Eurovision: a political history
From voting scandals and political messaging to drag queens and ABBA, Dr Dean Vuletic speaks to Ellie Cawthorne about the history of the Eurovision Song Contest. He discusses some of the controversies...
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Evil twinks and gay gangsters
From Alexander the Great to Ronnie Kray, the hosts of the Bad Gays podcast reveal the most villainous LGBTQ+ figures ever – and explain why it’s important to discuss the problematic alongside the good....
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Li Shiu Tong: A queer Asian activist decades ahead of his time
Historians are rediscovering one of the most important LGBTQ activists of the early 20th century—an Asian Canadian named Li Shiu Tong. You probably don’t know the name, but he was at the center of the...
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The Queer Wild West
Historians throughout time have erased LGBTQ people from the history books, including from stories of the Wild West. But one historian has revealed that this era of settlers, cowboys, outlaws, and...
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Oscar Wilde’s queer legacy
Oscar Wilde was a true revolutionary – not only for his writing, but for paving the way for gay rights through his own public, and very tragic, story. In 1895, just a few months after the debut theatre...
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Egypt’s queer history
In 1964, archaeologists in Egypt opened the tomb of Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep, two men who lived and died sometime around the year 2380 BCE. Inside, they would discover what might be the oldest...
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Queer Viking stories
The Vikings: for most of us, they’re the peak of cis-het masculinity. But increasingly, research is showing that this simply wasn’t the case. I’m a Viking historian. I study queerness and gender in the...
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Queer or gay? LGBTQ+ people debate reclaiming former slur
The word ‘queer’ is intrinsically linked to the LGBTQ+ community – it’s right there in the name. However, the way the word is used and received by some people is complicated. While many of us are proud...
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The Chickens and the Bulls
The history behind the rise and incredible fall of a vicious extortion ring that preyed on prominent gay men in the U.S. of the 1960s. On a sleepy Sunday morning in late July 1965, Detective 3rd Grade...
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The Warren Cup
2000 years old, worth £1.8 million, banned from the US, not publicly exhibited until 1999. Meet history’s most expensive piece of gay porn: The Warren Cup One side depicts a man (the active participant...
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Which LGBTQ+ histories get told – and which get overlooked?
Uncovering and telling the stories of LGBTQ+ people in history can be rewarding, important work, but it’s also often challenging and complex. How far is it possible to understand the sexualities of...
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Oscar Wilde on trial
At a time when male homosexuality was illegal in Britain, celebrated playwright Oscar Wilde became embroiled in a scandal that ultimately saw him put on trial for “gross indecency”. As Professor...
View ArticleThe first gay movie on US TV
Starring a young Martin Sheen and developed by the guys who created Columbo just a few years earlier, the TV movie That Certain Summer was a groundbreaking project that many thought could never be...
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The history of the singlet: Hated by wrestlers & loved by gays
The New York Times once called it the “most mocked athletic uniform in existence.” High school coaches wail about how its presence drives kids away and negatively impacts the sport. Nevertheless, the...
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Molly houses: England’s 19th century gay sex clubs
Thanks to shows like Queen Charlotte and the regular trickle of Austen adaptations, most of us are familiar with the Regency period, the decade between 1811 and 1820. It was a world of hot goss, fresh...
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Tokugawa Iemitsu
Through the life of 17th century Japanese shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu, the Bad Gays podcast explores the role of same-sex relationships in Japanese court culture of the time, the radically different...
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Hadrian & Antinous
A mysterious death on the Nile, an unconventional love affair, a Roman-Greek hero turned God – the story of Hadrian and Antinous is full of intrigue. Join Tom and Dominic as they delve into the world...
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The Trials of Oscar Wilde: Sex and Scandal
“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.” As his most popular work, “The Importance of Being Earnest”, hints at, Oscar Wilde’s life was a complicated one. Perhaps the most famous gay martyr in...
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Aleister Crowley: Sex & Magick
Bisexual sorcerer Aleister Crowley is celebrated by magicians today but was widely disliked during his lifetime for being an open queer occultist. Born in England in 1875, Crowley was the son of two...
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