing. It also includes discussion of sexual violence and rape, presented within the context of a mythological story. Hosted on Ac...

We're back! And more powerful than ever. Today we're covering the queer life, love and legacy of Tove Jansson - the Finnish illustrator, writer and painter who created the iconic world of Moominvalley. Here's a link to Emma Klingenberg's incredible rendition of The Big Mymble Song: https://youtu.be/LDV4TA33IE0?si=WhW3IgomtOtvspS0 Content warnings: This episode contains adult themes and discussions...

Today we're talking all things Alexander the G(ay)reat! One of the most successful military leaders in history and a figure who continues to fascinate thousands of years later - join us as we cut through the debates around his sexuality like a sword through the Gordian knot… This week's object is a mosaic from Pompeii, thought to date from around 120-100 BCE. Currently at Naples Archaeological Mus...

Today we are chatting about an educated, adventurous, elitist lesbian landowner from the Georgian period - Anne Lister, aka Gentleman Jack - who left us an incredible, unparallelled record of her life and her loves. Content Warnings: this episode contains adult themes and discussions or mentions of sex, religion, racism, alcoholism, mental illness and swearing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priva...

Mitra-Varuna are two Hindu deities who were so close that they are referred to as one, and their name is the root for the sanskrit word for “friend”. Just two bros being bros, riding crocodiles and ejaculating into clay pots together. Content Warnings: this episode contains adult themes and discussions or mentions of sex, religion, colonialism, transphobia and swearing. Hosted on Acast. See acast....

2,600 years ago, a Greek poet was so iconically gay that her very name now describes love between women, today we're talking Sappho! Content Warnings: this episode contains adult themes and discussions or mentions of sex and swearing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. James Barry rose from poverty in the 19th century to become a doctor, travel the world and start beef with Florence Nightingale. He was also almost certainly a trans man, come explore his life with us! Content Warnings: this episode contains adult themes and discussions or mentions of sex, violence, death, transphobia and swearing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, we're diving into the many layers of queer subtext in Hans Christian Andersen's fairytale The Little Mermaid - and chatting Disney to boot! Content Warnings: this episode contains adult themes and discussions or mentions of sex, violence, death, suicide, mutilation and swearing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the oldest stories ever told has at its core two men, equal and opposite, sharing a profound love for one another. Today we're talking about The Epic of Gilgamesh! Content Warnings: this episode contains adult themes and discussions or mentions of sex, violence, death, brief references to alcohol use and swearing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listen, I pray thee - to our tale of the bard himself, William Shakespeare - who is way gayer than the British school system ever led us to believe. Content Warnings: this episode contains adult themes and discussions or mentions of homophobia, transphobia, sex, violence, death and swearing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sometimes we all need a friend, this episode we're talking about the Publick Universal Friend: a non-binary spirit of God who left their gender behind after a near-death experience during Hamilton time. Content warnings: this episode contains adult themes and discussions or mentions of homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, death, religion and swearing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...

We dive into 14th Century Florence to understand the gay gay history behind Donatello’s David, or as it’s known by Harriet specifically, “Donatello’s Bronze Twink”. Content warnings: this episode contains adult themes and discussions or mentions of sex, nudity, pederasty, pedophilia, unhealthy relationship dynamics, death, homophobia and swearing Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inf...

Queer playwright, man of mystery and for legal reasons definitely not secretly Shakespeare, today we look at a portrait of Kit Marlowe. Content warnings: this episode contains adult themes and discussions or mentions of sex, murder, death, genitals, mutilation, homophobia and swearing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re chatting about Dionysus aka Bacchus - Ancient Greek god of theatre, wine, frenzy, debauchery and, perhaps most importantly, dildos… is there anything this guy can't do?! Content Warnings: this episode contains adult themes and discussions or mentions of genitals, sex, pregnancy, violence, death, dismemberment, immolation, animal death and swearing Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for m...

Get ready to feel inadequate as we delve into the history of the opera-singing, sword-fighting, nunnery-burning bisexual icon Julie d’Aubigny, a.k.a. La Maupin. Content warnings: This episode contains adult themes and discussions of violence, death, pedophilia and underage relationships, homophobia and swearing Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.