Once upon a time—aka the 90s, when I bravely decided to be born—gay marriage was the only thing we queers could talk about.
But why? Why were we so hell-bent on getting married? And how did the fight for marriage equality impact real people on the ground?
In this episode, Bash is joined by writer and memoirist Jeremy Atherton Lin, author of Deep House: The Gayest Love Story Ever Told, to explore the long, messy, and horny history of gay marriage in America—from deportation threats in the 1950s to a rainbow-lit White House under Obama.
Along the way, we ask:
💍 Who decides what a marriage is? Who gets to say who/what you are?
🏳️🌈 What happens when a bi(coastal) relationship collides with the full force of the U.S. immigration system?
🐴 Is a man marrying a man the same as a man marrying a horse? (The question, historically, was asked.)
Also featuring:
– Clive Boutilier, the Canadian gay man deported for being a “psychopath” (1950s medical slang for "gay")
– A 1996 government letter from the Department of Justice that literally said to two gays: “A legal marriage cannot exist between two faggots.”
– Bill Clinton wriggling out from under the S&M grip of DOMA
– And one very filthy reading from our beloved guest...
Not to mention this very real quote:
🗣️ “Ordinarily a homo is psycho, but many are not.” — actual Supreme Court justice, 1967
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Episode Credits
Written and hosted by Bash.
Guest: Jeremy Atherton Lin
Edited by Alex Toskas.
Produced by Dani Henion.
