These Old Queers

these old queers

Megan and Thomas are two middle-aged, self-identified queer people. In each episode, they delve into historical events and people who are part of queer history, as well as take a look at aging in the LGBTQIA+ community

  1. Episode 1: Fanny and Stella Part 1

    28. JAN.

    Episode 1: Fanny and Stella Part 1

    In the first episode of our second season, Megan shares the story of Fanny and Stella: two gender non-conforming young people from Victorian England who presented female (and sometimes male) while carousing the exciting streets of 1860s/70s London. That is, until their antics got them in hot water with the law in what would be one of the most significant trials in British queer history. In this first part of our two part episode we learn about their lives leading up to their arrest. Check us out across the web! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠pixelfed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bsky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠insta⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon⁠ Sources: Boyd, Jason. Who’s Who in Gay and Lesbian History: From Antiquity to World War II. London: Psychology Press. 2002 McKenna, Neil. Fanny and Stella: The Young Men Who Shocked Victorian England. London: Faber & Faber. 2014 Joyce, Simon. “Two Women Walk into a Theatre Bathroom: The Fanny and Stella Trials as Trans Narrative”. Victorian Review. 44, nr. 1 (2018): 83-98. Kaplan, Morris. “Who’s Afraid of John Saul?: Urban Culture and the Politics of Desire in Late Victorian London”. GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies. 5, nr. 3 (1999): 267-314 Rowbotham, Judith. “A Deception on the Public: The Real Scandal of Boulton and Park”. Liverpool Law Review. 36, nr. 2 (27 March 2015): 123-145

    1 Std. 27 Min.
  2. Episode 20: Colonel Barker

    17.12.2025

    Episode 20: Colonel Barker

    In this episode, Thomas takes us through the life and times of convicted swindler, Victor Barker. From his time in Holloway Prison to the sideshows of Blackpool and beyond, Barker insisted on maintaining a male identity throughout his adultlife despite often being described as a cross-dresser. This early-twentieth century trans-man was not an admirable character, but he was definitely an interesting one. CW: This episode contains a brief mention of SA and domestic violence.  Check us out across the web! ⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠pixelfed⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠bsky⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠insta⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon If you're into what we do, please share/like/subscribe/contact us and share! It really helps us out. Sources: Collis, Rose. Colonel Barker's Monstrous Regiment. A Tale of Female Husbandry. London: Virago, 2001. Gottlieb, Julie V. Feminine Fascism: Women in Britain's Fascist Movement, 1923- 1945. London: Tauris Publishers, 2000. Lemmey, Huw and Juliette Jacks. "Christmas Special: Colonel Victor Barker.” Bad Gays podcast. 25.12.2019. Manion, Jen. "Female Husbands.A Trans History." Presentation for Cary Memorial Library. 2.9.21. Available on YouTube. Pavda, Gilad. "Joseph/Josephine's Angst: Sensational Hermaphroditism in Tod Browning's Freaks." Social Semiotics 28, nr. 1 (2017): 1-17. Portnoy, Edward A. "Freaks, Geeks, and Strongmen: Warsaw Jews and Popular Performance, 1912-1930." TDR: The Drama Review 50, nr. 2 (2006): 117-135. Pugh,Vicki. “Problem Bodies and Sideshow Space: A Study of the Twentieth Century Sideshow in Blackpool. 1930-1940.” (PhD. diss., University of Sheffield, 2020). Szoradova, P.E. “LGBTQ+ History: The Red Rose of Colonel Barker.” Blog post from The National Archives. 2.25.2029.

    1 Std. 52 Min.
  3. Episode 19: The Pansy Craze

    20.11.2025

    Episode 19: The Pansy Craze

    In this episode, Megan talks about The Pansy Craze - a period of increased LGBT visibility in popular culture from the late 1920s until the mid-1930s, that came to an end following the Great Depression, The Hays Code and the rise of World War Two. During the "craze," drag queens, drag kings, masculine women and femme queer men — known as "pansy performers" — experienced a surge in underground popularity, especially in US cities such as New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Check us out across the web! ⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠pixelfed⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠bsky⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠insta⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠patreon If you're into what we do, please share/like/subscribe/contact us and share! It really helps us out. Sources: Music: Harry Macdonough and the Orpheus Quartet, “Pretty Baby,” written by Egbert Van Alstyne, Tony Jackson and Gus Kahn. 1916. The Library of Congress. Bunyon, Patrick (1999). All Around the Town: The Amazing Manhattan Facts and Curiosities. Fordham University Press. Wilson, James (June 16, 2010). Bulldaggers, Pansies, and Chocolate Babies. University of Michigan Press. Starr, Kevin (2002). The Dream Endures: California Enters the 1940s. Oxford University Press. Ames, Jack. “Remembering Ray.”RaeBourbon.com. https://raebourbon.com/remembering-ray/ Bullock, Darryl W. “Pansy Craze: the wild 1930s drag parties that kickstarted gay nightlife.” The Guardian, Thu 14 Sep 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/sep/14/pansy-craze-the-wild-1930s-drag-parties-that-kickstarted-gay-nightlife Doyle, Dave. “The ‘Pansy Craze’ Pioneered LGBT Acceptance in America.” The Syncopated Times, 30 Dec 2023.https://syncopatedtimes.com/the-pansy-craze-pioneered-lgbt-acceptance-in-america/ Vandenburg, Margaret. “Rise and Fall of the ‘Pansy Craze.’” The Gay & Lesbian Review, January – February 2025 issue,https://glreview.org/article/rise-and-fall-of-the-pansy-craze/

    1 Std. 25 Min.
  4. Episode 18: Bog Bodies

    22.10.2025

    Episode 18: Bog Bodies

    In this episode, Thomas talks about the discovery, investigation, and historiography of the “Weerdinge Couple” bog bodies. Check us out across the web! ⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠pixelfed⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠bsky⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠insta⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon Sources: Music: Harry Macdonough and the Orpheus Quartet, “Pretty Baby,” written by Egbert Van Alstyne, Tony Jackson and Gus Kahn. 1916. The Library of Congress. Aerts-Bijma, A.T., Wijnand Sanden, Johannes Plicht, and H.J. Streurman. “Dating bog bodies by means of 14C-AMS.” Journal of Archaeological Science. 2004. Nr. 31.   Bianucci, Raffaella, Wijnand Sanden, Grazia Mattutino, Andreas Nerlich, and Bob Loynes. “Unravelling the Weerdinge Couple.” Presentation for the Drents Museum, The Netherlands. 2003.   Black, Sue. All that Remains. A Life in Death. New York City: Doubleday Press, 2018.   Miller, Kristyn. J. “Displaying the Lindow Man. A Case Study.”Blog Post. 1.11.2023. Available at BogBodyResource.com.   National Geographic. "Mysterius Double Murder." Ancent Bodies, Secrets Revealed. 2024. Season 1,  Episode 3.   Sanders, Karin. Bodies in the Bog and the Archaeological Imagination. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2009.

    1 Std. 53 Min.
  5. Episode 17: Queer Kansas City

    25.09.2025

    Episode 17: Queer Kansas City

    In this episode, Megan shares the secret-not-so-secret queer history of their hometown, Kansas City. Whether on the Missouri or the Kansas side, you might be quite surprised at just how much queer history can be found in this mid-size Midwestern city in what a lot of people consider a "flyover state." Check us out across the web! ⁠⁠website⁠⁠ ⁠⁠pixelfed⁠⁠ ⁠⁠bsky⁠⁠ ⁠⁠insta⁠⁠ ⁠⁠patreon If you're into what we do, please share/like/subscribe/contact us and share! It really helps us out. Sources: Bailey, Hannah. March 8, 2022. Womontown: How 12 city blocks in Kansas City became a radical enclave by and for women. ⁠www.kcur.org⁠. ⁠https://www.kcur.org/history/2022-03-08/womontown-how-12-city-blocks-in-kansas-city-became-a-radical-enclave-by-and-for-women⁠ Curators: Cantwell, Christopher D. Carpenter, Kathryn B., Hinds, Stuart. Making History: Kansas City and the Rise of Gay Rights. https://info.umkc.edu/makinghistory/ Hawley-Bates, Savannah. April 2, 2023. Kansas City has a long history of drag shows, drawing performers from around the U.S. ⁠www.kcur.org⁠. ⁠https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2023-04-02/kansas-city-drag-shows-gay-history-queer-performance-prohibition-bans⁠ Our Community Roots. July 30, 2015. InLoving Memory of Edye Gregory. https://ourcommunityroots.com/?p=379 Mid-America Regional Council. March 2, 2023. The history of racial discrimination in housing still impacts the Kansas City region today. www.marc.org. https://www.marc.org/news/economy/history-racial-discrimination-housing-still-impacts-kansas-city-region-today Montalvo, Nasir. May 17, 2022. Remembering Edye and Ray: The First (Well-Documented) Black Drag Queens of Kansas City. www.kansascitydefender.com. https://kansascitydefender.com/lgbtqia2/black-drag-queens-kansas-city/ Szczepanski, Carolyn. June 3, 2010. KC’s new Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America remembers a pioneer town. www.thepitch.com. https://www.thepitchkc.com/kcs-new-gay-and-lesbian-archive-of-midamerica-remembers-a-pioneer-town/ A People’s History of Kansas City. How Kansas City blazed a path for gay liberation. May 30, 2022.https://open.spotify.com/episode/0aeHC3zZ85Z0R7OBVZtuGU?si=EZyX9RpVS2SeqEegNB5lQw

    1 Std. 60 Min.
  6. Episode 16: Two-Spirit Identities

    20.08.2025

    Episode 16: Two-Spirit Identities

    In this episode, Thomas discusses the history and complexity of Two-Spirit identities. Check us out across the web! ⁠website⁠ ⁠pixelfed⁠ ⁠bsky⁠ ⁠insta⁠ ⁠patreon If you're into what we do, please share/like/subscribe/contact us and share! It really helps us out. Sources: Chrystos. Not Vanishing. Vancouver: Press Gang Publishing, 1988. Driskill, Qwo-Li. Asegi Stories. Cherokee Queer and Two Spirit Memory. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2016. Driskill, Qwo-Li, Chris Finley, Brian JosephGilley, and Scott Lauria Morgensen, eds. Queer Indigenous Studies. Critical Interventions in Theory, Politics, and Literature. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2011. Driskill, Qwo-Li, Daniel Heath Justice, Deborah Miranda, and Lisa Tatonetti, eds. Sovereign Erotics. A collection of Two-Spirit Literature. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2011. Jacobs, Sue-Ellen, Wesley Thomas, and Sabine Lang, eds. Two-Spirit People. Native American Gender Identity, Sexuality, and Spirituality. Champaign: University of IllinoisPress, 1997. Roscoe, Will. Changing Ones: Third and Fourth Genders in Native North America. London: Macmillan, 1998. Sigal, Pete, ed. Infamous Desire. Male Homosexuality in Colonial Latin America. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003. Smith, Merril, ed. Sex and Sexuality in Early America. NewYork: New York University Press, 1998. image: A widely used Two-Spirit flag

    1 Std. 52 Min.
  7. Episode 15: Blood Sisters

    24.07.2025

    Episode 15: Blood Sisters

    In this episode, Megan shares the stories of lesbian action during the AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 1990s, as well as her own experience growing up in the shadow of AIDS. CW: this episode mentions homophobia as well as death and dying of AIDS, please take care while listening Check us out across the web! website pixelfed bsky insta patreon If you're into what we do, please share/like/subscribe/contact us and share! It really helps us out. Sources: Gonsalves, Jordan. “The Lesbians Who Led the AIDS Response.” But We Loved with Jordan Gonsalves. May 22,2024. 46:50. https://open.spotify.com/episode/5qQmFXJSy3rcwLlCiDtIGH?si=Qn7WPRWVRrGms7vtgVlBuw Hansford, Amelia. 28 April 2023.Lesbian icon Lisa Power explains how AIDS crisis healed riftbetween lesbians and gay groups. Pink News. Accessed 31 May 2025.https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/04/28/lesbians-lesbian-visibility-week-lisa-power/ National AIDS Memorial. “Marcy Fraser – Women and AIDS – Surviving Voices.” YouTube. Uploaded by National AIDS Memorial. 5 December, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKY0JfZp6us&t=482s Office of the Mayor. 7 February 2025. Part of Mayor Lurie’s Continued Focus on Keeping San Francisco Safe and Helping Residents Prepare for Emergencies. www.SF.gov. Accessed 4 April 2025. https://www.sf.gov/mayor-lurie-announces-fire-commission-appointments-marcy-fraser-to-remain-on-commission-allan-low-to-join San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library. 1985. “AIDS: An Incredible Epidemic.” YouTube. Uploaded by San Francisco Public Library. 7 December, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjDIoLlOWQo Yale University Library Online Exhibitions. We Are Everywhere: Lesbians in the Archive: Lesbian AIDS Activism. Yale Library Website. Accessed 31 March 2025.https://onlineexhibits.library.yale.edu/s/we-are-everywhere/page/lesbian-aids-activism

    1 Std. 49 Min.
  8. Episode 14: Ewan Forbes

    17.06.2025

    Episode 14: Ewan Forbes

    Did you know that many of the rules against trans gender markers come from an infamous legal battle involving a trans Scottish nobleman, Sir Ewan Forbes, 11th Baronet , general practitioner and expert in Scottish heritage? Learn all about one of the most significant court cases that led us to where we are today when it comes to changing to a chosen name or legal name change. CW: This episode mentions medicalized transphobia, please take care while listening. Check us out across the web! website pixelfed bsky insta patreon If you're into what we do, please share/like/subscribe/contact us and share! It really helps us out. Sources: Forbes, Ewan. The Aul' Days. Aberdeen: Aberdeen University Press, 1984. Playden, Zoe. (2021). The Hidden Case of Ewan Forbes: And the Unwritten History of the Trans Experience. Scribner/Bloomsbury Publishing. Strudwick, Patrick. "The Secret Court Case 50 Years Ago That Has Robbed Trans People of Their Rights Ever Since." The I Paper. 10.11.21. http://www.inews.o.uk.

    2 Std. 30 Min.
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Megan and Thomas are two middle-aged, self-identified queer people. In each episode, they delve into historical events and people who are part of queer history, as well as take a look at aging in the LGBTQIA+ community

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    these old queers
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    2024 - 2026
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