To whet your appetites before our season 4 launch on February 27, we decided to break into the Patreon vault and unlock one of our exclusive Holes in History episodes for your listening pleasure! So plug in your headphones, get the car's bluetooth switched on, or plug into the stereo so the whole family can enjoy ... The Valiant Ladies of Potosi! The story of two swashbuckling lady lovers is one that's cropped up on the internet of late, and it's not surprising why. Two young women dressed...

It's the holiday season and we're back from our summer break to celebrate! In this end of year special we chat about our summer plans, our favourite Deviant Women of the year and then we dive into the Roman goddess of the New Year, Strenua, and her Italian counterpart, La Befana! Grab a drink, a mince pie and some pudding, and let's get into some festive goodness! If you want to support Deviant Women, follow us on:  Patreon Twitter @DeviantWomen Facebook @deviantwomenpodcast Instagram...

In the underworld of prohibitionist Harlem, there was one queen who ruled the roost - Stephanie 'Queenie' St Clair. The Caribbean racketeer was not only a boss entrepreneur of the illegal numbers game, she was also a leader and activist, funnelling her vast riches back into the community. Unlike others on the scene, she ruled by reputation alone, and was known for her elegant style and give-no-f***s attitude. But then, as prohibition came to an end, the mob started seeking out new lucrative...

By the end of the 1920s, the U.S. was rocked by financial and ecological disasters that saw it spiral into the Great Depression. At the same time, the advent of sound film was ushering in the golden age of American animation, and with it, one of history's most iconic film makers: Walt Disney. While Disney would become a household name, at the heart of his finest work were countless unsung artists and animators; one of the most legendary among them was Mary Blair. With a background in...

Sadly, due to come unforeseen circumstances we’ve had to delay our episode by one week. We’ll see you next week, but for now we get to introduce a new addition to Lipp Media. All the S**t I’ve Learned Abroad is a travel podcast focussed on everything and anything related to travel. Hosts Steph and Andrea, two Canadian expats, come together remotely each week to record episodes based on their own travel experiences ranging from lost passports, missed flights, and travel scams. Andrea lives and...

In 1632 in a small, haunted Ursuline convent, a series of strange disturbance began to occur. When the Prioress, 25-year-old Sister Jeanne, was beset by terrifying dreams of a priest who cursed her and bade her to perform obscene sexual acts, she knew who was to blame. She had been possessed, she claimed, by demons under the direction of one Urbaine Grandier, the powerful parish priest of Loudun. As more and more of the nuns came under the influence of devils, it was determined that elaborate...

It's finally time, Deviants! This fortnight, we journeyed way, way back to visit the figure who started it all, the original Deviant Woman - the witch, the slayer, the mean mother you don't want to cross - Medea! From her mythological beginnings as Jason's right-hand-woman to her titular role at the centre of Euripides' famous drama, Medea remains one of Greek mythology's most infamous and intriguing figures. After supporting Jason through his conquests with the Argonauts (and saving his life...

Known in her lifetime by many names, Malintzin would be recorded in history as the infamous La Malinche. Born into nobility and sold into slavery, from a young age Malintzin possessed a gift for language and diplomacy. In 1519, she was given to Hernán Cortés, the leader of the Spanish invading forces. When her translation skills were discovered, Cortés used her as his interpreter and, eventually, took her as his lover. Positioned as a vital go-between for the Spanish and indigenous peoples,...

In the dark and seedy cabarets of Weimar Berlin, where sex was a performance and decadence was king, one woman ruled the room. Born to artist parents at the turn of the century, Anita Berber was destined for a life on the stage. Famed for her kohl-rimmed eyes, her bright red hair, and her provocative burlesque, Berber became an underground sensation. But she was just as infamous for her scandalous bisexual affairs and hotel orgies as her avante-garde performances, and with dances named...

During the turbulent years of World War II the pool halls and billiard rooms of the U.S. were quiet: the men who had once populated them had gone off to fight. But after the war a new buzz brought audiences flooding back to professional billiards, and an unexpected star was on the rise. Known as the 'First Lady of Billiards', Masako Katsura hailed from Japan, where she had already established herself as a national champion. But after meeting and marrying an American serviceman, Katsura found...

We are Alicia and Lauren, your Deviant Women hosts! Each fortnight, we discuss a ‘deviant’ woman from history, fiction, mythology or the contemporary world. Women who aren’t afraid to break the rules, to subvert the system, to explore, to seek and to challenge the status quo. But we also like to dig deep into the ideas that have restricted women's lives and shaped the way we tell their stories. Who gets to be a virgin? Who gets to be a whore? Why not be both?! (It's always better to be...

When Wendy Carlos released Switched On Bach, the first classical album recorded on a synthesizer, she radically transformed people's understandings of what electronic music could do. At the time of the album's release, Wendy was also six-months into hormone therapy and struggling with her rising fame and anxieties about how the public might react to her transition. But Switched On Bach was a huge success and Wendy went on not only to critical acclaim, but to work with famed composers and film...

What the hell is queer theory? Who gets to identify as queer? Does it mean anything to call yourself a “queer ally”? These are the kinds of questions writers Benjamin Riley and Simon Copland ask on Queers, a discussion and interview podcast about critical queer politics and culture. Simon Copland is a PhD Student in Sociology at the ANU. He is a freelance writer with a focus on gender, sexuality and politics. In his spare time he does powerlifting, loves rugby union and is a David Bowie...

Carolyn Layton had an idyllic childhood. Daughter of a socially progressive Methodist minister father and peace activist mother, she grew up believing passionately in social justice and racial equality. After marrying Larry Layton, a conscientious objector, the two began a new life together, a life founded on their shared principles of equality, freedom and social progress. Then they found an incredible new church, that seemed to share and espouse the values they held most dear: The People's...

After fleeing her arms-dealing husband and his castle in the Austrian countryside, Hedy Lamarr made her way to Hollywood and the open arms of MGM Studios. She was going to be a star! The only problem: she'd gained a risque reputation for herself in the Czech film Ecstacy. This temptress image is one that would follow Hedy for much of her career, despite the fact that not only was she an extraordinary talent, she was also an extraordinary mind. Because little did most of Hollywood know, Hedy...

As colonial powers muscled in on 18th century India, one woman rose from obscurity to become the leader of a powerful and formidable mercenary army. From the life of a dancing girl to life on the battlefields, the Begum Samru was feared and respected not just by her troops, but also by those who held the highest power. But she loved just as boldly as she fought, and her heart led her to desperate measures of Shakespearean proportions. Follow us into the wild and vibrant streets of the Mughal...

Marsha P Johnson was a legend of Christopher Street, a revolutionary trans and LGBTQ+ activist, and a leading figure of Stonewall. Famed for her extravagant floral headdresses, her bright red plastic heels, and her generous spirit, Marsha made a name for herself not just as a drag queen, but as a mother to the queer street and trans youth who needed her. Together with her best friend, fellow trans activist Sylvia Rivera, she created STAR, the Street Transvestite (now Transgender) Action...

In part two of our look at the history of reproduction rights in America, we trace the life of Pat Maginnis: a grassroots activist who campaigned tirelessly to change America's abortion laws. After two harrowing years spent working in an army hospital in Panama, it was Maginnis' personal struggle to find safe and legal abortion providers in the U.S. that cemented her desire to enact change. Pounding the street corners of San Francisco, Maginnis and 'The Army of Three' helped thousands of...

In the early 20th century the highly restrictive Comstock Act made it almost impossible for American women to gain access to, or an understanding of, contraceptive methods. Arriving into the impoverished communities of New York city's East side, nurse Margaret Sanger saw women struggling with enormous families of children, the health ramifications of multiple births, and the horrors of back-alley abortions. This motivated her to act, starting a campaign of birth control advocacy that would...

Famous today as the overlooked illustrator of the influential Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot Deck, in her own time Pamela Colman Smith something of an enigma. Known for her lively and enchanting Jamaican folklore performances, her publishing press and literary magazine, and for her extraordinary miniature theatre, Pamela - Pixie to her friends - wove magical worlds where women had agency and gender was fluid. But she was also a woman cloaked in mystery, and who was often Othered by her...

Along the rivers and waterways of Mexico, a woman's cries can be heard in the night. Punished for the crime of infanticide, La Llorona wanders in the dark for eternity, ready to snatch away unsuspecting children. But while her story makes for perfect horror film fare, there is more to her than meets the eye. With echoes of the Aztec goddess Cihuacóatl, her significance as a symbol of women's agency and power has been reclaimed in modern feminist reimaginings of La Llorona lore. So turn the...

Infamous as the 'Mad Queen of Madagascar', Queen Ranavalona's reign is remembered as one of violence and tyranny. But she was also a queen with a noble mission: to protect the sovereignty and traditional practices of her people from the enormous and oppressive colonial forces of the French and English. Her methods, though, were inventive. Come with us to the island of Madagascar to discover a queen unafraid to poison a witch or two (or a few thousand), hang herself some Christians, and lead...

Celebrated as the iconic model and muse for the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Elizabeth Eleanor Siddall has become one of the most recognisable faces in the history of Western art. However, famed for her beauty and romanticised for her tragic personal life, Lizzie Siddall's own art and poetry was largely brushed aside, diminished by the grandeur of the "great men" who surrounded her. Come with us as we button our bonnets and prepare for some grave-digging in order to examine the mythic story of...

From conservative Melbourne to the Bohemian underworld of Paris' Rive Gauche, and a wild mountain hideaway in Positano, Vali Myers led a life like no other. Heralded as the original hippy and the muse of beatniks and hipsters, Vali Myers was an artist, dancer and environmentalist who left entire movements in her wake. After living on the streets and dancing in jazz clubs to stay alive, she went on to establish a wildlife sanctuary in Italy where she painted profound images of the sacred,...

In our first episode back for Season Three, we get piratical with the most successful pirate of them all ... a woman! From infamous beginnings, Ching Shih's path crossed with Cheng I, a notorious sea dog who terrorised China's southern coastline. Together, they formed an unstoppable coalition of pirates, with a stranglehold on the precious trade that ran through the Pearl River Delta to Canton. But when Cheng I died a new leader was needed, and Ching Shih stepped up to write her place in...