Today we set sail with an old friend of the pod who originally joined us back in 2019 to teach us all about the queer history of pirates, Dr. Rebecca Simon. In our previous conversatio, we covered a more general history of pirates and the queerness many male pirates expressed through clothing and sxuality–like the gentleman pirate Captian Stede Bonnet, and the infamous Black Beard. We also discussed her book Why We Love Pirates: The Hunt for Captain Kid and How He Changed Piracy Forever.

During our 2019 discussion, Rebecca also briefly touched on two notable female pirates who dressed like men in battle, subverted they’re femininity into a weapon, and may have even been Lesbian Lovers. These two badass pirates were Anne Bonny and Mary Reed, and they left quite an impression on me and our audience back in 2019. So when I heard that Rebecca had recently written the first full length book on the history of Anne and Mary, I had to have her back on the pod to share her findings, and give Anne, Mary, and all women pirates the platform they deserve. In today’s four part episode, we will learn about how Anne Bonny and Mary Reed became pirates, how their relationship unfolded, the research that went into writing Pirate Queens, and Rebecca's thoughts on depictions of pirates in the media today.

So yee scallywags, come aboard the PRIDE ship, and join us as we uncover the treasures of Anne and Mary’s buried history.

Your host is Levi Chambers, founder of Rainbo Media Co. You can follow Levi @levichambers across socials.

Follow the show and keep up with the conversation @PRIDE across socials.

This episode of PRIDE was produced by Levi Chambers, Frank Driscoll, Maggie Boles, Ryan Tillotson, and Brandon Marlo. Edited by Frank Driscoll and Daniel Ferrera.

*This podcast is not affiliated with Pride Media.