Queer America

Produced by Learning for Justice (part of the Southern Poverty Law Center), Queer America operates from a simple but powerful premise: without LGBTQ history, there is no American history. Hosts Leila Rupp and John D'Emilio -- both respected historians -- interview scholars on topics spanning from Harlem to the Frontier West, the Cold War to the AIDS crisis, trans experiences to film history. Each episode runs 40 minutes to over an hour and includes discussion of how educators can integrate these stories into their curricula. Show notes provide transcripts and educational resources, making this arguably the most classroom-ready queer history podcast available. The 4.4-star rating from 50 reviews comes from listeners who appreciate the academic rigor without it feeling stuffy. Here's the catch: the series ran from 2018 to 2019 with 14 episodes and appears to be complete. That's a limitation, but the content hasn't aged. The historical periods covered -- WWII, the Cold War, the early AIDS response -- are as relevant now as when the episodes were recorded. Think of it as a focused, expertly produced course in American LGBTQ+ history that you can finish in a long weekend. The institutional backing from Learning for Justice means the scholarship is top-tier, and the practical classroom focus makes it uniquely valuable for anyone in education.