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Artwork for Making Gay History

Making Gay History | LGBTQ Oral Histories from the Archive

Eric Marcus
Holocaust
LGBTQ History
LGBTQ Rights Movement
Stonewall Riots
Homosexuality
Stonewall Uprising
World War II
LGBTQ Rights
Nazi Regime
Nazi Germany
Frank Kameny
American Psychiatric Association
Mental Illness
Queer Women
Nazi Era
Fredy Hirsch
Auschwitz
Theresienstadt
Zionism
Concentration Camps

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

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes163Founded10 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
HistoryPersonal JournalsSociety & Culture

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Artwork for Making Gay History

Latest Episodes

When Lou Sullivan sought gender-affirming care in the 1970s, he was turned down. The reason? Lou identified as a gay man at a time when all trans people were assumed to be straight—a conflation of gender identity and sexual orientation that Lou made ... more

YouTube

“Are you gay?” a reporter asked U.S. Representative Barney Frank in 1987. “Yes, so what?” With that, Frank became the first member of Congress to voluntarily come out as gay. But the casualness of his reply hid decades of agonizing and a very real fe... more

YouTube

Nancy May’s allyship was as personal as it was political. After all, she was married to a gay man. In 1965, her involvement in San Francisco’s homophile movement placed her at the center of a headline-making face-off between the police and the city’s... more

YouTube

Raised in a religious home in 1920s and ’30s Texas, Jim Kepner pieced together a sense of his identity where he could—a homoerotic suggestion read between the lines here, a secretly acquired booklet there. His collection of gay-themed materials grew ... more

YouTube

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Recent Guests

Ira Pauly
Psychiatrist and interview subject
University of Nevada School of Medicine
Episode: Season 15: Episode 7: Lou Sullivan
Nancy May
Activist and interview subject in Making Gay History
Civil rights and homophile movement advocacy in the 1960s
Episode: Season 15: Episode 5: Nancy May
Jim Kepner
Archivist, journalist, historian and activist prominent in early LGBTQ history
International Gay and Lesbian Archives / One Institute / Mattachine Society
Episode: Season 15: Episode 4: Jim Kepner
Pat Bond
Lesbian WWII veteran and actor prominent in Word Is Out and stage performances
Private individual, featured in Word Is Out
Episode: Season 15: Episode 3: Pat Bond
Christine Jorgensen
1957 interview subject who became a global media sensation after gender-affirming surgery
Episode: Season 15: Preview
Mabel Hampton
Performer and domestic worker, openly lesbian in NYC (1920–1989)
Episode: Season 15: Preview
Barney Frank
U.S. Congressman and pioneering openly gay public figure
U.S. Congress
Episode: Season 15: Preview
Lou Sullivan
Gay trans man whose work challenged assumptions about transgender lives
Episode: Season 15: Preview
Dr. Pauly
Reigning expert on the female-to-male transsexual experience
Medical/Academic
Episode: Season 15: Preview

Host

Eric Marcus
Host of deeply researched LGBTQ history interviews; leads conversations with archival depth and context.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 2.4k ratings
  • season 15

    I am glad I found this! I really connect with the storyteller. It doesn’t hurt that his voice is beautiful and the production quality is impeccable.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    kittycorbu
    United Statesa month ago
  • Learning Real History

    I grew up while gay male friends were dying of AIDS. It was the beginning of realizing the injustice and inequality endured by LBGTQI friends and those who came before. This podcast is a very important source for anyone wanting to understand real history — and meet brave champions.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    AnitainVa
    United Statesa month ago
  • Wonderful! 🫶🏼

    Always look forward to hearing this incredible podcast!! 🌈

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    CooperDemi1234
    United States2 months ago
  • Exceptionally well produced

    Thank you so much to Mr Markus and all the team who helped recording, composing this series. I am finishing the 14th series and looking forward to the rest of this excellent podcast.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Plenty O'Toole
    Italy3 months ago
  • This podcast is amazing!🏳️‍🌈🩷

    This podcast is so good I love learning about LGBTQIA+ history and the amazing queer people of the past. My only complaint isn’t even about the podcast it’s about some of the reviews they’re just so hateful! Please stop if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say it all, just be a nice person.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Love is love🏳️‍🌈🩷
    United States4 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Many appreciate the thoughtful, respectful interviews and archival context.
Audiences highlight the importance of real historical voices & primary-source storytelling.
Listeners praise the production quality and storytelling, calling it a rich history experience.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#153
Taiwan/History
Apple Podcasts
#240
New Zealand/History

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Season 15: Episode 4: Jim Kepner
Q: When did you first realize it was a category? What was the definable illness?
The interview traces the moment of recognition, as depicted in Kepner's memories, when he began to understand his feelings and how they related to broader LGBTQ identities, which was reframed through later exposure to literature and community organizing.
Season 15: Episode 3: Pat Bond
Q: You voluntarily enlisted in the WAC. Was that unusual among the women that you knew?
Bond explains that joining the WAC was seen as a practical path to serve during the war, but the bigger challenge was the postwar purge of LGBTQ service members and the atmosphere of surveillance and stigma that followed.
Season 15: Episode 5: Nancy May
Q: You have a unique perspective on all of this, because you've been married to a gay man for 31 years.
Nancy explains how her marriage gave her deep empathy and a personal stake in the fight for gay rights, motivating her to engage with the homophile movement and push for civil liberties and community support.
Season 15: Episode 1: Christine Jorgensen
Q: How do you feel about the public reaction to your transition?
Christine describes a spectrum of responses—from shock to admiration—and emphasizes her focus on personal happiness and societal learning.
Season 15: Episode 1: Christine Jorgensen
Q: Are you a woman?
That is a central part of the discussion, and Christine explains complexity around gender and identity.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Making Gay History

What is Making Gay History about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show crafts intimate, archival-first portraits of LGBTQ history by featuring long-form conversations with figures who shaped or witnessed pivotal moments. Across episodes, listeners encounter personal stories—from early activism and legal battles to medical gatekeeping and the fight for transgender visibility—paired with historical context and often rare archival recordings. Notable strengths include deep, first-person narratives from a broad spectrum of voices (activists, politicians, doctors, archivists) and a consistent emphasis on seldom-told histories, making it a valuable resource for historians, educators, and listeners seeking nuanced takes on LGBTQ civil rights and culture.

Where can I find podcast stats for Making Gay History?

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How many listeners does Making Gay History get?

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What are the audience demographics for Making Gay History?

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How many subscribers and views does Making Gay History have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Making Gay History has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Making Gay History?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Making Gay History:

1. Slow Burn
2. The Adventure Zone
3. Gender Reveal
4. Paper Trail
5. Throughline

How many episodes of Making Gay History are there?

Making Gay History launched 10 years ago and published 163 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Making Gay History?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Making Gay History?

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What guests have appeared on Making Gay History?

Recent guests on Making Gay History include:

1. Ira Pauly
2. Nancy May
3. Jim Kepner
4. Pat Bond
5. Christine Jorgensen
6. Mabel Hampton
7. Barney Frank
8. Lou Sullivan

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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