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.

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.

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.