In our last episode in South Africa and penultimate episode of Season Two, we compare and contrast the lives and stories of two South Africans, as we reflect on the history of gender & sexuality activism during and post Apartheid. We speak first to Mark Gory, the man who took on the Constitutional Court of South Africa to secure inheritance rights for non-married gay South Africans in 2006. Our second conversation takes place with Cwenga Titi, a young transgender woman on the Eastern...

In our first episode in South Africa, we investigate the experiences and welfare of the oft-misrepresented queer muslim community. In the heart of Cape Town we interview Imam Muhsin Hendricks- the world's first openly queer imam- and learn about his work interpreting the Qur'an and confronting the use of its passages to propagate homophobic harm. As we address this sensitive and controversial topic, we seek to understand how one bridges the divide between their sexuality and their faith as a...

In this episode, we delve deep into Turkey's history to understand the roots of gender and sexuality norms- by understanding how the cultural values of the Ottoman Empire shaped the values of contemporary Turkey. Ottoman scholars Dr Ezgi Sarıtaş and Dr Irvin Schick lead us through this rich and complex history and speak on the challenges faced by the gender and sexuality diverse citizens of Turkey in the modern age. Thank you to all of you who continue to listen and support us. This month,...

In the second half of our two-parter in Malta, we speak to Charlie Cauchi and Romeo Roxman Gatt from Malta's only queercentric artspace, RosaKwir. As we delve deeper into the issues around bodily autonomy under Maltese politics Catholicism, we also have the pleasure of consulting Gabi Calleja from the Maltese Human Rights Directorate- and we look to the future for what Malta could represent for the rights of intersex individuals, transgender individuals and pregnant people in the arena of...

In Episode 20 we start our investigations into the gender and sexuality diverse culture within Malta. In the first episode of this two-parter, we interview gynaecologist and transgender healthcare specialist Dr Chiara Frendo-Balzan about the climate of gendered healthcare in Malta. As our research continues, our lens of inquiry expands as we begin to understand the unequal access to healthcare across Malta and the enduring taboo surrounding abortion in this staunchly Catholic country. Thank...

We are back and bringing you more incredible oral histories from around the world in Season Two of /Queer. In our first episode of this season we find ourselves en route to Malta aboard the Götheborg of Sweden- the largest ocean-faring wooden vessel in the world- where gender & sexuality researcher Georgie Williams documents some of the history of 'queer' culture at sea. To understand more of where this exists in the modern age, Georgie interviews Eli Gafvelin; the transgender carpenter...

In our final episode of Season One of /Queer, we chat with activist Jim Doherty about a transforming political and queer climate in the city of Derry in Northern Ireland. Exploring Derry's history and position in the spotlight of Irish politics, we discuss the establishing of Pride parades in Ireland, the avoidance of commercialism of these sacred events and what Derry represents for the LGBTQ+ communities of both Ireland and Europe.Thank you to all of you who continue to listen and support...

In our penultimate episode of Season One of /Queer, we return to our interview with Ireland's Gay Godfather- founder of GCN Magazine and gay rights icon, Tonie Walsh. Covering matters such as ageing queer populations, LGBTQ+ inclusive media and inter-community social movements, Tonie looks forward to the future of a Queer Ireland.Thank you to all of you who continue to listen and support us. If you wish to help this project continue throughout this year and beyond, you can sign up as one of...

Ireland is the final stop for Season One of /Queer. In our first episode in the country, we interview Ireland's Gay Godfather- founder of GCN Magazine and gay rights icon, Tonie Walsh. Across two episodes, Tonie talks to us about LGBTQ+ history, sexual diversity in rural spaces, caring for an aging gay population, and what it looks like to build a Queer Ireland.Thank you to all of you who continue to listen and support us. If you wish to help this project continue throughout this year and...

In the second of two special episodes addressing transgender rights and our final episode in the United Kingdom, host Georgie Williams and special guest Cat Burton, Chair of the Gender Identity Research & Education Society, propose and explain models for healthcare reform and dive deeper into misconceptions about the transgender lived experience. Thank you to all of you who continue to listen and support us. If you wish to help this project continue throughout this year and beyond, you...

This is the first of two special episodes dispelling myths about the transgender rights movement in the United Kingdom and proposing effective models for reforming transgender welfare. Our special guest for the next two episodes is Cat Burton, Chair of the Gender Identity Research & Education Society, whose insightful interview guides us through the sociopolitical and cultural impact of transphobia in the United Kingdom. With Cat, we ask the crucial question- what enables transgender...

Episode 13 explores the experiences of intersex individuals- individuals who vary from the biological and societal norms for what are deemed the male and female sexes. As a community often- for better and worse- absorbed into the LGBTQ+ rights movement, intersex individuals are fighting for both social & legal recognition and bodily autonomy. Sean Saifa Wall, intersex activist and co-founder of the Intersex Justice Project, is our guest this episode and helps us unpack what the intersex...

For our first episode of 2021 and our second episode in the United Kingdom, Dr Sebastian Baxter of the Manchester Penetrated project leads us on a deep-dive of chemsex as a subcultural practice. We learn more about the norms and the language involved and how this controversial practice sheds light on attitudes towards queerness and drug-taking in the United Kingdom.Big love as always to all our wonderful /Queer listeners- please subscribe if you enjoy these episodes and share them with your...

Episode 11 is our first episode in the United Kingdom, looking at all things queer about Great Britain's sexual history. Dr Kate Lister of Leeds Trinity University and the incredible Whores of Yore project is our special guest this month, taking us through a scandalizing deep-dive of queer royalty, 18th Century gay clubs and early (and controversial) lesbian literature.Thanks once again to everyone who continues to support /Queer. Please subscribe if you enjoy these episodes and share them...

-This is the undubbed version of the Bugis of Indonesia, where our interview conducted in Bahasa Indonesia has been left without an English overdub. If you wish to listen to the episode with an English translation, please select the episode titled 'English Dubbed'.-Episode 10 is our final episode in Indonesia, exploring the gendered and sexual norms of the Buginese- a community comprised of 6 million Indonesian citizens who traditionally recognise five genders and three sexes. Our interview...

-This is the English Dubbed version of the Bugis of Indonesia. If you wish to listen to our interview conducted in Bahasa Indonesia, please select the episode titled 'No Dub'.-Episode 10 is our final episode in Indonesia, exploring the gendered and sexual norms of the Buginese- a community comprised of 6 million Indonesian citizens who traditionally recognise five genders and three sexes. Our interview with Bugis citizen and women's rights worker Pino allows us to answer the question of how...

Episode 9 is Part Two of Queer Voices in Yogyakarta- a two-episode collection of stories of LGBTQ+ struggle and self-exploration, as told by young queer residents of Yogyakarta in Java, Indonesia. In part two, binary and non-binary transgender men June and Alfi discuss their experiences of exploring their gender identity with the help of social media, and we explore how Dutch colonialism impacted contemporary Indonesian perspectives on what the West would consider 'queerness'.Thanks once...

Episode 8 is Part One of Queer Voices in Yogyakarta- a two-episode collection of stories of LGBTQ+ struggle and self-exploration, as told by young queer residents of Yogyakarta in Java, Indonesia. In part one NGO worker Astrid Febriyanti provides a comprehensive overview of Indonesian attitudes to LGBTQ+ culture before Ai and Ferdi, a Muslim lesbian and a Christian gay man, tell us about their experiences of navigating queerness, faith and family.Thanks once again to everyone who continues to...

Episode 7 is the start of our journey through Indonesia and the first of three stories we will be covering as part of this leg of the tour. This episode focuses on the Waria community in Indonesia, a collective of third-gender and/or transgender individuals- and their story is being told by award-winning, internationally-recognised Waria activist, Shinta Ratri. Join us as Ibu Shinta explains the Waria experience and how LGBTQ+ community members and allies outside of Indonesia can do their...

Episode 6 is the final chapter in the Japan leg of the trip, and this episode explores how spaces and the facilitation of community organising are core focuses in the push for rights in the Tokyo LGBTQ+ activism scene. Host Georgie Williams is joined by Sho Akita of Normal Screen- who uses his platform to make LGBTQ+ documentaries and resources accessible to the local community- and feminist collective WAIFU, who are focused on creating safe nightlife spaces for queer femmes and trans women.A...

As the second episode exploring LGBTQ+ culture in Japan, Sexuality and Male-Male Love in Historical Japan takes us back to the Edo period and explores how romantic and sexual relationships between monks, samurai and men of high social standing progressed from being a cultural norm to the subject of controversy and social stigma. Georgie Williams hosts.

Professor Yuka Kanno of Stanford University is this episode's guest, discussing the development of the term 'queer' in modern Japan, and how 'queerness' and LGBT+ communities are presented and represented in contemporary Japanese media.

Episode 3 focuses on the visual aspects of how political resistance has been enacted by the LGBTQ community in the USA during the late 20th and 21st Century, and how particular aesthetics within BDSM and drag circles have been central to that resistance. As part two of our focus on 'visible queerness', we return to our conversations with Gary Wasdin of the Chicago Leather Archives and Sister Roma of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, as well as consulting fellow sister and prominent...

As the first part of our two-part focus on 'Visible Queerness', Episode 2 of the /Queer podcast addresses 'Queer Kinship', and the concept of chosen family amongst varying LGBTQ+ communities within the United States. As we travel through Indianapolis, Chicago and San Francisco, we consult with Gary Wasdin of the Chicago Leather Archives and Museum as well as international superstar and activist Sister Roma of The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and postulant sister, Sister Tara NuHole. All...