Forgotten Queers

Olympic skier, actor, and advocate Gus Kenworthy has spent his life taking risks, on the slopes and beyond. Join Gary and guest cohost Sion on Forgotten Queers as they explore his journey from Olympic silver medalist to openly gay athlete, and the visibility that helped challenge expectations in competitive sports. Along the way, they discuss coming out, public pressure, and finding the freedom to...

From beloved child star to science fiction icon, Roddy McDowall built a career spanning generations. In this episode of Forgotten Queers, Gary Thoren explores McDowall’s remarkable reinvention, enduring friendship with Elizabeth Taylor, and unforgettable performances in Planet of the Apes, The Poseidon Adventure, and Fright Night. Alongside personal memories, Gary considers McDowall’s life as a ga...

From beloved child star to science fiction icon, Roddy McDowall built a career spanning generations. In this episode of Forgotten Queers, Gary Thoren explores McDowall’s remarkable reinvention, enduring friendship with Elizabeth Taylor, and unforgettable performances in Planet of the Apes, The Poseidon Adventure, and Fright Night. Alongside personal memories, Gary considers McDowall’s life as a ga...

Richard Chamberlain was famous famous. For decades, he was one of those actors almost everybody recognized, even if different generations knew him for completely different reasons. To some, he was the impossibly handsome young Dr. Kildare. To others, he was the romantic hero of The Thorn Birds, the adventurer of Shōgun, or the leading man who seemed perfectly designed for the television miniseries...

Forgotten Queers: Bob Mackie — Sequins, Camp, Cher, and a Curtain Rod This week on Forgotten Queers, Gary is joined once again by guest cohost Sion to celebrate the life, career, and absolutely fabulous legacy of Bob Mackie—the legendary costume designer who understood that sometimes more really is more. Mackie, who died September 14, 2026, at the age of 87, spent more than six decades transformin...

What happens when one of Hollywood’s most handsome leading men is gay in an era when being honest about it could destroy everything? This week on Forgotten Queers, Uncle Gary takes us back to 1950s Hollywood for the story of actor, writer, and certified heartthrob George Nader. And honestly, this episode started exactly the way some of the best Forgotten Queers stories start: completely by acciden...

What if I told you that decades before Brokeback Mountain, before Heated Rivalry, and long before queer love stories became something publishers actively went looking for, one gay author proved that a love story between two men could sell? Hey, queers and weirdos! This week on Forgotten Queers, Uncle Gary is digging into the life and work of Gordon Merrick—a writer who was once enormously successf...

On this special episode of Forgotten Queers, we're celebrating the allies who have helped make the world a safer, more welcoming place for LGBTQ+ people. I begin by exploring the lives and allyship of Norman Lear, Leonard Nimoy, and Paul McCartney—three people who used their influence, compassion, and voices to stand with our community. Joining me is my wonderful co-host, Sion, who highlights the...

Sir Elton John is one of the most influential musicians in history, selling more than 300 million records and creating timeless hits like Rocket Man, Tiny Dancer, and Your Song. After years of keeping parts of his personal life private, he came out publicly in the late 1980s and has since become a tireless advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and HIV/AIDS awareness through the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Ma...

Ryan Murphy is not a Forgotten Queer but a prolific queer. Sitcoms, to drama to docudrama to horror and let's throw in a musical or two. What is your favorite? We also talk about The Bride! because you know it's cool!! Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/forgotten-queers--6719466/support . Please follow me on Facebook, BlueSky,TikToc,Twitter at Gary Thoren. We must...

Grant Wood best known for the painting American Gothic. While never coming out as gay and several times denying it there is enough proof that I felt he should be profiled. I wish there was more to talk about the guared artist Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/forgotten-queers--6719466/support . Please follow me on Facebook, BlueSky,TikToc,Twitter at Gary Thoren....

Cassandra Peterson — better known to generations of horror fans as Elvira — is a horror icon, actress, writer, and savvy businesswoman who turned a campy late-night horror host into a decades-long entertainment empire. After early work in music, performance, and comedy (including time with The Groundlings), Peterson launched Elvira in 1981 and transformed the character into a pop culture phenomeno...

John Schlesinger was a groundbreaking British director whose work helped bring queer stories and complicated outsiders into mainstream cinema. Born in 1926, he began as an actor before moving behind the camera, where he directed acclaimed films like Midnight Cowboy, Sunday Bloody Sunday, and Marathon Man. Openly gay within the industry at a time when many were forced to hide, Schlesinger often exp...

Dan Levy  This week on Forgotten Queers, we’re talking about the endlessly charming, brilliantly funny, and quietly groundbreaking Dan Levy. From growing up as the son of comedy legend Eugene Levy to becoming one of the most recognizable queer creators on television, Dan carved out a space where queer joy, awkwardness, love, and family could exist without tragedy defining the story. We dive into h...

Jody Dallas, played by Billy Crystal, was one of the first openly gay characters on American television—and not just a sidekick or a punchline, but a fully realized, messy, lovable human being. When Soap premiered in 1977, Jody wasn’t just groundbreaking—he was controversial. A gay man in a primetime comedy? That alone had people clutching their pearls. But what made Jody revolutionary wasn’t just...

Assumptions is a character-driven novel that digs into how quickly we judge—and how wrong we can be when we do. The story centers on a group of interconnected characters whose lives overlap in unexpected ways. At first glance, each person seems easy to define: their identities, their relationships, their motivations all appear straightforward. But as the narrative unfolds, those initial impression...

A Brief History of George Michael Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/forgotten-queers--6719466/support . Please follow me on Facebook, BlueSky,TikToc,Twitter at Gary Thoren. We must never forget our Forgotten Queers

Tig Notaro Turning Pain Into Punchlines Tig Notaro is one of the most quietly revolutionary comedians working today. Not because she’s loud or flashy—she’s not—but because she has done something far more difficult: she made raw, uncomfortable truth not only watchable, but deeply, painfully funny. Born Mathilde O’Callaghan Notaro on March 24, 1971, Tig grew up in Texas and Mississippi. Her childhoo...

Louisa May Alcott : The Radical Mind Behind Little Women Most people know Louisa May Alcott as the beloved author of Little Women. But behind that classic novel was a fiercely independent woman who resisted the expectations of marriage, challenged gender roles, and lived a life shaped by passionate friendships, radical politics, and personal freedom. In this episode of Forgotten Queers, we explore...

In this episode of Forgotten Queers, your favorite queer history podcast, we revisit one of Hollywood’s most quietly revolutionary leading men — Montgomery Clift. Often remembered for his beauty and tragedy, Clift deserves recognition among our true forgotten icons. With only seventeen films, he reshaped masculinity on screen — bringing tenderness, vulnerability, and emotional depth to roles that...

Born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 1939, ted stayed in the area to attend school and grow up. His family was unconditional in their support of ted even after coming out as homosexual in a time where it was a criminal act. In 1958 he moved to Vancouver and started protesting homosexuality being a criminal thing, always appearing in drag. ted northe wound up on the steps of the provincial court/ar...

The wonderful Canadian Rufus Wainwright is being profiled this week. A queer who’s not forgotten and lives proudly Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/forgotten-queers--6719466/support . Please follow me on Facebook, BlueSky,TikToc,Twitter at Gary Thoren. We must never forget our Forgotten Queers

This is a revising of Wendy Carlos. I wanted to get a trans women’s perspective on it and Marcia Darling agreed to help me with this. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/forgotten-queers--6719466/support . Please follow me on Facebook, BlueSky,TikToc,Twitter at Gary Thoren. We must never forget our Forgotten Queers

In this week’s episode, Zee & For the next few weeks Negotiate I discuss Elliot Page and what a true warrior he is, and somehow connect this with the atrocities of Trump and Caitlin Jenner. Quite a ride folks. I hope you enjoy. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/forgotten-queers--6719466/support . Please follow me on Facebook, BlueSky,TikToc,Twitter at Gary Th...

Little Richard, the complicated Forgotten Queer! Yeah, that about covers it. I hope you enjoy this episode please rate and review. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/forgotten-queers--6719466/support . Please follow me on Facebook, BlueSky,TikToc,Twitter at Gary Thoren. We must never forget our Forgotten Queers