12 LGBTQ+ Podcasts About History, Activism, & More

June marks lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) Pride Month, which commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, when LGBTQ+ people rioted for five days against police violence and unfounded raids on a gay bar in New York City, called the Stonewall Inn. The Uprising helped the fight for LGBTQ+ rights gain national recognition and momentum. Since then, LGBTQ+ people have made significant gains in the fight for social equality, but the fight is far from over. Currently, only four states require schools to teach LGBTQ+ history, meaning the contributions of an entire community are often overlooked or erased completely. To help fill that education gap, there are a number of resources, like LGBTQ+ podcasts, to help document the community's history and contributions to the United States, as well as their fight for basic human rights.

LGBTQ+ history is inherently political. Transgender people, particularly Black transgender women, face disproportionately high rates of violence and murder. Only 20 states and the District of Columbia protect LGBTQ+ youth from conversion therapy. Eleven states allow child services to refuse to place a child with an LGBTQ+ family under the guise of "religious freedom." And only just now, in the year 2020, the Supreme Court finally ruled that it was unconstitutional to fire someone for being gay or transgender.

But LGBTQ+ people are also building community and finding joy across the country — and much of that wouldn't be possible if it weren't for the activism of previous generations. These 12 podcasts explore that history and the continued fight for LGBTQ+ rights. Some focus on race, religion, political commentary, and pop culture, but all of them help tell — and record — the stories of LGBTQ+ people.