Making Gay History | LGBTQ Oral Histories from the Archive

Mar 06 2025 149 ep. 25 mins 16.2k
Making Gay History | LGBTQ Oral Histories from the Archive Podcast artwork

Intimate, personal portraits of both known and long-forgotten champions, heroes, and witnesses to history brought to you from rare archival interviews.

  History  Society & Culture  Health & Fitness
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The Nazi Era: Episode 7: Gad Beck

Mar 06 2025 28 mins  
After the 1942 deportation of his boyfriend, 19-year-old Jewish Berliner Gad Beck vowed to help others escape the same fate. He became a prominent resistance member and used his resourcefulness, sexual barter, and chutzpah to save fellow Jews from the Nazi murder machine. Visit our episode webpage for additional resources, archival photos, and a transcript of the episode. For exclu

The Nazi Era: Episode 6: Frieda Belinfante

Feb 27 2025 30 mins  
When the Nazis invaded the Netherlands in 1940, 36-year-old conductor Frieda Belinfante disbanded her orchestra and dedicated herself to helping others. She forged IDs to save Jews from deportation and joined a resistance group that carried out a daring act of sabotage. Visit our episode webpage for additional resources, archival photos, and a transcript of the episode. For exclusi

The Nazi Era: Episode 5: Pierre Seel

Feb 20 2025 27 mins  
In 1939, French teenager Pierre Seel had his watch stolen at a cruising spot in his hometown. When he reported the crime to the police, he was placed on a list of suspected homosexuals. Two years later, with the city now under Nazi occupation, he was summoned by the Gestapo. A note about language: the person featured in this episode refers to Roma people by the now offensive term g

The Nazi Era: Episode 4: Stefan Kosinski

Feb 13 2025 29 mins  
Polish teenager Stefan Kosinski was beaten, tortured, and sent to prison. His crime? He fell in love with a Viennese soldier serving in the German army. When the soldier was sent to the Eastern Front, Stefan sent him a love letter, which was intercepted by the Nazis. Visit our episode webpage for additional resources, archival photos, and a transcript of the episode. For exclusive

The Nazi Era: Episode 3: Overview Part II

Feb 06 2025 40 mins  
In our second introductory episode, we focus on life in the Nazi concentration camps and offer a glimpse into the experiences of LGBTQ people in occupied countries during WWII as we continue to set the context for the eight profile episodes to follow. Visit our episode webpage for additional resources, archival photos, and a transcript of the episode. For exclusive Making Gay Histo

The Nazi Era: Episode 2: Overview Part I

Jan 30 2025 29 mins  
In this first of two introductory episodes, hear how the walls closed in on LGBTQ people after Hitler came to power through the recorded and written memories of multiple queer people who witnessed or fell victim to the Nazis’ persecution. Visit our episode webpage for additional resources, archival photos, and a transcript of the episode. For exclusive Making Gay History bonus co

The Nazi Era: Episode 1: Prologue

Jan 27 2025 9 mins  
Host Eric Marcus welcomes listeners to MGH’s “Nazi Era” series by going back in time to 1980 and a darkened Broadway theater where his interest in LGBTQ Holocaust history was kindled. Join Eric as we embark on a 12-episode journey and honor Holocaust Remembrance Day. Visit our episode webpage for a transcript of the episode. For exclusive Making Gay History bonus content, joi

Bonus: WWFKD — Drawing Strength from One of Our Movement’s Most Ferocious Crusaders

Nov 08 2024 21 mins  
Frank Kameny lived by three rules: have absolute confidence in your beliefs; fight for what’s right; never, ever give up. Let them be a battle cry in these dark times. Visit MGH’s webpage for the original 2016 episode featuring Frank Kameny for background information, archival photos, and other resources, as well as the episode’s transcript. ——— To learn more about l

Guest Episode: But We Loved: Evan Wolfson, Godfather of the Marriage Equality Movement

Jul 24 2024 43 mins  
In 1983 Evan Wolfson wrote a law school thesis that asserted that gay people had a constitutional right to marry. Thirty-two years later, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed as much. In this guest episode from But We Loved, get to know the man behind one of the biggest victories in the history of the LGBTQ civil rights movement. Learn more about Evan Wolfson and the Freedom to Marry c

Stonewall 55: Episode 3: “Say It Loud! Gay & Proud!”

Jun 28 2024 40 mins  
Like so many other acts of LGBTQ resistance, the 1969 Stonewall riots could have become a footnote in history. But the protests and organizing that followed launched a new phase in the fight for LGBTQ rights. Hear how anger found its voice and how joy propelled the first Pride marches. First aired June 20, 2019. Visit our episode webpage for background information, archival photos,