Be Gay, Make History!

Joe Bushey (known online as Photojoejoe) launched Be Gay, Make History in late 2023 and has been steadily building something worth paying attention to. Now in its second season with 8 episodes, the show examines pivotal moments and figures in LGBTQ+ history with a strong emphasis on the activism that often gets overshadowed by Stonewall in popular memory. The pre-Stonewall episodes are particularly strong. Bushey covers the 1959 Cooper Do-Nut Riot, the 1966 Compton Cafeteria Riot, and the 1967 Black Cat Tavern protest -- events that prove the fight for queer rights started well before the famous 1969 uprising. Other episodes profile figures like Bayard Rustin, the openly gay civil rights organizer who helped plan the March on Washington, and Howard Ashman, the lyricist behind The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast who died during the AIDS crisis. Season 2 expanded into the symbolism of the pink triangle and women leaders in LGBTQ+ movements, including Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. The research is solid and well-cited, and Bushey brings genuine passion without being preachy. The show takes an intersectional approach, recognizing that queer history cannot be separated from race, class, and gender. At 8 episodes, this is still a young podcast, but the quality has been consistent and Season 2 shows real growth. If you want a show that centers the activists and organizers who did the difficult, dangerous work of building a movement, this one earns its name.