Historical Homos

"'Cosmus is a great big cinaedus. He keeps his legs apart and sucks d!ck.' ... I believe that's almost a direct paraphrase." – Professor Tom Sapsford, quoting Ancient Roman graffiti about my biological ancestors Kinaidos (or cinaedus in Latin) was the Ancient Greek word for a depraved, unmanly man who liked to get railed. (LIKE MEEEEE.) Since then, the kinaidos has been used and abused by scholars...

“Who knows how many holes actually started wars in Japan…I’m sure many.” – Dylan Adler , Japanese-Jewish comedian to the stars! Join us this week on a rip-roaring ride through Japan's hole-tighteningly gay history. From Buddhist pederasts to sissy samurais and beyond, we explore the kimonos, the scroll paintings, and yes, the hemorrhoidal humor that sustained Japanese homosexuality for over 1,000...

I've been talking about gay men for FAR too many episodes recently, so please enjoy this summer repeat of one of my favorite episodes ever from Season 1, with my former co-host Donal Brophy. Virginia Woolf is the more famous author today, but back in the 1920s and 30s, it was her lover and socialite-best-friend (God I need one of those), Vita Sackville-West, who was the celebrity. Virginia and Vit...

Is it toxic for a Roman emperor to steal a child from his home, give him all the riches of the world, groom him, and then maybe ask him to kill himself so that he can live? That is what we seek to uncover. The Emperor Hadrian (AD 76 - 138) was one of the not-too-f*cked-up emperors. He liked soldiering but not war, astrology, being gay, hunting, and doing architecture. Trust me, there were a lot wo...

Get in b*tch, we're having an Ancient Greek kiki! We're back, baby! Join us as we navigate the wine-dark and wine-soaked symposia of Ancient Greece, to discover what exactly was so gay about these all-male drinking parties. (Hint: a lot.) We cover ancient party planning, gay glassware, reclining etiquette, drunken flirting, and all the subtle arts of homosexual entertaining you need to host a horn...

Historical Homos is celebrating its one year anniversary! Like any Mother worth her salt, I forgot my child was turning 1 last month. It's been one year of Historical Homos, and there have been so many milestones, amazing episodes, dramas, traumas, small wins, and long mental health breaks that it feels like my baby child should be shipping off to college TOMORROW. That said – I am thrilled to sha...

For more from Historical Homos, you can join our cult at www.historicalhomos.com and follow us on Instagram and TikTok . If you like what you hear, please leave us a five star rating on Apple or Spotify. Do it. Yeahhhhhh just like that. This episode was written and researched by Bash, hosted by Bash, and edited by Alex Toskas. Guest host: Andrew Lear. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mor...

"There are a particular gang of sodomitical wretches in this town..." Did you ever wonder why British men are always just a little...you know...? Well, in truth, it's because 300 years ago they invented being a "gentleman" (gay) who doesn't work (GAY) and just wants nicer things (GAY GAY GAY!). But round about the same time the British invented being British – a.k.a. the early 18th century – Londo...

"All male, all-whale orgies"...need I say more? We're back with another extra special episode for Pride Month 2024! And this one is a DOOZY, my little Hormones. First of all, let me just say..."You know you're gay right?" That's my impression of me talking to every living animal on this good, green Earth. Because it turns out animals have been gay for millennia (stop copying me, guys!), and human...

"Gay didn't always exist, but 'bottom' kind of did!" How did people douche back in the day? Did they have lube? And how'd they find other gays to get off with? In a turn of events that will shock absolutely no one, history is FULL of queer men doing the deed. We boinked, we douched, we lubed, we bathed, and we cruised – long before today's modern luxuries, like running water...or Gun Oil. Join me...

"And what we have to get into our heads, although it is difficult, is that [the] glamour of love, odd as it may sound, is just as much present between two homosexuals as it is between a man and a woman." - Lord Brabazon of Tara, House of Lords, December 1957 What was it like to be a (practicing) gay man in London after the Second World War? I thought you'd never ask... The short answer: not great!...

PERIOD PIECE is back! Lucy returns, with her flow in tow, for another historical film that I mansplain to her because education 👏 never 👏 stops. This month, we're digging into MAESTRO , Bradley Cooper's biopic about the glorious, complicated, and very gay star conductor of the 20th century: Leonard Bernstein. Lenny was so much more than Gigi Hadid's boyfriend shows us. His life was full of fame...

"Saint Sebastian is really just a Bored Office Twink." – R. Eric Thomas (April 2024) Welcome to the wildly erotic, superheroic world of Saint Sebastian, who was initially martyred as a rugged Roman soldier before he blossomed into the lithe, Lana-Del-Rey-loving twink we cherish today. Scientists now know it was the extremely gay Italian Renaissance that decided Saint Sebastian should ALWAYS be pai...

"And it is well-known that the King of England f*cks the Duke of Buckingham." – Theophile de Viau (1628) If you've been watching Mary & George on STARZ, then you must be desperate to know how much of it is true. And the answer, my curious queers, is: a lot! George Villiers, the scheming twink who dominated King James I's court, was hot and 100% DTF. He won titles, land, and money for himself b...

Long live Queen James I of England! James, as our guest Guy Branum notes this week, was always a little “dyke-y”. Obsessed with love and relationships, she ruled Scotland and England entirely from her heart – and through her loins. James was known above all for promoting his male favourites to intolerable positions of power and wealth. The rest of the court loathed these scheming twinks. But Georg...

Welcome to our queer book club! Here's your cat and gluten-free martini, please have a seat. This week we're discussing Virginia Woolf's suicide (it's my Roman Empire), giant red leather dildos, and the realization that sex between women may be the greatest threat to masculinity in 10,000 years. You'll find it all and more, you greedy guts, in our hilarious and fascinating interview with Kirsty Lo...

Historical Homos is back! This week we cover George Sand, who was, get this, a woman! And a writer! And queer! George wrote over 70 novels and plays between 1804 and 1876, during which she witnessed the rise and fall of SEVEN political regimes in France. When she wasn't busy writing about women's oppression and worker's rights, she was actively rubbing shoulders (and genitals) with Paris' liberal...

Welcome to Season 3, Hormones! Bash is thrilled to be sharing the mic this week with a dear friend and hysterical comedia, Rachel Joravsky , to talk about a fascinating and oft-overlooked group: Ancient. Jewish. Lesbians. Rachel is a TV writer, comedian, activist, educator, and self-acclaimed "power Jewess," so naturally we took a gay look at The Book of Ruth together (shout out to all the Ketuvim...

Welcome to PERIOD PIECE , our new monthly feature where Lucy is on her period and Bash makes her watch a historical film. Because education 👏 never 👏 stops. This week, we're reviewing an old favorite called "The Favourite" (God, I'm a poet). Starring Rachel Weisz, Olivia Colman, and Emma Stone, this sultry romp follows an alleged love triangle that rocked 18th century England. It's the story of...

Where the F do gendered bathrooms come from? To literally no one’s surprise, public bathrooms only became available to people who are not cis men a couple hundred years ago. Because guess what? If you can't pee in public, you can't BE in public for very long. The lack of public restrooms for women in particular has been a central and often-overlooked foundation of the patriarchy, which demands tha...

Wilkommen, bienvenue! Actually just bienvenue. Because yes, we are once again plunging you into another insufferably French episode, where Bash and Lucy compete for the "Best Francophone" Award no one offered. This week, we examine the life, luxuries, and labial exploits of Françoise Raucourt , one of 18th century Paris' most iconic lesbian actresses. La Raucourt catapulted to fame at the age of 1...

China has loved the "passion of the cut sleeve" - an ancient euphemism for dude-on-dude dicking - since the literal Han Dynasty (the era not the restaurant). Beautiful stories abound in Chinese literature and history of queer love, from doting emperors to divine influencers in the spirit world. We are of course primarily concerned with the latter. Tu'Er Shen , or "Rabbit God," got his start as a l...

It's time to ruin that Columbussy! This week we are trampling on the reviled memory of Christopher Columbus, in honor of the Queer Indigenous Peoples of the Americas who are - say it with me - MUCH, MUCH COOLER. Bitchy Bash is joined by Illiterate Lucy to explore the five genders of Indigenous civilizations, the rise of the berdache and one "Nameless Hermaphrodite," and a brief glance at the ancie...

Ladies and gentler ladies, please welcome your new Historical Homos co-host: Lucy Hendra! Lucy is bravely and openly straight, a woman (technically), and has seen every episode of Vanderpump Rules ever written. (Yes, written. #WGAStrong) Now, why does that qualify her to be on this podcast? No one knows, and no one cares. Least of all our subject this week: Alexander the Great, Murdering, Bisexual...

Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith were big stars in their own day, and hundred years later they've got BIOPICS on Netflix and HBO. This is what bisexuality can do for you! Join us as we dig into the lives, songs, and loves of these two remarkable Black women. Renowned for their musical talent and big personalities, Ma and Bessie became the first record stars of 1920s America. The Great Depression ruined...