Historical Homos

• Medieval Arab Lesbians (feat. Labia Gas & The Saffron Massage)

  The Dark Ages: Rome has fallen, the Church won't shut the fuck up, there's a killer plague for every season, and everyone else is dying of BOREDOM.Right? WRONG.Western Europe may have been a shitshow for much of what we ridiculously call the "Dark Ages," but the rest of the world had its act together.Specifically: Baghdad around the 800s AD. At the height of the Golden Age of Islam. They had libraries, they had mathematics, and...they had lesbian sex scientists.This week we’re taking a tantalizing dip into the Golden Age of Islam to uncover a treasure trove archive of lesbionic women from medieval Arabia.Muslim philosophers and physicians had actual words for lesbians (or lesbian-like women), entire books about famous lesbian couples, and specific manuals that explained how to vigorously rub one out with your beloved.From labia gas to celery-and-rocket shakes, the science was...shaky, at best. But the spirit of inquiry was strong, and the genuine respect for lesbian love profound.Tune in to explore:Why doctors thought the only sensible treatment for lesbianism was – get this! – lesbian sexA 13th-century Kama Sutra-style manual that coined the “saffron massage” (and came with a guide to lesbian sound effects)The interfaith power couple Hind Bint al-Nu'man and al-Zarqāʾ, whose legendary love story inspired queer and heterosexual writers for centuries to comeThe lost books of lesbian couples with names like Basil and Clove and Justice and Happiness (welcome, ladies, to the queer Muslim SPICE RACK)How medieval lesbian communities were rumoured to hold meetings and sex ed classes, because like all good homosexuals, they got organized.🎧 Listen now on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or wherever you pod. Willow oil and saffron grinder sold separately.📱 Follow Historical Homos on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and do ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sign up to our newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you care about gay people, like, at all.Most importantly, if you like what you hear, please do leave us a ⭐ FIVE STAR ONLY ⭐ review.Episode CreditsWritten and hosted by Bash. Edited by Alex Toskas. Produced by Dani Henion.

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• The Hanky Code: A Quickie History

  Welcome to The Hanky Code, aka Grindr for Boomers.Following on from our cruise through history last week, we've delved deeper into the notorious handkerchief code.The code was a form of flagging, which used different coloured bandanas to signal sexual / kink preferences.In this bonus Quickie episode, Bash unpacks the extremely colourful history of flagging—from gay Gold Rush cowboys to scrappy leather entrepreneurs in San Francisco. Along the way, we learn:How a 1923 law in New York basically criminalized the gayest activity in history (loitering)The surprising role of the BDSM community and their business cards in spreading the codeInventive twists and additions for the lesbians (white lace for Victorian kink , anyone?).And just how absurdly complicated it got—aka how to distinguish lemon from mustard yellow at 1AM in Central Park? Spoiler alert: you can't.The hanky code wasn’t just about getting off—it was about queer ingenuity, solidarity, and desire in a hostile world.Today it may be more relic than reality, but it still reminds us of the brilliant, horny creativity of our queer elders.We'll be back on September 4 with our next full episode on the history of Queer Georgian homemakers. So stay tuned!Till then, enjoy this bonus episode and get ready for some exciting announcements from us when we all go back to school...🎧 Listen now on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠, or wherever you pod. Fluid-stained bandanas sold separately.📱 Follow Historical Homos on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and do ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sign up to our newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you care about gay people, like, at all.Most importantly, if you like what you hear, please do leave us a ⭐ FIVE STAR ONLY ⭐ review.Episode CreditsWritten and hosted by Bash. Edited by Alex Toskas. Produced by Dani Henion.

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• Cruising: A 4,000 Year History (feat. Alex Espinoza)

  You know the feeling: when you lock eyes and the look lingers just a little too long. His hand brushes over his fly. And boom! A small smile confirms it: You're about to be cruising, my king!And all it took was a public park, centuries of sexual shame, and a little bit of courage to get you there...Now it's no surprise that the elegant and much-envied act of Fucking in Public has been around for thousands of years.But how did the "radical pastime" of modern-day cruising develop? Why did men start having sex with men in public parks and bathrooms? And why, in an allegedly sexually liberated world, do we still cruise today?Join Bash and his guest this week, Professor Alex Espinoza, as they chart over 4,000 years of men getting it off with men. From the Roman bathhouse to Paris' first urban parks, this is a steamy, rushed romp through history designed to be enjoyed from your very own public bathroom stall.You're welcome.We will cover:Why cruising needs cities, strangers, and the thrill of getting caught to really thriveThe ancient rules of cruising the Roman bathhouseHow policing and persecution actually helped cruising thrive, creating the modern "homosexual"Cruising as class-conscious RESISTANCEThe rise of cottaging in London's public bathroomsAl Pacino's absurdly terrible 1980 film CruisingWhether the eroticism of "looking" can survive Grindr's Era of Headless Torsos🎧 Listen now on ⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠, or wherever you pod. Grindr Unlimited subscription sold separately.📚 Grab a copy of Alex's book ⁠⁠Cruising: An Intimate History of a Radical Pastime⁠ on Bookshop.org (NEVER Amazon!)📱 Follow Historical Homos on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and do ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sign up to our newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you care about gay people, like, at all.Most importantly, if you like what you hear, please do leave us a ⭐ FIVE STAR ONLY ⭐ review.Episode CreditsWritten and hosted by Bash. Guest: Alex Espinoza.Edited by Alex Toskas. Produced by Dani Henion.

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• Emperor Nero: Portrait of a Bottom on Fire (feat. Andrew Lear)

  He fiddled while Rome burned. He married two men. He may even have kicked his pregnant wife to death.But he ALSO  invented animal pelt kink, so could he have been THAT BAD?!This week, Bash is joined by classicist and queer historian, Professor Andrew Lear, to discuss the scandalous, salacious, and slanderous life of Emperor Nero — Ancient Rome’s most notorious bisexual bad boy.From castrating (and marrying) his wife’s male doppelgänger to "mauling" strangers’ crotches in animal pelts, the stories about Nero are a masterclass in ancient PR. But why did so many historians vilify Nero in this intensely OTT way?Join us as we explore the answer to this question and many more, such as:How did Nero’s mother orchestrate his rise to power – and DID he murder her via collapsible boat?Did Nero really get gay married? Twice?!What did Roman “homosexuality” actually look like at the time — and why was being a bottom “not the Roman thing to do” (IYKYK)?Along the way, we’ll learn why the real scandal for the raunchy Romans wasn’t so much Nero’s queer behaviour, but his dangerous subversion of class and gender hierarchy.Plus: Justice For Roman Bottoms (my new charity), ancient pegging theories, and a verdict on the real question on everyone’s lips for the past two thousand years:Was Nero a monster… or the "Elvis Presley Emperor" of the 1st century AD?🎧 Listen now on ⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠, or wherever you pod. Roman villa sold separately.📱 Follow Historical Homos on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and do ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sign up to our newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you care about gay people, like, at all.Most importantly, if you like what you hear, please do leave us a ⭐ FIVE STAR ONLY ⭐ review.Episode CreditsWritten and hosted by Bash.Guest: Andrew Lear.Edited by Alex Toskas.Produced by Dani Henion.

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• Butt Pirates: A History of Queer Piracy (feat. Rebecca Simon)

  🏴‍☠️ Before there was BRAT, there were Butt Pirates. 🏴‍☠️This week we're hoisting our slutty sails – that's what I call my underpants – to plunder the treacherous homosexual deep, with pirate historian and author Dr. Rebecca Simon (Pirate Queens; The Pirate’s Code) to answer the age-old question: Why are men on a ship always kinda gay?First of all, when we say "pirate," we mean the real 17th- and 18th-century swashbucklers who sailed the high seas. This is not Johnny Depp in eyeliner, but actual rum-soaked, textile-stealing anarcho-queers of the Caribbean.Join us as we dive into the Golden Age of Piracy (c.1650–1730), and reveal the surprising egalitarianism of pirate society (it was pretty democratic and they had health insurance!) and its complex manifestations of queer desire — from situational sodomy to full-on civil unions (bonjour, matelotage 👬).We also discuss:The difference between freelance pirates and government-backed privateersHow pirate ships fucked up the burgeoning capitalism (and monopolistic tendencies) of 17th century imperial powersTheir extraordinarily lush accessories budgetHow to board and charge a ship nakedThe 1720s pirate Anne Bonny's discovery that her crush “Mark” was actually a "Mary"The romance of John Swan and Robert Culliford: gay historical roommates... who were, tragically, actually roommatesAnd, finally, a story about a French colony that proves the bonds of sodomy may be stronger than the bonds of (straight) marriage🎧 Listen now on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, or wherever you pod. Parrot and peg leg sold separately.📚 Grab a copy of Rebecca's book ⁠The Pirate Queens at our shop on Bookshop.org📱 Follow Historical Homos on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and do ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sign up to our newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you care about gay people, like, at all.Most importantly, if you like what you hear, please do leave us a ⭐ FIVE STAR ONLY ⭐ review.Episode CreditsWritten and hosted by Bash. Guest: Rebecca Simon.Edited by Alex Toskas. Produced by Dani Henion.

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