**Best New Podcast (Gold) at the British Podcast Awards 2020**
What if you could glimpse into LGBTQIA+ life from decades ago? Since 1974 volunteers at Switchboard, the LGBT+ helpline, have written notes in the charity's log books. Hosts Tash Walker and Adam Zmith are re-opening these pages today, to explore untold stories from Britain’s queer history.
Each episode explores a different theme from LGBTQIA+ life through log book entries, dozens of voices sharing their own memories, and conversations about being queer today.
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thelogbooks.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
**Best New Podcast (Gold) at the British Podcast Awards 2020**
What if you could glimpse into LGBTQIA+ life from decades ago? Since 1974 volunteers at Switchboard, the LGBT+ helpline, have written notes in the charity's log books. Hosts Tash Walker and Adam Zmith are re-opening these pages today, to explore untold stories from Britain’s queer history.
Each episode explores a different theme from LGBTQIA+ life through log book entries, dozens of voices sharing their own memories, and conversations about being queer today.
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thelogbooks.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Quilt: Living memories of queer Britain & Northern Ireland
An audio exhibition open to anyone, anywhere, at any time of day, produced and hosted by Tash Walker and Adam Zmith.
Born from a collaboration between the producers of the award-winning podcast The Log Books and the UK’s first and only LGBTQ+ museum Queer Britain, challenges who and what makes queer history.
The series takes the listener on a journey across the UK, collecting queer memories, from queer people. The Quilt weaves together all these stories and histories, into a beautiful documentary patchwork series.
The Quilt is an audio archive for the future.
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thelogbooks.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We'd love to introduce you to this new podcast we've been working Queer Roots and Routes!
Queer Roots and Routes is made by a collective.
We are queer. We are migrants or descended from migrants. And we want to tell our stories. Stories of where we’ve come from and how we move in the world today.
We don’t have a boss or a Beyoncé. So each episode of this six-part first series of Queer Roots and Routes has a different host and a different set of voices from our group. Our promise to you is that our podcast is GORGEOUS, FIERCE, SUPERGAY and... REVOLUTIONARY!
We all met through the MAUREEN project by The Love Tank, a not-for-profit community interest company that promotes health and wellbeing of under-served communities through education, capacity building and research.
An Aunt Nell Production
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thelogbooks.
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We'd love to introduce you to this new podcast Black and Gay, Back in the Day which brings to life a photo archive of Black LGBTQIA+ life in Britain, from the 1970s through to the early 2000s.
Each episode is an intergenerational journey focusing on a key photograph from the archive - joining stories of the past, with those of today. Marc Thompson is the gentle, inquisitive and warm guide to the archive, helping a rotation of younger Black LGBTQIA+ co-hosts navigate these often untold stories. Each episode covers a different theme drawn out of a single photograph from the collection, submerging you into Black LGBTQIA+ history.
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thelogbooks.
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In this bonus episode made for Nothing Concrete, the podcast of London's Barbican, Tash and Adam riffle through many more items from LGBTQ+ history. The Bishopsgate Institute doesn't just look after the amazing Switchboard log books — they also hold gay badges, protest placards, intimate photo albums and historical trackie tops. Forty of these items are being displayed in the free exhibition Out and About! at the Barbican in London from February 28th to March 21st. To mark the occasion, Adam and Tash made this special episode for Nothing Concrete, featuring archivist Stef Dickers and recorded on location at the Barbican and in the bowels of Bishopsgate.
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thelogbooks.
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This is it! After three seasons covering 1974 to 2003, Tash and Adam reach the final page in the log books in Switchboard’s archive. In this closing episode of The Log Books, Adam and Tash reflect on all the stories they’ve heard across the three years making this podcast. They also bring to light one type of log book entry that has not yet been covered in the podcast, and listen to young people who are living our queer futures.
Thank YOU, our amazing listeners, for joining us on this moving, empowering and joyous journey!
Content warning: biphobia, suicide and archaic language about transgender identities
The Log Books — stories from Britain’s LGBTQI+ history and conversations about being queer today. Produced by Shivani Dave, Tash Walker and Adam Zmith, in partnership with Switchboard - the LGBT+ helpline. With thanks to the Bishopsgate Institute. Supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Music by Tom Foskett-Barnes
Artwork by Natalie Doto
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thelogbooks.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rubber? Feet? Piss? Flogging? Role play? What’s your kink? In this episode Tash and Adam listen to dozens of dirty stories from the LGBTQI+ community in the 90s. From the publicly funded multi-gender kink night at the London Lesbian and Gay Centre to people wearing nappies and S&M dykes — this episode is raw, sexy, hilarious... and you’ll never be the same again. We also speak to Alex (the DJ Kiwi) from Crossbreed and Matt Skully about running kinky events and club nights today.
Content warning: extreme sex practices and state homophobia
The Log Books — stories from Britain’s LGBTQI+ history and conversations about being queer today. Produced by Shivani Dave, Tash Walker and Adam Zmith, in partnership with Switchboard - the LGBT+ helpline. With thanks to the Bishopsgate Institute. Supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Music by Tom Foskett-Barnes
Artwork by Natalie Doto
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thelogbooks.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In the 90s more and more lesbians called Switchboard to ask where they could get hold of sperm. All sorts of LGBTQI+ people in the period sought to make families outside of conventional methods and constraints. In this episode, Tash and Adam hear stories from the people who pioneered queer family-making. We also catch-up with some folks who have their own experiences and opinions on what queer family means to them today.
Content warning: homophobia
The Log Books — stories from Britain’s LGBTQI+ history and conversations about being queer today. Produced by Shivani Dave, Tash Walker and Adam Zmith, in partnership with Switchboard - the LGBT+ helpline. With thanks to the Bishopsgate Institute. Supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
For more information about the themes in this episode, take a look at:
NHS info: having a baby if you’re LGBT+
COTS: Childlessness Overcome Through Surrogacy
PACT: Parents and Children Together
Music by Tom Foskett-Barnes
Artwork by Natalie Doto
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thelogbooks.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
There is still so much work to be done in making sure LGBTQI+ people with disabilities have what they need, but the 90s saw a definite shift in the right direction. Legal change, growing awareness, and a place at the front of the Pride march. In this episode, Tash and Adam hear from queer disability rights campaigners and, of course, Switchboard volunteers about handling calls about intersecting identities. They also catch up with Erin Ekins about the experience of being queer and neurodivergent today.
Content warning: archaic language around disability.
The Log Books — stories from Britain’s LGBTQI+ history and conversations about being queer today. Produced by Shivani Dave, Tash Walker and Adam Zmith, in partnership with Switchboard - the LGBT+ helpline. With thanks to the Bishopsgate Institute. Supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
For more information about the themes in this episode, take a look at:
Para Pride: Pride. In. Everyone.
Regard: Supporting Disabled LGBTQ people
Music by Tom Foskett-Barnes
Artwork by Natalie Doto
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thelogbooks.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Understanding and awareness of various gender identities grew from 1992 to 2003, and more and more trans people called Switchboard for support. This episode offers a fascinating insight into how the LGBTQI+ community evolved over the period, and how trans people grew stronger in asserting their identities. Essential listening for anyone interested in the recent history of gender and queer identity. Tash and Adam also hear from Steph Fuller, the general manager of Switchboard, about the nature of calls about gender identity today.
Content warning: archaic language around transgender identities, transphobia, and stories of negative medical experiences.
The Log Books — stories from Britain’s LGBTQI+ history and conversations about being queer today. Produced by Shivani Dave, Tash Walker and Adam Zmith, in partnership with Switchboard - the LGBT+ helpline. With thanks to the Bishopsgate Institute. Supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
For more information about the themes in this episode, take a look at:
Music by Tom Foskett-Barnes
Artwork by Natalie Doto
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thelogbooks.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On April 30th 1999, the Admiral Duncan gay pub in Soho was bombed by a homophobic Nazi. The attack followed a series of calls to Switchboard threatening violence. In this episode, Adam, Tash and volunteers at the helpline tell the story of the bombing from the phone room, as volunteers rushed to support the LGBTQI+ community. We also hear from John Sizzle, who runs The Glory pub in east London, on creating safer queer spaces today.
Content warning: homophobic language, and stories of hate crime and violence.
The Log Books — stories from Britain’s LGBTQI+ history and conversations about being queer today. Produced by Shivani Dave, Tash Walker and Adam Zmith, in partnership with Switchboard - the LGBT+ helpline. With thanks to the Bishopsgate Institute. Supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
For more information about the bombing, we recommend the Netflix documentary Nail Bomber: Manhunt
Music by Tom Foskett-Barnes
Artwork by Natalie Doto
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thelogbooks.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Remember how you felt when you first saw the lesbian kiss on Brookside? Or *those* scenes in Queer As Folk?
This episode is a tour through the landmark television moments for queer people from 1992 to 2003. Taking in Hayley in Coronation Street and even the calls to Switchboard following a gay storyline on Peak Practice, Tash, Adam and contributors discuss the importance of TV representation, with a few laughs along the way. We also feature a conversation between producers Stella Merz (Gentleman Jack) and Katie Carpenter (Flowers, The Bisexual, Landscapers) about their experience as queer women in the TV industry today, compared to the 90s.
Content warning: archaic language around transgender identities.
The Log Books — stories from Britain’s LGBTQI+ history and conversations about being queer today. Produced by Shivani Dave, Tash Walker and Adam Zmith, in partnership with Switchboard - the LGBT+ helpline. With thanks to the Bishopsgate Institute. Supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Music by Tom Foskett-Barnes
Artwork by Natalie Doto
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thelogbooks.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Because Switchboard is set up to support people around matters of sexuality, volunteers sometimes take difficult calls from paedophiles and those who have been the victims of abuse. In this episode, Tash and Adam hear from Switchboard volunteers in the 90s about taking those calls, and how they supported people in these awful situations. This episode also features an interview with Oliver, a Switchboard volunteer today reflecting on taking difficult calls.
Content warning: paedophilia, rape, sexual assault, sexual violence, suicide, and archaic language around transgender identities.
The Log Books — stories from Britain’s LGBTQI+ history and conversations about being queer today. Produced by Shivani Dave, Tash Walker and Adam Zmith, in partnership with Switchboard - the LGBT+ helpline. With thanks to the Bishopsgate Institute. Supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
For support around the themes in this episode, take a look at:
Music by Tom Foskett-Barnes
Artwork by Natalie Doto
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thelogbooks.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In the 90s, if two men had sex and one was under 21, both could be imprisoned, while straight people could legally have sex at age 16. This inequality could not last, and that’s thanks to campaigners such as Hugo Greenhalgh and Euan Sutherland, supported by Stonewall. This is the story of their campaign to equalise the law, and of the Switchboard volunteers who helped. Tash and Adam also hear from Phil Samba, from Prepster and the Love Tank, about his work on campaigning around queer sex today.
Content warning: homophobic language.
TV clips from Age of Dissent, directed by Will Parry.
The Log Books — stories from Britain’s LGBTQI+ history and conversations about being queer today. Produced by Shivani Dave, Tash Walker and Adam Zmith, in partnership with Switchboard - the LGBT+ helpline. With thanks to the Bishopsgate Institute. Supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
For more information about the themes in this episode, take a look at:
Music by Tom Foskett-Barnes
Artwork by Natalie Doto
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thelogbooks.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The internet began to revolutionise LGBTQI+ life in the 1990s: chat rooms, emails, and of course dating websites. In this first episode of the third season of The Log Books, Tash and Adam pull out stories from the archive at Switchboard - the LGBT+ Helpline about people who called to talk about how the internet was changing their experience of sexuality and gender. They hear memories of early online photo searches and hook-ups arranged via chat rooms. And YouTuber Jake Edwards who grew up making videos about their transition and coming out as non-binary, explains their experience on the limits of the internet at making genuine connections today.
The Log Books — stories from Britain’s LGBT+ history and conversations about being queer today. Produced by Shivani Dave, Tash Walker and Adam Zmith, in partnership with Switchboard - the LGBT+ helpline. With thanks to the Bishopsgate Institute and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Music by Tom Foskett-Barnes
Artwork by Natalie Doto
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thelogbooks.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Tash and Adam are back, with 11 all-new weekly episodes covering LGBTQI+ life from 1992 to 2003, using calls made to Switchboard in that period.
In this opening teaser episode, Tash and Adam visit two special locations to explain what’s coming up in the season. They also play clips from the forthcoming episodes, from the lesbians looking for sperm donors to the kinky group for people who like dressing up as babies.
The Log Books — stories from Britain’s LGBTQI+ history and conversations about being queer today. Produced by Shivani Dave, Tash Walker and Adam Zmith, in partnership with Switchboard - the LGBT+ helpline. With thanks to the Bishopsgate Institute. Supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Music by Tom Foskett-Barnes
Artwork by Natalie Doto
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thelogbooks.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Season three of The Log Books launches next week, November 1st, with eleven all-new episodes covering 1992 to 2003, released weekly.
FOR NOW — just before our third season begins — we want to share one of our inspirations. Making Gay History. This is such a special podcast to us at The Log Books, for showing us how to bring LGBTQI+ history to life sensitively, now working on its tenth season.
To give you a taste of Making Gay History, we’re dropping one of our favourite episodes right here. In this episode, host Eric Marcus interviews Edythe Eyde, who started a newsletter for lesbians in 1947 through illicit use of her typewriter in her office job as a secretary. Edythe even sings for Eric from her porch — one of her witty ditties about cute butches...
You can find Making Gay History wherever you get your podcasts or at www.makinggayhistory.com. We hope you enjoy this amazing podcast and come back for The Log Books season three.
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thelogbooks.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
News! We’re making season three of The Log Books because we’ve received a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
While you wait, here’s an episode of Call Me Mother, another podcast, featuring an interview with Sandra Caldwell, a 67-year-old actor who was forced to hide part of herself for 40 years. We loved hearing Sandra tell her story to Shon Faye, with such warmth and wisdom, and we think you will too.
We’ll be back with the third season of The Log Books later in 2021... See you soon.
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thelogbooks.
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We have so many fascinating stories for our final episode of the season: a lesbian who helped a gay immigrant to stay legally in the UK, a gay refugee who fled Syria, an Indian who learnt that cruising is different in India, Canada and the UK, and a British Indian who built mixed dance nights for London’s range of cultures.
Tash and Adam hear about the people who phoned Switchboard for advice on how to live, love and work in the UK, and from a range of contributors with different perspectives on borders, cultures and LGBTQ+ identity.
The Log Books — stories from Britain’s LGBT+ history and conversations about being queer today. Produced by Shivani Dave, Tash Walker and Adam Zmith, in partnership with Switchboard - the LGBT+ helpline. With thanks to the Bishopsgate Institute and the BFI National Archive.
‘Louise’ voiced by Cathy Tyson
'Sami' voiced by Aso Sherabayani
Clip from Here and Now: Gay Black Group used with permission from MACE, the Media Archive for Central England at the University of Lincoln. First broadcast on June 26th, 1983.
For more information about the themes in this episode, take a look at:
Legal advice from the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants
Peter Tatchell Foundation : Speaking out for Human Rights
Lesbians & Gays Support the Migrants
UK Lesbian & Gay Immigration Group
Music by Tom Foskett-Barnes
Artwork by Natalie Doto
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thelogbooks.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
After a gay bookshop was raided by customs officers in 1984, the booksellers fought back. This is the story of censorship and community solidarity, and it is not the only one in this episode. Tash and Adam explore the actions of the British state to stop people from seeing things that were considered obscene in the 80s. We also feature a story from people whose magazines and posters were seized, and Adam even sings a song.
The Log Books — stories from Britain’s LGBT+ history and conversations about being queer today. Produced by Shivani Dave, Tash Walker and Adam Zmith, in partnership with Switchboard - the LGBT+ helpline. With thanks to the Bishopsgate Institute and the BFI National Archive.
For more information, take a look at:
More about Yulia Tsvetkova’s case
Fringe! Queer Film and Arts Fest
Music by Tom Foskett-Barnes
Artwork by Natalie Doto
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thelogbooks.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
From 1983 to 1991, calls to Switchboard about rape and domestic violence increased in number. So in this episode Tash and Adam hear some of those stories and ask volunteers from the time to share their experience of supporting survivors. This episode also features an account of how Switchboard evolved in order to improve how it handled calls about violence, and an update on how these matters are handled today by GALOP, the LGBT+ anti-violence charity.
Content warning: domestic violence, abusive relationships, rape and sexual consent, and suicide.
The Log Books — stories from Britain’s LGBT+ history and conversations about being queer today. Produced by Shivani Dave, Tash Walker and Adam Zmith, in partnership with Switchboard - the LGBT+ helpline. With thanks to the Bishopsgate Institute and the BFI National Archive.
For more information, take a look at:
SurvivorsUK for help with male rape and sexual abuse
Book:
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
Music by Tom Foskett-Barnes
Artwork by Natalie Doto
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/thelogbooks.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
