Episodes

Tuesday Mar 01, 2022
Giovanni’s Room
Tuesday Mar 01, 2022
Tuesday Mar 01, 2022
In today's episode of Queer as Fiction we delve into James Baldwin's 1956 novel, Giovanni's Room.
Join us as we discuss 1950s gender roles, the French gay bar scene and the concept of a Manic Pixie Dream Gay.
Thank you to our Patrons for voting on this episode!
Check out our website, where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact.
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[Image: Front Cover of the Penguin Modern Classics edition of Giovanni's Room, the 1956 novel by James Baldwin. It features the silhouettes of two men and the legs of a woman]

Tuesday Feb 15, 2022
Harry Crawford
Tuesday Feb 15, 2022
Tuesday Feb 15, 2022
Today's episode is on the life and trial of early 20th century Australian transgender man Harry Crawford. Join us to learn what court records, newspaper articles and modern biographies can tell us about a century of Australian attitudes to transgender experiences.
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[Image: Mugshot of Harry Crawford, taken by the New South Wales Police Department in 1920. It is a black and white photo Harry Crawford, a white man in a three piece suit looking at the camera with a serious expression.]

Tuesday Feb 01, 2022
The Asexual Manifesto
Tuesday Feb 01, 2022
Tuesday Feb 01, 2022
This week, Queer as Fact is talking about the Asexual Manifesto, published in New York in 1972. Join us for our first deep dive into ace history, a discussion of the place of asexuality in 1970s feminism, and one of the first ever mentions of ace pride.
Check out our website, where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact.
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[Image: 'Lesbian activists at Barnard provide labels', Off Our Backs vol. 3 no. 6 Feb/Mar 1973 - a young woman sits in front of a sign featuring various sexuality labels, including asexual]

Saturday Jan 22, 2022
Louisa May Alcott
Saturday Jan 22, 2022
Saturday Jan 22, 2022
Today's episode is on beloved 19th century author Louisa May Alcott. Irene, Alice and Jason, who between them have read the 1868 novel Little Women, watched the 2017 movie Little Women, and read a good number of Louisa May Alcott's letters, diaries and papers, discuss the times when fiction might be more honest than autobiography, the ways that gender identity and gendered social roles interact, and the appeal (or lack thereof) of cold baths.
Thank you to our Patreons for voting on this episode! It was fun to research and record.
Check out our website, where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact.
If you enjoy our content, consider supporting us on Patreon, checking out our merch, and following us on Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook.
[Image: Portrait of Louisa May Alcott; Wikimedia Commons]

Saturday Jan 15, 2022
The Matrix
Saturday Jan 15, 2022
Saturday Jan 15, 2022
Today marks our first Queer as Fiction episode for the season, as we discuss the 1999 film, directed by Lilly and Lana Wachowski, The Matrix.
Join us as we explore the red pill, the blue pill, and everything in between.
Check out our website, where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact.
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[Image: The movie poster for 1999 film The Matrix, featuring the characters of Neo, Trinity, Morpheus and Cypher]

Wednesday Dec 15, 2021
Bíawacheeitchish (Woman Chief)
Wednesday Dec 15, 2021
Wednesday Dec 15, 2021
This week on Queer as Fact we're talking about the Crow warrior and leader, Bíawacheeitchish, or Woman Chief. Join us to hear about Crow gender, fighting grizzly bears, and Bíawacheeitchish's four wives.
Check out our website, where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact.
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[Image: Illustration of Barcheeampe (Pine Leaf) from The Life and Adventures of James P Beckwourth (1856)]

Wednesday Dec 01, 2021
Han Zigao
Wednesday Dec 01, 2021
Wednesday Dec 01, 2021
Today, we're discussing 6th century Chinese general Han Zigao! Join us as we talk about his life, and various fictionalised adaptations of it. Learn a little about media censorship in modern day China, gender in Ming Dynasty theatre, and whether or not you can be too beautiful to be an enemy spy.
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(Image: the promotion poster for the 2016 movie Han Zigao. It depicts two men in period costume in a tent, underneath the text 韩子高 in gold lettering.)

Friday Oct 15, 2021
Dr James Barry: Part 2
Friday Oct 15, 2021
Friday Oct 15, 2021
Today we bring you our second episode on the 19th-century British military doctor Dr James Barry. Join us to learn about Florence Nightingale's desperate need for sunscreen, how to dress stylishly as a trans man in the 1800s and a mysterious black box.
Check out our website, where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact.
If you enjoy our content, consider supporting us on Patreon, checking out our merch, and following us on Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook.

Friday Oct 01, 2021
Dr James Barry: Part 1
Friday Oct 01, 2021
Friday Oct 01, 2021
This week, Queer as Fact is talking about the 19th-century British military surgeon, Dr James Barry. Join us to hear about anatomy classes in the 1800s, James' scandalous relationship with the governor of Cape Town, and two bonus James Barrys!
Check out our website, where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact.
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Wednesday Sep 15, 2021
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
Wednesday Sep 15, 2021
Wednesday Sep 15, 2021
Today's episode is on Mexican nun, writer and polymath Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. Join Irene and Alice to hear about the realities of life in a 17th century convent, poetry ranging from sweet to filthy, and one weird tip for teaching yourself Latin.
Check out our website, where you can find out everything there is to know about Queer as Fact.
If you enjoy our content, consider supporting us on Patreon, checking out our merch, and following us on Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook.