Making Gay History is the perfect podcast to listen to for Pride Month. It mines Eric Marcus’s(the host) decades-old audio archive of rare interviews—conducted for his award-winning oral history of the LGBTQA+ civil rights movement—to create intimate, personal portraits of both known and long-forgotten champions, heroes, and witnesses to history. There are twelve seasons of this podcast which cover different eras and movements of LGBTQA+ history. I listened to episodes about the Stonewall Uprising, life on Cherry Grove, Fire Island during the 1970s, and the AIDS epidemic. Making Gay History is a well crafted and interesting podcast that I highly recommend.
The first episode of this podcast that I listened to is about the gay community on Cherry Grove, Fire Island. In it, Marcus describes a friend taking him to Fire Island for the first time. Unfortunately for him, the friend exposed him to settings that he was not ready for and his visit was short. In time, however, he grew to appreciate Fire Island as a place where LGBTQA+ people can be themselves, which was not always the case. In the podcast, you learn about how gay men on Fire Island were arrested by the police and then forcibly ferried of the island. Gay civil rights activists protested against actions like these and over time the gay community flourished without being harassed. This is a fascinating episode that describes the origin of the gay community on Fire Island.
Sylvia Rivera describes her experience during the Stonewall Riots in season one of this podcast. Interestingly, Rivera had never been to the Stonewall Inn before the time of the riot. She recalls the movement when people began to riot after being harassed by the police. They threw coins in the air to symbolize the mob ownership of the Stonewal Inn and payoffs they were giving the police. Rivera also talks about knowing she was transgender when she was young and living on the street beginning at the age of ten. She lived on the street for most of her life and unfortunately passed at an early age. This is an interesting but tragic episode.
Marcus describes what life was like for him during AIDS in season nine. In the first episode, Marcus talks about reporting about the AIDS crisis. The first article he read about it was titled “Rare Cancer Seen in 41 Homosexuals ” which was published by the NY Times on July 3, 1981. This headline and inaccurate reporting on gay men lead to widespread homophobia. Marcus describes his personal experience during the AIDS crisis. Someone he was intimate with named Bob tested positive for HIV. Bob had no idea he had it and he believed he just had stomach issues. After listening to episode one, listeners will eager to find out what happens to Marcus and learn about the AIDS crisis in general.
Making Gay History is a personal look at events in LGBTQA+ history. The oral history interviews in this podcast provide excellent insight into important events and moments in history. Marcus tells fascinating stories that will educate listeners about the LGBTQA+ community. I highly recommend Making Gay History as a way of celebrating Pride Month.
You can listen to Making Gay History through the podcast website or through podcast apps such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Making Gay History contains strong language, violence and/or sexual content. Viewer discretion advised.
On Wednesday, June 7th and June 14th, the Yonkers Public Library is co-sponsoring a program called Safe Haven: Gay Life in 1950s Cherry Grove. You will recieve the Zoom information about registering for the program.
Michael Walsh
Adult Services-Will Branch