history
Hosted by Gerber/Hart Library and Archives · history · EN
Unboxing Queer History is a podcast from Gerber/Hart Library and Archives, one of the largest LGBTQ libraries & archives in the world. Each episode in Unboxing Queer History focuses on a different story from inside Gerber/Hart’s collections and archives. The episodes range from discussions of the importance of collecting LGBTQ+ erotica to Chicago lesbian bar history and include interviews with community leaders, volunteers, researchers, and local historians. SEASON TWO of Unboxing Queer History was co-created by Erin Bell and Jen Dentel; produced by Akaelah Flotho, Anna Mason, Quinn Rose, Hannah Viti, and Chijioke Williams; and edited by Bill Healy and Mara Lazer. Artwork by Mere Montgomery and Music by Mara Lazer. Major funding for Season Two of Unboxing Queer History is provided by the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, with additional meaningful funding from supporters of Gerber/Hart. SEASON ONE of Unboxing Queer History was created by Ari Mejia, Jen Dentel,
Required Pod Score for this podcast. PitchCentric checks your profile against host openness, topical fit, and audience signals before you generate a pitch.
Contact path
Verified email
Booking probability
20%
Guest openness
Selective
Sign up to generate a grounded pitch for Unboxing Queer History.
Signup to Generate a PitchUnboxing Queer History is a podcast from Gerber/Hart Library and Archives, one of the largest LGBTQ libraries & archives in the world. Each episode in Unboxing Queer History focuses on a different story from inside Gerber/Hart’s collections and archives.
Unboxing Queer History is hosted by Gerber/Hart Library and Archives. The show has published 18 episodes to date.
Recent episodes include "We Have Always Been Banned" (16 December 2025, 27 minutes), "Sacred Remains: Traces of Queer Spirit" (2 December 2025, 55 minutes), and "“Guardians of our History”: A Love Letter to Grassroots Archiving" (18 November 2025, 27 minutes).
Unboxing Queer History publishes roughly every two weeks, with episodes averaging 31 minutes across 18 episodes.
Booking probability for Unboxing Queer History is 20%, and the host is rated Selective on guests. Unboxing Queer History requires a Pod Score of 80 or higher. Unboxing Queer History's contact route on record: verified email.
The strongest fits for Unboxing Queer History are Museums, Zoos & Historic Sites. Unboxing Queer History has a history audience.
Gerber/Hart Library and Archives hosts Unboxing Queer History, a history podcast with 18 episodes published.
Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.
Episode #8
In 2024, Gerber/Hart Library and Archives partnered with DePaul University’s HumanitiesX fellowship program to run an undergraduate class. The goal: create an exhibit showcasing the ways members of Chicago’s LGBTQ+...
Episode #7
Chicago has a rich history of queer religious groups. This episode explores the layered, often-hidden spiritual lives of queer and trans people with a special focus on voices from Chicago. Through oral histories and...
Answering the call to fill the archives, several heroes take matters into their own hands to address the shortcomings of larger institutions. Interviewees include Frencia Stephenson (We Are Everywhere), Antonio Santos...
Episode #5
Archives are meant to be places where history and facts are preserved for future generations – these records educate the community, remind us of our roots, and validate our existence. But there are gaps in the archives...
Just as we’ve always been here, queer people have always created our own media to get the word out! This episode tells the story of a radical public-access show that demanded visibility for queer women and nonbinary...
In this episode, Gerber/Hart volunteers, staff, and sex toy shop Early To Bed owner Searah Deysach discuss the importance of queer erotica. Why should an LGBTQ+ archive preserve erotica and pornographic materials? What...
The LGBTQ+ Intergenerational Dialogue Project (IDP) kicked off in 2019. The project pairs Queer Elders with Queer “Youngers” over art-making, conversation, and shared meals. The materials from this project are now being...
Folks in Chicago love the Music Box Theatre for its curated programming and bevy of film festivals. But did you know the adjacent Lounge was once a lesbian bar? However, finding evidence of the bar is another story. In...
Unboxing Queer History
Welcome back to Unboxing Queer History ! In this season, we dive back into the collections of Gerber/Hart, one of the largest LGBTQ+ Library & Archives in the world. We explore grassroots archiving, public access media...
Every year, groups of volunteers at Gerber/Hart work for months researching for two large yearly exhibits. In 2019, five volunteers, Whit Sadusky, Veronica Rodriguez, Chase Ollis, Kurt Conley, and James Conley worked to...
Episode 7 of Unboxing Queer History is all about William B Kelley - a lifelong Chicago LGBTQ activist. The William B. Kelley and Chen K. Ooi collection is the cornerstone collection of Gerber/Hart Library and Archives...
“It was just an idea and we just went for it, and it turned out to be a heck of a lot of fun.” GALS (the Great Angling Lesbian Society) was founded in 1994 by Sherry Pethers and Susan McCann. Sherry and Susan met in the...
“I did not come out of the closet. I stepped out on the scene.” Lorrainne Sade Baskerville is a Black trans woman who founded Chicago’s first trans-run, trans-serving social agency called transGenesis. Between...
"An Exclusively Gay and Lesbian Bookstore for Chicago" Time travel with us to a very special place in episode four of Unboxing Queer History! Between 1988 and 1997, Carrie Barnett and Brett Shingledecker founded and ran...
"What Does It Mean To Be Latina And Lesbian?" Founded in 1995, Amigas Latinas was a volunteer-run organization that specifically served the LBTQ Latina community through monthly discussion groups, support groups...
“Finding our history is going to be a tool for our liberation” On January 30th, 1981, Gerber/Hart Library and Archives opened its doors to the public. It was the first LGBTQ library in the Midwestern United States...
In 2014, Gerber/Hart received a collection of photo albums that belonged to a performer named Miss Tillie “The Dirty Old Lady of Chicago.” The collection is incredibly rich, with over a thousand images of Miss Tillie...
Unboxing Queer History
Teaser trailer for Unboxing Queer History. Episode One - The Dirty Old Lady: Chicago Drag History and the Mystery of Miss Tillie is released February 1st, 2022. Unboxing Queer History is a podcast from Gerber/Hart...
Recent guests on Unboxing Queer History. Study who booked and why before you pitch.
Director of Governance and Performance, Gage Park Latinx Council
We Are Everywhere
PitchCentric classifies Unboxing Queer History under these industries. Guests from them are the closest fit, and each links to the best podcasts in that industry.
Shows with the most semantically similar episode content. Pitch one, pitch all; producers cluster.
UnErasing LGBTQ History and Identities: A Podcast
Our Queer History
Queer Serial: American LGBTQ+ History
History is Gay
Making Gay History | LGBTQ Oral Histories from the Archive
Queering the District Podcast
Is this podcast yours and you'd like to remove or correct details? Request removal or email privacy@pitchcentric.com.
Questions about the free trial? See the pricing FAQ