Queer at Last

Claude Cahun

Mon, 04 Aug 2025 03:00:00 GMT

This episode is an epic one - we are talking about Claude Cahun, a queer Jewish Marxist surrealist photographer, artist and writer who ran a successful resistance against the Nazis in WW2 with Marcel Moore, their life-partner and step-sister. Join Harriet and Katherine as they explore Cahun's extraordinary life, their relationship with Moore and their complex gender identity. Starting off with their iconic 1927 photograph 'I am in training don't kiss me.'

Please make sure to check the content warnings for this episode, as we do touch on some heavy topics.

Objects discussed in this episode:

I am in training don’t kiss me by Claude Cahun, 1927. Jersey Heritage Collections.
Self-portrait (with Nazi badge between her teeth) by Claude Cahun, 1945. Jersey Heritage Collections

See the objects we talk about on our Instagram @queer_at_last, and follow us on our other socials: Tumblr and Bluesky.

This topic was suggested by one of our listeners! Have an idea for an object with LGBTQ+ significance that you want us to talk about? Let us know via the contact form on our website.

Content warnings: this episode contains adult themes, swearing, mentions of suicide, mental illness, antisemitism, facism, imprisonment.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Inari and Kitsune

Mon, 21 Jul 2025 03:00:00 GMT

This episode we chat about Inari, the Japanese kami of rice, foxes, swordsmiths, brothels and prosperity, who presents as male, female, both and neither.

We also explore the tradition of Kitsune who are mischievous shape-shifting fox spirits with an insatiable craving for rice and tofu.

And, most importantly, we ruin our nerd credibility forever... Want to find out how Pokemon and Sonic the Hedgehog are related to ancient Japanese beliefs? Listen now!

See the objects we talk about on our Instagram @queer_at_last, and follow us on our other socials: Tumblr and Bluesky.

Have an idea for an object you want us to talk about? Let us know via the contact form on our website.

Content warnings: this episode contains adult themes and discussions or mentions of sex, mistreatment of people with mental illnesses, and swearing.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eleanor Rykener

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 03:00:00 GMT

Today we get a rare glimpse into queer life in 14th century England through the story of Eleanor Rykener - a trans woman who was an embroiderer, barmaid and sexworker, and did not hold back when sharing details about the men and women she slept with. We know about Eleanor's life through the written record of her questioning after she was arrested for having sex with a man, which is an incredible resource sharing her own account of her life in medieval England.

A quick clarification from Harriet:

Listening back, I don't think I did a very good job articulating my thoughts on the women that Eleanor says supported and enabled her own presentation as a woman. These womens' relationships with Eleanor could be indicative of support for her journey and chosen gender, however I want to make clear that, given the nature of Eleanor's connection with Elizabeth Brouderer who appears to have had a position of power within the brothel Eleanor worked at, this could also be a purely exploitative relationship. As we talk about in the episode, the tantalising glimpse of solidarity between women resonates strongly, however I do not wish to romanticise Eleanor's vulnerable position as transgender sex worker at the time.

Content warnings: this episode contains adult themes and discussions or mentions of sex, sex work, transphobia, homophobia, incarceration and swearing.

Resources mentioned in the episode:

Translated transcript of the questioning of Eleanor Rykener: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/1395rykener.asp

Toolkit for finding queer lives in archives, created by the Broken Futures project https://docslib.org/doc/9463376/finding-queer-lives-in-archives-a-toolkit

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep

Mon, 16 Jun 2025 03:00:00 GMT

4,500 years ago, two ancient Egyptian men named Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep decided they wanted to spend eternity together. Were they just bros - or something more...?

Content warnings: This episode contains adult themes and discussions or mentions of death, sex, and swearing. It also includes discussion of sexual violence and rape, presented within the context of a mythological story.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tove Jansson

Mon, 02 Jun 2025 03:00:00 GMT

We're back! And more powerful than ever. Today we're covering the queer life, love and legacy of Tove Jansson - the Finnish illustrator, writer and painter who created the iconic world of Moominvalley.

Here's a link to Emma Klingenberg's incredible rendition of The Big Mymble Song: https://youtu.be/LDV4TA33IE0?si=WhW3IgomtOtvspS0

Content warnings: This episode contains adult themes and discussions or mentions of sex and swearing.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alexander the Great

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 03:00:00 GMT

Today we're talking all things Alexander the G(ay)reat! One of the most successful military leaders in history and a figure who continues to fascinate thousands of years later - join us as we cut through the debates around his sexuality like a sword through the Gordian knot…

This week's object is a mosaic from Pompeii, thought to date from around 120-100 BCE. Currently at Naples Archaeological Museum, image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Content Warnings: this episode contains adult themes and discussions or mentions of sex, violence, homophobia, death, war, colonization, human sacrifice and swearing.

Feedback, comments, questions? Email us at queeratlast@outloom.com, we'd love to hear from you!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gentleman Jack

Mon, 17 Mar 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Today we are chatting about an educated, adventurous, elitist lesbian landowner from the Georgian period - Anne Lister, aka Gentleman Jack - who left us an incredible, unparallelled record of her life and her loves.

Content Warnings: this episode contains adult themes and discussions or mentions of sex, religion, racism, alcoholism, mental illness and swearing.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mitra–Varuna

Mon, 03 Mar 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Mitra-Varuna are two Hindu deities who were so close that they are referred to as one, and their name is the root for the sanskrit word for “friend”. Just two bros being bros, riding crocodiles and ejaculating into clay pots together.

Content Warnings: this episode contains adult themes and discussions or mentions of sex, religion, colonialism, transphobia and swearing.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sappho

Sun, 16 Feb 2025 23:13:02 GMT

2,600 years ago, a Greek poet was so iconically gay that her very name now describes love between women, today we're talking Sappho!

Content Warnings: this episode contains adult themes and discussions or mentions of sex and swearing.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. James Barry

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Dr. James Barry rose from poverty in the 19th century to become a doctor, travel the world and start beef with Florence Nightingale. He was also almost certainly a trans man, come explore his life with us!

Content Warnings: this episode contains adult themes and discussions or mentions of sex, violence, death, transphobia and swearing.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Little Mermaid

Mon, 20 Jan 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Today, we're diving into the many layers of queer subtext in Hans Christian Andersen's fairytale The Little Mermaid - and chatting Disney to boot!

Content Warnings: this episode contains adult themes and discussions or mentions of sex, violence, death, suicide, mutilation and swearing.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gilgamesh and Enkidu

Mon, 06 Jan 2025 04:00:52 GMT

One of the oldest stories ever told has at its core two men, equal and opposite, sharing a profound love for one another. Today we're talking about The Epic of Gilgamesh!

Content Warnings: this episode contains adult themes and discussions or mentions of sex, violence, death, brief references to alcohol use and swearing.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

William Shakespeare

Mon, 09 Dec 2024 04:00:44 GMT

Listen, I pray thee - to our tale of the bard himself, William Shakespeare - who is way gayer than the British school system ever led us to believe.

Content Warnings: this episode contains adult themes and discussions or mentions of homophobia, transphobia, sex, violence, death and swearing.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Publick Universal Friend

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 04:00:37 GMT

Sometimes we all need a friend, this episode we're talking about the Publick Universal Friend: a non-binary spirit of God who left their gender behind after a near-death experience during Hamilton time.

Content warnings: this episode contains adult themes and discussions or mentions of homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, death, religion and swearing.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donatello’s David

Mon, 11 Nov 2024 04:00:17 GMT

We dive into 14th Century Florence to understand the gay gay history behind Donatello’s David, or as it’s known by Harriet specifically, “Donatello’s Bronze Twink”.

Content warnings: this episode contains adult themes and discussions or mentions of sex, nudity, pederasty, pedophilia, unhealthy relationship dynamics, death, homophobia and swearing

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kit Marlowe

Mon, 28 Oct 2024 04:00:36 GMT

Queer playwright, man of mystery and for legal reasons definitely not secretly Shakespeare, today we look at a portrait of Kit Marlowe.

Content warnings: this episode contains adult themes and discussions or mentions of sex, murder, death, genitals, mutilation, homophobia and swearing.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bacchus

Mon, 14 Oct 2024 03:00:16 GMT

We’re chatting about Dionysus aka Bacchus - Ancient Greek god of theatre, wine, frenzy, debauchery and, perhaps most importantly, dildos… is there anything this guy can't do?!

Content Warnings: this episode contains adult themes and discussions or mentions of genitals, sex, pregnancy, violence, death, dismemberment, immolation, animal death and swearing

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Julie d’Aubigny

Sun, 29 Sep 2024 18:36:19 GMT

Get ready to feel inadequate as we delve into the history of the opera-singing, sword-fighting, nunnery-burning bisexual icon Julie d’Aubigny, a.k.a. La Maupin.

Content warnings: This episode contains adult themes and discussions of violence, death, pedophilia and underage relationships, homophobia and swearing

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.