Making Gay History

Making Gay History is an oral history podcast on the subject of LGBT history, featuring trailblazers, activists, and allies. Most episodes draw on the three-decade-old audio archive of rare interviews conducted by the podcast's founder and host Eric Marcus in the late 1980s and 1990s.

Background Marcus began interviewing notable figures in the LGBTQ civil rights movement in the late 1980s while writing an oral history of the movement. The first edition of the book, published in 1992 under the title Making History: The Struggle for Gay and Lesbian Equal Rights, 1945-1990, was a Stonewall Book Award winner in 1992 and was described by acclaimed oral historian Studs Terkel as "[o]ne of the definitive works on gay life." In the late 1990s, Marcus undertook another round of interviews for the updated second edition of the book, which was titled Making Gay History (2002).

In 2016, Marcus revisited the archive of his original recordings, which had since been digitized by the New York Public Library, along with executive producer Sara Burningham, who suggested that the interviews be used as the basis for a podcast.

Since its launch in October 2016, the podcast has featured interviews with transgender rights icon Sylvia Rivera; pioneering lesbian writer Edythe D. Eyde aka Lisa Ben; American comedian, talk show host, and actress Ellen DeGeneres; popular advice columnist and LGBT advocate Pauline Phillips ("Dear Abby"); and others. It has also drawn on other audio archives to highlight the contributions of activists like Ernestine Eckstein and Bayard Rustin, and has used contemporary interviews to chronicle the life and work of Magnus Hirschfeld and Reed Erickson. In December 2019, they released the earliest known recording of Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson.

For the eighth season of the podcast, Marcus partnered with the Studs Terkel Radio Archive to release interviews conducted by the legendary radio host and oral historian Studs Terkel. Marcus cites Terkel and his work as inspiration for his own.

In February 2020, Making Gay History was adapted for the stage at New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.

The podcast's ninth season, "Coming of Age During the AIDS Crisis," is an audio memoir exploring Marcus's memories of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s.

Awards and honors

In September 2017, NBC Out polled its constituents about their "favorite LGBTQ-inclusive podcasts," and Making Gay History was voted #2 out of 11 ranked. In October 2017, the Oral History Association honored Making Gay History with its Oral History in a Nonprint Format Award. On December 27, 2019, The Atlantic named Making Gay History's Stonewall 50 season one of the best podcasts of 2019.

Seasons and episodes

Season 1 Episode DateEpisode 1Sylvia Rivera, Part IOctober 13, 2016Episode 2Wendell Sayers (called Paul Phillips in the book Making Gay History)October 20, 2016Episode 3Edythe EydeOctober 27, 2016Episode 4Dr. Evelyn HookerNovember 3, 2016Episode 5Frank KamenyNovember 10, 2016Episode 6Jeanne & Morty ManfordNovember 17, 2016Episode 7Chuck RowlandNovember 23, 2016Episode 8Pauline Phillips (Dear Abby)December 1, 2016Episode 9Barbara Gittings & Kay Tobin LahusenDecember 8, 2016Episode 10Vito RussoDecember 15, 2016BONUSLove is LoveFebruary 14, 2017

Season 2 Episode DateEpisode 1Marsha P. Johnson & Randy WickerMarch 2, 2017Episode 2Shirley WillerMarch 9, 2017Episode 3Hal CallMarch 16, 2017Episode 4Jean O'Leary, Part IMarch 23, 2017Episode 5Jean O'Leary, Part IIMarch 26, 2017Episode 6Morris FooteMarch 30, 2017Episode 7Herb SelwynApril 6, 2017Episode 8Barbara Gittings & Kay Tobin Lahusen, Part IIApril 13, 2017Episode 9Evander Smith & Herb DonaldsonApril 20, 2017Episode 10Joyce HunterApril 27, 2017Episode 11Tom CassidyMay 4, 2017BONUSRewind: Sylvia Rivera, Part IOctober 5, 2017BONUSEdythe Eyde's Gay Gal's MixtapeOctober 11, 2017

Season 3 Episode DateEpisode 1Sylvia Rivera, Part IIOctober 22, 2017Episode 2Perry WatkinsOctober 26, 2017Episode 3Ellen DeGeneresNovember 2, 2017Episode 4J.J. BelangerNovember 9, 2017Episode 5Deborah Johnson & Zandra Rolón AmatoNovember 16, 2017Episode 6Larry KramerNovember 23, 2017Episode 7Phyllis Lyon & Del MartinNovember 30, 2017Episode 8Morris KightDecember 7, 2017Episode 9Paulette GoodmanDecember 14, 2017Episode 10Greg BrockDecember 21, 2017Episode 11Morty ManfordDecember 28, 2017BONUSLove Is LoveFebruary 14, 2018BONUSKay Lahusen's Gay TableJune 21, 2018BONUSFarewell Dick LeitschJune 23, 2018

+ Season 4 Episode DateEpisode 1IntroductionOctober 25, 2018Episode 2Magnus HirschfeldOctober 25, 2018Episode 3Harry HayNovember 1, 2018Episode 4Billye TalmadgeNovember 15, 2018Episode 5Dorr Legg, Martin Block & Jim Kepner of ONENovember 29, 2018Episode 6Stella Rush (who wrote under the pseudonym Sten Russell)December 13, 2018Episode 7Reed EricksonDecember 27, 2018Episode 8Bayard RustinJanuary 10, 2019Episode 9Ernestine EcksteinJanuary 24, 2019Episode 10Dick LeitschFebruary 7, 2019Episode 11Martha ShelleyFebruary 21, 2019

+ Season 5 (Stonewall 50) Episode DateEpisode 1Prelude to a RiotJune 6, 2019Episode 2"Everything Clicked... And The Riot Was On"June 13, 2019Episode 3"Say it Loud! Gay and Proud!"June 20, 2019Episode 4Live from StonewallJune 27, 2019BONUSStonewall 50 Minisode: Marsha P. Johnson & Randy WickerJune 28, 2019BONUSStonewall 50 Minisode: Morty ManfordJune 28, 2019BONUSStonewall 50 Minisode: Barbara Gittings & Kay LahusenJune 28, 2019BONUSStonewall 50 Minisode: Craig RodwellJune 28, 2019

+ Season 6 Episode DateEpisode 1Ruth SimpsonOctober 24, 2019Episode 2Vernon E. "Copy" Berg IIINovember 7, 2019Episode 3Barbara SmithNovember 21, 2019Episode 4Nancy WalkerDecember 5, 2019Episode 5Damien MartinDecember 19, 2019BONUSFrom the Vault: Sylvia Rivera & Marsha P. Johnson, 1970December 27, 2019

+ Season 7 (Revisiting the Archive) Episode DateEpisode 1Frank KamenyMarch 21, 2020Episode 2Edythe EydeMarch 28, 2020Episode 3Wendell SayersApril 4, 2020Episode 4Shirley WillerApril 11, 2020Episode 5Vito RussoApril 18, 2020Episode 6Kay Lahusen's Gay TableApril 25, 2020Episode 7Ellen DeGeneresMay 2, 2020Episode 8Morris FooteMay 9, 2020Episode 9Joyce HunterMay 16, 2020Episode 10Perry WatkinsMay 23, 2020Episode 11Larry KramerMay 29, 2020Episode 12Bayard RustinJune 7, 2020Episode 13Larah Helayne & Jean O'LearyJune 18, 2020

+ Season 8 (Studs Terkel Radio Archive) Episode DateEpisode 1Christopher IsherwoodOctober 1, 2020Episode 2Lorraine HansberryOctober 15, 2020Episode 3John Falk Tomkinson ("Les-Lee")October 29, 2020Episode 4Quentin CrispNovember 12, 2020Episode 5Mattachine Midwest (Valerie Taylor) November 26, 2020Episode 6Jill JohnstonDecember 10, 2020Episode 7Leonard Matlovich December 24, 2020Episode 8Meg ChristianJanuary 7, 2021BONUSRemembering Kay LahusenMay 27, 2021

+ Season 9 (Coming of Age During the AIDS Crisis) Episode DateChapter 1Buried HeadlineJuly 1, 2021Chapter 2Not AloneJuly 15, 2021Chapter 3318 West 22nd StreetJuly 30, 2021Chapter 4Complications of AIDSAugust 12, 2021Chapter 5In or OutAugust 27, 2021Chapter 6Making HistorySeptember 10, 2021

+ Season 10 Episode DateEpisode 1Randy ShiltsFebruary 24, 2022Episode 2Dr. Ronald GrossmanMarch 3, 2022Episode 3Sara BoesserMarch 10, 2022Episode 4Randy BoydMarch 17, 2022Episode 5Ann NorthropMarch 24, 2022Episode 6Michelle LopezMarch 31, 2022BONUSRewind: Stonewall 50: Episode 1: Prelude to a RiotJune 2, 2022BONUSRewind: Stonewall 50: Episode 2: "Everything Clicked...And the Riot Was On"June 9, 2022BONUSRewind: Stonewall 50: Episode 3: "Say It Loud! Gay & Proud!"June 16, 2022BONUSRewind: Stonewall 50: Episode 4: Live from StonewallJune 23, 2022

+ Season 11 Episode DateEpisode 1Craig RodwellNovember 3, 2022Episode 2Rev. Carolyn Mobley-BowieNovember 10, 2022Episode 3Faygele Ben-MiriamNovember 17, 2022Episode 4Urvashi VaidNovember 24, 2022Episode 5Robert BaumanDecember 1, 2022Episode 6Kathleen BoatwrightDecember 8, 2022BONUSA Complicated Love StoryFebruary 14, 2023

+ Season 12 (Coming of Age During the 1970s) Episode DateChapter 1A Surge of EnergyApril 13, 2023Chapter 2Fire Island and Other StoriesApril 27, 2023Chapter 3Family TiesMay 11, 2023Chapter 4RespectableMay 25, 2023Chapter 5Thank You, AnitaJune 8, 2023Chapter 6Marching OnJune 29, 2023

+ Season 13 (Dismantling a Diagnosis) Episode DateEpisode 1A Kind of MadnessDecember 15, 2023Episode 2The CureDecember 22, 2023Episode 3Out of the DSM & into the Present - A Conversation about LGBTQ+ Mental HealthDecember 29, 2023GUESTBlindspot: The Plague in the Shadows: Mourning in AmericaFebruary 15, 2024BONUSFeminist Bookstores: A Love Story - with June ThomasMay 23, 2024

+ Season 14 (The Nazi Era) Episode DateEpisode 1PrologueJanuary 27, 2025Episode 2Overview, Part IJanuary 30, 2025Episode 3Overview, Part IIFebruary 6, 2025Episode 4Stefan KosinskiFebruary 13, 2025Episode 5Pierre SeelFebruary 20, 2025Episode 6Frieda BelinfanteFebruary 27, 2025Episode 7Gad BeckMarch 6, 2025Episode 8Lucy SalaniMarch 13, 2025Episode 9Margot HeumanMarch 20, 2025Episode 10Kenneth RomanMarch 27, 2025Episode 11Fredy HirschApril 3, 2025Episode 12EpilogueApril 10, 2025

+ Season 15 (Voices from the Archives) Episode DateEpisode 1Christine JorgensenJune 18, 2026Episode 2Mabel HamptonJune 25, 2026Episode 3Pat BondJuly 2, 2026Episode 4Jim KepnerJuly 9, 2026Episode 5Nancy MayJuly 16, 2026Episode 6Barney FrankJuly 23, 2026Episode 7Lou SullivanJuly 30, 2026

See also List of LGBT podcasts

References

External links