In this month's politisode Evan dives into the differences between the Queer Revolution and the Gay Rights Movement. These sometimes parallel, yet very different movements, have collided to spark the backlash impacting Pride organizations across the country right now. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/yourqueersto…

This week we are discussing the many symbols, language, and colors that have made up queer culture in America. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/yourqueerstory/message

Last month was Asian American History Month and this month is PRIDE MONTH!!! So we thought it was best to kick things off with a much-anticipated episode about Queer Asian American history. Before we begin, we want to credit our main source for this episode, and really one of the few sources available on this subject, Breathing Fire: Remembering As…

Our second segment of date night with guest Samantha Taylor disucess Demi Lovato coming out as non-binary, the Aces 2020 album Under My Influence, and queer parenting life. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/yourqueerstory/message

Evan interviews Joel Barrett, a former fundamentalist pastor who underwent 3 years of conversion therapy before coming out as a proud gay man. Today, Joel is an author, motivational speaker, and happily married husband to his partner of 15 years. He shares his story in his new book, "Godly...But Gay", which is available for pre-order today! Get a g…

Every now and then Evan & Paul just need to have a conversation! Join us on Patreon! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/yourqueerstory/message

On our monthly politisode Evan discusses the New Jersey Principal who threw beer on a group of folks filming his wife in a transphobic rant. We also, spotlight New York Representative Ritchie Torres before delving into the main topic, Caitlyn Jenner's bid for California governor. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/…

This Sunday marks the 56th anniversary of the Dewey Lunch Counter Sit-Ins. An infamous moment in queer history when gender-diverse youth challenged their exclusion from an American Diner. Four years before Stonewall and the formal Gay Rights Movement broke into mainstream consciousness, queer revolutionaries were already preparing for battle. From …

Samantha Taylor joins the YQS podcast for a new segment titled 'Date Night with Sam & Evan'. Together the couple discusses queer news and reviews, amid other casual conversations. On their first segment together they tackle the coming out of former Bachelor star Colton Underwood, review the Lesbian period drama "The World to Come", and give a sneak…

Today we interview Jim Obergefell. In 2015, Jim, an openly gay man from Ohio, had his name attached to the most significant case in queer American history. Obergefell v. Hodges was the landmark Supreme Court ruling that finally legalized same-sex marriage in the United States. Mr. Obergefell joins us on the podcast to tell his story and encourage o…

On this Politisode Evan goes solo to review the recent wave of anti-transgender legislation entered into state legislatures this session. Join to stay informed as well as ti learn the history behind some of these bills. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/yourqueerstory/message…

Hey #Queerstians, this episode was our first attempt at recording virtually. Sorry in advance! Today we are continuing our topic for March, which is covering various groups and movements that contributed to women’s rights in America. While it is not necessary to listen or review the previous episodes in our series, we do encourage that you follow a…

This year, to honor women’s history month, we are going to cover a few of the major movements in the past that have focused on full equality. We say full equality because the fight for women’s rights has never been based solely on women. True feminism has always allowed room for any person oppressed and shunned to join its ranks. However, this cert…

Today we conclude our Black History Month tribute by covering one of the most well-beloved books in queer, Black literature. The Color Purple has held a place of reverence among modern literature for nearly 40 years. In fact, next year will mark the 40th anniversary of this iconic book that broke down barriers for both Black and queer women. Its au…

Today we continue recognizing and honoring Black writers, their work, and their other contributions to American society. This week we will be covering a man whose words were incredibly influential throughout the 20th century and whose legacy continues to inspire fans and draw ire from critics. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify…

Today we continue celebrating Black History Month and this year we are covering Black literary giants, their works, and how they inspired the movements of yesterday and today. This week we get current as we discuss a woman living in the heart of today’s civil rights protests, Andrea Jenkins. She is the first Black, transgender woman elected to publ…

Today we launch the annual observance of Black History Month. And this year we will be focusing on some of the literary works that have inspired different movements towards Black equality. One of the most timely and well-known books written in the last century was the Black manifesto, The Fire Next Time. Written by the queer, civil rights activist …

For nearly a quarter of a century, Ellen has been an open advocate for LGBTQ rights and lived her own queer life openly even when it cost her dearly. Her humor and desire to spread good in the world has allowed her to enter the homes of even the most staunch anti-LGBTQ critics. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/yo…

Born in Pennsylvania in April of 1791, James enjoyed life as the wealthiest boy in town. His father was an immigrant who came to America just a few years earlier and soon made his wealth in agriculture and real estate. The young heir went off to Dickinson College and, perhaps due to his arrogance or mere young mischief, was nearly expelled twice. -…

In this episode Evan & Paul discuss the Insurrection on the United States Capitol building on January 6, 2021 & good news for the queer community from 2020. Join us on Patreon! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/yourqueerstory/message

In this episode Evan & Paul discuss all of the changes that are coming to the podcast & our growing queer network next year. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/yourqueerstory/message

Today we celebrate and recognize the 47th anniversary of homosexuality being delisted as a mental disorder by the American Psychiatric Association. Of course, there was and continues to be much work to be done for the LGBTQ+ in relation to the field of medicine. However, today we want to focus on the wins over the last century and how our movement …

As we move full-force into the Holiday season, we can’t go another minute without recognizing one of the most popular songs of the holiday - and the man behind it. For the last 26 years, the song Last Christmas has remained a consistent, holiday favorite, continuing to top the charts again and again through the month of December. Part of this is du…

Today, in honor of World AIDS Day on December 1st, we want to recognize and honor a group that was fundamentally responsible for changing the tide on the AIDS crisis. ACT UP, an acronym that stood for AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power, was founded in 1987. At this time, over 40,000 Americans had died of the AIDS crisis and the President had only just…

Evan and Paul have partnered with Sojourner House in Rhode Island to send free, rapid HIV testing kits to listeners in the United States. Listen to find out more!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/yourqueerstory/message

This week we’re talking about a very serious topic, though in a quite light-hearted way. Queer coding is defined as such: The subtextual portrayal of a queer character in the media whose identity is not explicitly confirmed within canon. This concept refers to a character that encapsulates what might be considered "queer traits" that are recognizab…

This week is Transgender Awareness week and it sits in the month of November, which is Native American history month. With all of that in mind, we thought what better person to cover than the newly elected Kansas Representative, Stephanie Byers. Byers is a transgender Native American who is a member of the Chickasaw Nation, currently residing in Ka…

We’ve been meaning to get around to talking about Atlanta for quite some time but have been putting it off until just the right time. Now, the recent election has motivated us to pay tribute to Georgia - and the amazing Stacey Abrams - by celebrating the city known as The Black LGBTQ+ Mecca. Join us on Patreon! --- Send in a voice message: https://…

A brief episode on the woman who just became the first transgender state senator in U.S. history. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/yourqueerstory/message

In this episode Evan and Paul talk election anxiety, what's at stake, and some tips for getting through this stressful time.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/yourqueerstory/message

Today we’re finally covering a long time queer favorite – Rocky. And if you think we’re talking about a down on his luck, Philadelphia boxer, who constantly walks around with blood running down his face calling out for “Adrian!!!” – well then you’re probably straight and have stumbled upon the wrong podcast. But if you’re queer then there’s only on…

Today we are finally covering the woman that many have dubbed the “First Female Serial Killer in America”. While this statement is inaccurate and in fact cannot be measured as the term “serial killer” was not even coined until the 1970s, we can say that Aileen was the first notorious female serial killer in American history. Most of this was due to…

As we launch into October there are many things to celebrate. It’s LGBTQ+ history month, we’re just a few days before National Coming Out Day on October 11th, and also October serves as the original ‘Pride Month’. But all of that aside, what we really care about is Queer True Crime and October is Your Queer Stories True Crime month. So we thought w…

We are in our final week of honoring Queer LatinX culture and history and it seems fitting to go out with the infamous Walter Mercado. The icon was an astrologer and T.V. spiritual advisor who held daily shows to over 120 million viewers at the height of his career. His charisma and charm captivated his followers while his androgynous identity baff…

Our episode today will first air on Bisexual Visibility Day so we want to wish all of our favorite bisexuals a proud, and happy day of visibility. And in honor of both Latin history month and Bixsexual Visibility we have invited Vima Manfredo, our favorite, bisexual Latina, to join us today. We also have David Rivera, Paul's fiance! Before we get t…

For the next few weeks, we will be celebrating LatinX history month. September is chosen to remember LatinX history because of the significance around the Mexican War of Independence. This defining, 11-year war, both began and ended in the month of September. And it was through this struggle that Mexico gained independence from the colonization of …

Today we finally are touching upon queer culture in the Pacific Islands. Specifically discussing the Hawaiian Islands and the variance in expression and openness today from island to island. Before we begin we want to lend credit to two of our main sources. A paper written by Professor Aleardo Zanghellini and published by the University of Reading’…

As Hyles star began to fade in the 1990’s, a new surge of anti-LGBTQ+ activism was on the rise in Topeka, Kansas. Fred Phelps was born a few years after Jack Hyles but his infamy wouldn’t come until much later in life. Unlike Norris and Hyles, Phelps grew up in a middle class family in Meridian, Mississippi. His mother passed away when he was 6 yea…

A Norris fanboy and good friend of Roloff was already well on his way to IFB stardom when Roloff passed. Jack Hyles was born the same year J. Frank stood trial for murder in 1926. Hyle’s early life seemed to mirror that of Norris. Jack was born in poverty, the son of an alcoholic who beat him severely and eventually left the Hyles family all togeth…

Today we are going to deep dive into the world that Evan belonged to for the first 23 years of his life. A world that many consider bizarre yet harmless. While others, often those who have left this type of environment or similar ones, recognize the lasting impacts of the IFB on local communities and the U.S. as a whole. It should be noted upfront …

Today we are covering one of the most heartbreaking and bizarre cases in modern medical history. The story of David Reimer has been used as both a platform for reform around acceptance of Intersex identities and as a weapon against transgender children transitioning at a young age. What is more interesting though is that David Reimer was neither in…

We return with part two of What a Drag; A History of Ballroom Culture & Modern Drag. We left off at the end of the 1950’s just as a new era was dawning in the queer community. The Lavender Scare was finally starting to fade as America's understanding around sexual orientation was VERY slowly evolving. Organizations such as The Mattachine Society an…

“Strangest and gaudiest of all Harlem spectacles in the ’20s, and still the strangest and gaudiest, is the annual Hamilton Club Lodge Ball at Rockland Palace Casino. I once attended as a guest of A’Lelia Walker. It is the ball where men dress as women and women dress as men… it was fashionable for the intelligentsia and social leaders of both Harle…

The controversy surrounding JK Rowling had continued as the writer published statements comparing hormone treatment for transgender people to conversion therapy.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/yourqueerstory/message

Today’s minisode is dedicated to a special person indeed and perfectly addresses a long-standing issue in the LGBTQ+ community. In March of this year, former representative Aaron Schock came out as gay. The name may be familiar as the politician made quite a name and a scandal for himself in the brief 5 years he was in Congress. And in fact, we hav…

We are continuing our coverage of the AIDS crisis during the 1980s. If you have not listened to part 1, we strongly encourage that you do so. We begin in 1983 when the crisis is finally gaining widespread medical attention. By now, the mystery disease had gone through several name changes. Starting with the misdiagnosis of pneumonia and the cancer …

Today we present the first half of our two-part series on the 1980s AIDS Crisis and the way the epidemic unfolded in America during the first five years it was uncovered. There are few moments in history that have been darker for our community than the decade between 1980 and 1990. Almost every single LGBTQ+ person connected to the queer world watc…

#BlackLivesMatter was founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer. Black Lives Matter Foundation, Inc is a global organization in the US, UK, and Canada, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes. By combating …

We’ve officially launched into the most magical time of the year and even though this year will look a lot different than usual, we can still make June as queer as possible. In order to honor the struggles of those before us, we will be covering some grim yet necessary parts of our LGBTQ+ History this month. Before we explore the pain and struggles…

Today’s episode drops just 5 days before the launch of Pride Month. That special time of year that rejuvenates us with hope, confidence, and glitter. One of the best parts about Pride today is that so many companies and organizations show their open support online, in their media, and through rainbows plastered on the front of their merchandise. Wh…