GAY PANIC!
1955
A QUEER SERIAL SISTER SERIES
season 5
9 episodes detailing the true story of a gay “grooming” panic in Boise, Idaho.
Ron DeSantis & Anita Bryant were not the first figures in American history to gain power from fanning the flames of queer fear. Over one bleak winter in the conservative 1950s, the town of Boise was changed forever.
Listen to the preview here. Or watch it here.
Explore more Queer Serial here.
or your favorite podcast platform.
Episodes begin in LGBT History Month, October 2023!
Ep. 1
“Crush the Monster,”
or, “Groomers”
listen now
A new serial in a new town with no Mattachine, no Bilitis, and no one to turn to. A true scandal in queer history.
Ep. 2
“Boise Fairyland Parade”
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Cops set up a secret house of interrogation as Boiseans begin to point fingers. ☎️
Ep. 3
“Idaho Underworld”
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Follow the investigator, the doctor, & the reporter into Idaho's underworld. 🔦
Ep. 4
“Town Meeting,
Adults Only”
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The town gathers to decide how to clean up the queer mess—spanning from men of Boise's small businesses, all the way to the top of Idaho. 💰
Ep. 5
“Police Budget,” or,
“Calm Minds are in Control”
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City Councilman Buck Jones blames the police. Suspected homosexuals and a murderer take the stand. A rogue officer takes matters into his own hands. 👀
Ep. 6
“The Queen of Boise”
👑
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The cops get revenge on City Council. The reporter uncovers the Arid Club's game. 🔍
Ep. 7
“The Boise Penitentiary”
👮♂️
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The trap is laid. 🎁
Ep. 8
“Trial in Boise”
🧨
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1,472 interrogations later, the last man takes the stand. 🚔
Ep. 9, the finale:
“Pettiness, Intolerance & the Personal Ambition of a Few”
💰 💵 🏦
Listen Now
What was Boise’s gay panic for? In this final episode, we explore the long-term results of 1955’s mass hysteria.
The filthiest people alive head to the notorious city of Boise. Pink Flamingos, 1972 directed by John Waters.
BONUS EPISODES
& archive dives
Spin-off stories, exclusive interviews, & more LGBTQ+ history projects
$3/month
on Spotify & Patreon
$2.99/month on Apple Podcasts!
See the full Episode Guide at queerserial.com/episodes
SHOP MERCH ON MY ETSY
Explore more of my LGBTQ+ history projects:
Directing
Randy Wicker documentary
Personal
Archive Services
NYC LGBT Center
Oral History project
Randy Wicker
& Marsha P. Johnson Papers
Follow @queerserial on Instagram for more!
JULY 1, 2022
Joan Rivers interviews Debbie Reynolds about her abortion.
#roevswade
MARCH 28, 2022
Thank you @jessicachastain for using your voice the way Tammy Faye used hers 💖
@eyesoftammyfaye @aspieters
📺 Tammy Faye interviews Steve Pieters on "Tammy's House Party" segment on The PTL Club, 1985
🎥 Recreation by Jessica Chastain and Randy Havens for 2021 film "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" directed by Michael Showalter and based on the World of Wonder documentary.
🏆 Jessica Chastain Oscars speech on ABC, 2022
JANUARY 2, 2023
my 2023 projects 🎧
Season 5 (free on Queer Serial podcast feed) coming soon! Thanks to all my Patreon subscribers for supporting my projects!
xoxo
MARCH 1, 2023
New update today! Sign up for the Mattachine mailing list at the link in my bio 💌
MAY 26, 2023
Sharing some personal history on my Patreon ❤️
(this post is public)
More at queerserial.com/indiana
Happy Holidays 2022 🎄
DECEMBER 27, 2022
“A GREAT PLACE TO SPEND CHRISTMAS WITH ALL YOUR FRIENDS” 😈👼
Ad for the Club Baths in GAY newspaper, December 25, 1972.
DECEMBER 25, 2022
Patreon subscribers just got a little piece of gay history in the mail from me! 👼
This is an original 1994 postcard featuring a photo taken in Randy Wicker's antique lamp shop Uplift Lighting. The angel, displayed by Uplift employees, advises, "Be an angel, wear a condom."
Randy employed countless people at the shop over 30 years. Many of them were gay, lesbian, and/or trans. Some were transient, some were addicts, some were HIV+, and some were even cisgender heterosexual HIV- people! They all were just trying to get through the epidemic. I’m looking forward to telling you all the story of the Uplift family in our documentary currently in production. For now I’m excited to share a piece of this history from the Wicker archive with you! 💌
DECEMBER 22, 2022
The annual Queer Serial xmas card could be in your mailbox! 💌 Miss Santa put her heels on for the holidays!
Hope you all have a lovely holiday season ❤️
(Also, my Patreon subscribers received a special piece of queer history: an original 1994 gay postcard from the Wicker archive!)
Patreon subscribers can listen to the original 2021 version of this series here.