Making Gay History | LGBTQ Oral Histories from the Archive

Author Christopher Isherwood left England for Germany in 1929. His stories about his years there inspired the musical "Cabaret," which shaped the image of decadent interwar Berlin in the popular imagination. But as he told Studs Terkel in this 1977 interview, to him, Berlin meant, above all, boys.

Visit our episode webpage for background information, archival photos, and other resources.

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Making Gay History is back! Join us as we mine the Studs Terkel Radio Archive in Chicago for stories from our proud LGBTQ past to bring you eight intimate conversations conducted between 1959 and 1981 by the legendary oral historian.

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When high schooler Larah Helayne heard MGH’s episode with Jean O’Leary, it changed the course of her life. Plans to become a nun gave way for a new role as an LGBTQ trailblazer. In this season finale, we celebrate the history-makers who came before and those who follow in their footsteps.

Visit the webpages for our season two episodes with Jean O'Leary—part 1 and part 2—for background information, archival photos, and other resources.

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MGH is Eric Marcus’s first love. But he also co-produces Those Who Were There. Have a listen to this episode featuring Leon Bass. He faced racism growing up in 1930s Philadelphia, in the Army during WWII, and discovered its ultimate endpoint at a German concentration camp.

Subscribe to Those Who Were There: Voices from the Holocaust wherever you get your podcasts, or visit thosewhowerethere.org. 

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Making Gay History stands with the countless Americans protesting systemic racism and the deaths of Black and brown people at the hands of the police. And we draw inspiration from civil rights heroes like Bayard Rustin, an out and proud Black gay man who dedicated his life to fighting injustice.

Visit our season four episode webpage for background information, archival photos, and other resources.

For exclusive Making Gay History bonus content, join our ⁠Patreon community⁠.

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June 25, 1935 - May 27, 2020. In the early ’80s, author and playwright Larry Kramer was one of the first people to sound the alarm about AIDS. He became one of the loudest voices in the fight against the epidemic, calling an indifferent world to account.

Visit our season three episode webpage for background information, archival photos, and other resources.

For exclusive Making Gay History bonus content, join our ⁠Patreon community⁠.

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When Perry Watkins was drafted in 1968, he assumed the Army would reject him for being gay. They didn’t. When they got rid of him after 15 years of service, he fought back. As we face the systemic inequalities Covid-19 has once again laid bare, an enraging tale of prejudice, triumph, and tragedy.

Visit our season three episode webpage for background information, archival photos, and other resources.

For exclusive Making Gay History bonus content, join our ⁠Patreon community⁠.

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In 1939 Joyce Hunter was born into a world so hostile it’s a wonder she wasn’t crushed. Instead, the challenges and brutality she faced proved to be the launchpad for an expansive life of pioneering activism and accomplishment. A guiding light in tough times.

Visit our season two episode webpage for background information, archival photos, and other resources.

For exclusive Making Gay History bonus content, join our ⁠Patreon community⁠.

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In late 1955, the police of Boise, Idaho, started a sweeping investigation into an alleged “homosexual underground.” Fearing arrest, Morris Foote fled town, not to return till 20 years later. A story of Pride from the U.S. heartland to remind us that what unites us transcends red/blue state divides.

Visit our season two episode webpage for background information, archival photos, and other resources.

For exclusive Making Gay History bonus content, join our ⁠Patreon community⁠.

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Today, Ellen DeGeneres needs no introduction. But as she explained in a 2001 MGH interview, her very public 1997 coming out took a dramatic professional and personal toll. When life goes off the rails, there’s no knowing what the future holds. We’re challenged to push ahead to fight for better days.

Visit our season three episode webpage for background information, archival photos, and other resources.

For exclusive Making Gay History bonus content, join our ⁠Patreon community⁠.

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