Making Gay History | LGBTQ Oral Histories from the Archive

Vito Russo loved movies, but he looked behind the silver screen and saw how Hollywood was sending a message that LGBTQ people were less-than-human. He decided that that had to change. He wrote a book,...

15 Dec 201621min

Self-described gay rights fanatics and life partners Barbara Gittings and Kay “Tobin” Lahusen helped supercharge the nascent movement in the 1960s and brought their creativity, passion, determination,...

8 Dec 201621min

A generation ago, tens of millions of people turned to "Dear Abby” in her daily newspaper column for advice. Long before others did, and at considerable risk, she used her platform and celebrity in su...

1 Dec 201615min

A WWII veteran turns theory into action, co-founding one of the first LGBT rights groups, the Mattachine Society, in 1950—a time when gay people were considered sick, sinful, criminal, and a threat to...

23 Nov 201618min

When Jeanne Manford’s gay son was badly beaten at a protest in 1972, she took action and founded an organization for parents of gays known today as PFLAG. Visit our episode webpage for background inf...

17 Nov 201618min

Frank Kameny fought for what was right. And he never gave up. Lessons for us all. Visit our episode webpage for background information, archival photos, and other resources. For exclusive Making Gay...

10 Nov 201619min

In 1945 Dr. Evelyn Hooker’s gay friend Sam From urged her to do a study challenging the commonly held belief that homosexuals were by nature mentally ill. It was work that would ultimately strip the “...

3 Nov 201617min

In 1947, Hollywood secretary Edythe Eyde, aka Lisa Ben, had the audacity to publish "Vice Versa," the first ever “magazine” for lesbians. Even more audacious, she imagined a future gay utopia that has...

27 Okt 201615min