Drift off to sleep with the story of Charlotte Cushman's "household of jolly bachelor women", a 19th century lesbian artists' colony in Rome where American women sculptors, writers, and painters lived, worked, and loved each other openly.

In this soothing LGBTQ+ history bedtime story, discover how America's greatest actress created a revolutionary community in 1850s Rome. Learn about Charlotte Cushman, famous for playing Romeo on stage, who used her wealth to establish a household for talented women artists. Meet the "jolly bachelor women": sculptor Harriet Hosmer, who proved women could work in marble; Emma Stebbins, who created New York's Bethesda Fountain; pioneering African American sculptor Edmonia Lewis; and writer Grace Greenwood. Explore their romantic relationships, Elizabeth Barrett Browning described Charlotte and Matilda Hays as "a female marriage", and witness the passionate dramas that unfolded: love affairs, heartbreak, even a palimony lawsuit. Understand how these women earned substantial incomes, traveled internationally without male chaperones, and created significant art while living as openly lesbian couples in an era that demanded women marry men.

This episode features our two-telling format: the story told once at a comfortable pace, then repeated slower with longer pauses to guide you gently into sleep.

🌙 Perfect for: Lesbian history, 19th century LGBTQ+, women artists, Rome history, artists' colonies, chosen family, bedtime relaxation

📚 What you'll learn in this bedtime story:

1. Charlotte Cushman's life (1816-1876) as America's greatest actress
2. Her famous "Romeo" performances in "breeches roles"
3. Moving to Rome in 1852 to establish an artists' colony
4. The "household of jolly bachelor women" - what it meant
5. Members: Matilda Hays, Harriet Hosmer, Emma Stebbins, Edmonia Lewis, Grace Greenwood
6. Elizabeth Barrett Browning's observation: "they live together, dress alike… it is a female marriage"
7. Henry James calling them "The White Marmorean Flock"
8. William Westmore Story's description: "a harem of emancipated females"
9. Charlotte and Matilda Hays's relationship and "vows of eternal attachment"
10. Both women dressing in masculine clothing openly
11. Matilda leaving Charlotte for Harriet Hosmer (1854)
12. Their reunion in 1855
13. Charlotte falling in love with Emma Stebbins (1857)
14. The dramatic confrontation and physical fight
15. Matilda's palimony lawsuit - claiming sacrificed career
16. Harriet Hosmer's sculptures: "Daphne," "Medusa," "Zenobia in Chains"
17. Emma Stebbins creating the Bethesda Fountain (Central Park)
18. Edmonia Lewis...

Drift off to sleep with the inspiring story of Tom Daley—who came out at 19, faced doubt and discrimination, and then stood on the Olympic podium in Tokyo 2021 declaring: "I feel incredibly proud to say that I am a gay man and also an Olympic champion."

In this soothing LGBTQ+ history bedtime story, discover Tom Daley's journey from child prodigy to openly gay Olympic champion. Learn how he competed at Beijing 2008 at just 14 years old, won bronze at London 2012, and then made the terrifying decision to come out via YouTube in December 2013. Experience his relationship with Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, their 2017 marriage, and welcoming son Robbie in 2018. Understand the thirteen-year journey from his first Olympics to that golden moment on July 26, 2021, when he and Matty Lee won synchronized 10-meter platform diving by just 1.23 points, and Tom used his moment of triumph to send a powerful message to LGBTQ+ youth worldwide: "You can achieve anything."

This episode features our two-telling format: the story told once at a comfortable pace, then repeated slower with longer pauses to guide you gently into sleep.

🌙 Perfect for: Gay male history, contemporary LGBTQ+ athletes, Olympic history, coming out stories, sports representation, bedtime relaxation, inspiration

📚 What you'll learn in this bedtime story:

1. Tom Daley's life (born 1994) and diving prodigy career
2. Beijing 2008 Olympics at age 14 - youngest British Olympian in 48 years
3. London 2012 bronze medal under intense home-country pressure
4. December 2, 2013: Coming out via YouTube video at age 19
5. "I'm dating a guy and I couldn't be happier"
6. Meeting Dustin Lance Black (Oscar-winning "Milk" screenwriter)
7. The fear and courage of publishing that video
8. Homophobic backlash alongside overwhelming support
9. Identity evolution: initially ambiguous, later gay, now queer
10. Marriage to Dustin Lance Black in 2017
11. Son Robbie Ray Black-Daley born 2018 via surrogacy
12. Rio 2016 bronze - still no gold
13. Dustin's words: "Your son needs to see you win Olympic gold"
14. Training for Tokyo 2020/2021 as a husband and father
15. July 26, 2021: Winning gold with Matty Lee by 1.23 points
16. The iconic quote: "I am a gay man and also an Olympic champion"
17. Message to LGBTQ+ youth: "You can achieve anything"
18. Record 160+ openly LGBTQ+ athletes at Tokyo 2020
19. Paris 2024 silver medal and Team GB flag bearer
20. Retirement from diving in 2024

Drift off to sleep with the story of Colette and Missy, a French writer and an aristocrat in a three-piece suit who built an unconventional life together in early 1900s Paris, whose love inspired art and defied every social boundary.

In this soothing LGBTQ+ history bedtime story, discover the passionate relationship between Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, who would become one of France's greatest authors, and Mathilde de Morny "Missy," an aristocrat who wore men's suits, smoked cigars, and answered to "Uncle Max." Learn how they met in 1905 and built a life together at Villa Belle Plage by the sea, where Colette wrote with a bracelet engraved "I belong to Missy" on her wrist. Experience the scandal of January 3, 1907, when their onstage kiss at the Moulin Rouge caused a riot and forced them into hiding. Understand how their domestic partnership influenced Colette's groundbreaking novels about female desire and independence, and explore the complex question of Missy's gender identity, was Missy a butch lesbian or a transgender man? Witness how their love, though it eventually transformed into devoted friendship, shaped both their artistic lives.

This episode features our two-telling format: the story told once at a comfortable pace, then repeated slower with longer pauses to guide you gently into sleep.

🌙 Perfect for: Lesbian history, gender nonconforming history, Belle Époque Paris, French literature, artistic partnerships, unconventional relationships, bedtime relaxation

📚 What you'll learn in this bedtime story:

1. Colette's life (1873-1954) and escape from her fraudulent husband Willy
2. Mathilde de Morny "Missy" (1863-1944) and aristocratic background
3. Missy's masculine presentation—three-piece suits, short hair, cigars
4. Known as "Uncle Max" and "Monsieur le Marquis"
5. Meeting around 1905 in Paris lesbian circles
6. Living together at Villa Belle Plage in Le Crotoy (1906)
7. Colette's bracelet: "I belong to Missy"
8. Artistic collaboration and domestic partnership
9. January 3, 1907: "Rêve d'Égypte" scandal at Moulin Rouge
10. The kiss that caused a riot and police shutdown
11. Forced separation after the scandal
12. Buying Manor of Rozven in Brittany (June 21, 1910)
13. Same day as Colette's divorce from Willy
14. Relationship ending 1911-1912
15. Reconciliation as friends in the 1920s
16. How Missy influenced Colette's novels about female desire
17. The debate over Missy's gender identity
18. Missy's death in 1944 during WWII
19. Their lasting impact on LGBTQ+ history

💜 Subscribe...