PRIDE

Last week we learned that the 15th president of the United States, James Buchanan, may have been gay. Unfortunately, we also learned he was kind of garbage, so we’re not going to claim him. 

Today, we forge ahead into Part 5 of our series on the queer history of the United States. Not only is our guide, best-selling author and LGBTQ+ historian Dr. Eric Cervini, back to help us, but we also have John Beynon, professor of Literature at Fresno State University to teach us about the life of Oscar Wilde, and his contribution to the global conversation about same-sex love. 

So to put us in the right era: The civil war is over. It’s the late 1800s. And we’re going to go all the way until just before the Stonewall riots in 1969. That’s about 100 years to cover, so buckle in. 

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It’s an election year again. And the first time we aired this series – A Queer History of the United States – was the last election year, 2020. This year, we have a record-breaking choice between the two oldest men in the history of the presidential race. And four years ago, they set that record for the first time. But we’re not here to talk about today’s lackluster presidential choices. 

Historically speaking, there hasn’t been a lot of diversity when it comes to United States presidents. In fact, besides Barack Obama, the position has exclusively gone to older white men. One of those white men (JFK) was Catholic and that was a big deal. He was also one of the youngest at 42. Another old white guy (James Buchanan) was… gay? Maybe. Today we’ll talk about him, his companion, and their relationship in the years just before the Civil War.
 
Best-selling author and LGBTQ+ historian Dr. Eric Cervini is with us again this week as we dive into part 4 of our series on The Queer History of the United States. 

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If you think about it, it’s kind of funny that almost everything we know about the personal lives of historical figures we learned by snooping in their letters and diaries. Without phones and email and DMs, the things that weren’t said out loud were only written down on paper and lucky for us, sometimes saved for posterity. 

Today on Pride, we’ll read some things that were written between the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. There are some surprisingly suggestive letters between Alexander Hamilton and John Laurens,the diary entries of two women in Vermont in the early 1800s, and also a few pretty explicit letters from early frontiersmen. Best-selling author and LGBTQ+ historian Dr. Eric Cervini is with us again as we dive into part 3 of our series on The Queer History of the United States, which we originally aired in 2020. 

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When you studied the revolutionary war in school, you probably learned about Paul Revere’s midnight ride, Thomas Paine’s pamphlet “Common Sense,” and the Declaration of Independence. You might have even learned about Baron von Steuben, the Prussian Lieutenant General who whipped the American Troops into shape during the darkest hours of the Revolutionary War. But chances are, your history teachers left out the part where that same Baron von Steuben was probably gay. 

Today on Pride, we’re moving into part 2 of our series on The Queer History of the United States, which originally aired in 2020. Our guide is Dr. Eric Cervini, best-selling author and LGBTQ+ historian.  As we learn about the era of the revolutionary war, we’ll learn about two war heroes who were honored despite their transgressions. And one Lieutenant who was chased out of town.

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The history of the United States is probably a bit more queer than you realize. Starting today on the show, we’re revisiting one of our favorite series: a six part deep dive into the queer history of the US, which we originally aired in 2020. 

Our guide throughout this epic journey is none other than Dr. Eric Cervini, the award-winning author, producer, and historian of LGBTQ+ politics. His first book, The Deviant’s War: The Homosexual vs. the United States of America, was a NYT bestseller and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. 

Today, in part 1 of this six part series, we start with the indigenous people of North America with Harlan Pruden, a First Nations Cree scholar and community organizer known for his work in the two-spirit community. From there, we'll move into the Conquistador’s effects on those native people, and finally, end with the British Colonies.

*This podcast is not affiliated with Pride Media.

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Today on PRIDE, we welcome Julia Turshen, a New York Times best-selling cookbook author and… powerlifter! Like a lot of us, Julia struggled with body image and the societal pressure to take up less space. Powerlifting has helped her learn to love what her body can do. 

We’ll talk about how she became one of the best-known cookbook authors in the US, her cultivation of a queer domestic life through her weekly Zoom cooking classes, and how Roxane Gay helped her share her transformative experience with powerlifting through a new essay collection.

Julia Turshen’s ROXANE GAY & series essay, called “Built for This: The Quiet Strength of Powerlifting” is now available on Everand.com, a digital content subscription.

You can read or listen to it here (this link will automatically apply a promo code that gives you a 60 day free trial to Everand). If you already have an Everand/Scribd account, you can read the essay here or listen to it here.

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This week on PRIDE, we sit down with Jim Fielding, former Disney retail president and author of All Pride, No Ego, A Queer Executive's Journey to Living and Leading Authentically. 

Jim breaks down his journey as a queer executive moving through more conservative spaces, how a love for a brand and fictional character isn’t enough to drive growth in your career, and how imperative it is to live an authentic life no matter what.  

Check out Jim's book here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/moments-of-truth-lessons-for-leading-and-living-authentically-jim-fielding/19599749?ean=9781394165285

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What’s the cost of entering the public eye as a trans person? As the pendulum starts to swing back on queer rights in the world, we need trans advocates now more than ever. 

We sat down with Mercury Stardust to look back on the last three years of her time in the public eye, from her impact on TikTok to her New York Times Bestselling book Safe and Sound: A Renter-Friendly Guide to Home Repair. What’s next for Mercury, and would she do it all again? 

Despite the price she pays, Mercury is steadfast in her dedication to trans joy. Together with Jory (alluring skull on TikTok), she will be raising funds for gender-affirming care for the third year running with Point of Pride. 

Donate to Point of Pride here: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/point-of-pride/2024-tiktok-a-thon-for-trans-health

Grab a copy of Mercury's book here: https://www.amazon.com/Safe-Sound-Renter-Friendly-Guide-Repair/dp/0744079071 

Learn more about Mercury here: https://mercurystardust.com/

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If you don’t know anything about PrEP, the short answer is that it is a preventive medicine that reduces the risks of contracting HIV/AIDS with up to 99% effectiveness. While this is an incredible step in eradicating this disease, the new problem to solve is the distribution and access to the drug. In this episode of PRIDE, we sit down with Tristan Schukraft. He's the CEO of Mistr, one of the largest sexual health companies prescribing PrEP, owner of one of the biggest gay hotels in Puerto Rico, and, as Blade Magazine would describe, the CEO of Everything Gay. We’ll discuss his early career, why he feels that creating and running Mistr is vital to not just the queer community, and some advice to any future entrepreneurs out there.

Learn more about Mistr here: https://heymistr.com/

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Today on PRIDE, we uncover the true history of the queer pioneers with Professor of American History at Washington State University Peter Boag. Having dedicated a large portion of his life to studying a broader American history in the West and its intersection with queerness, Peter has unique insight into the life and achievements of the various LGBTQ+ people during the turn of the century.

Read Peter Boag's book, Re-Dressing America's Frontier Past. 

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