Introducing: We Were Always Here: They Weren't Us

Introducing: We Were Always Here: They Weren't Us

Author: Eric Marcus December 23, 2021 Duration: 30:02
Marc Thomson was just getting his footing as a young Black gay man in South East London when AIDS hit. Hear his story as he introduces us to people whose experiences have often been overlooked, including trans people, sex workers, and people of color. Listen to the entire series here or wherever you get your podcasts. ——— To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Eric Marcus brings voices out of the past and into the present with Making Gay History | LGBTQ Oral Histories from the Archive. This isn't a dry historical lecture; it's a collection of intimate conversations, built from rare archival recordings that many thought were lost. Each episode feels like sitting down with someone who was there, offering a personal window into the pivotal moments and everyday struggles that have shaped the LGBTQ community. You'll hear from towering figures of the movement alongside people whose names you might not know-ordinary individuals who displayed extraordinary courage. These are the witnesses, the champions, and the quiet heroes whose stories form the bedrock of this history. Listening, you get the raw, unvarnished emotion in their own words, from the fear and defiance of early activism to the hard-won joys of living authentically. The podcast moves across decades, connecting personal diaries, long-shelved interviews, and firsthand accounts into a powerful, human tapestry. It’s about more than just events; it’s about the lived experience, the culture, and the personal health-both mental and physical-of a community fighting for its place. Through these oral histories, the archive becomes a living, breathing conversation, ensuring that this vital history is remembered not as abstract facts, but as the deeply personal stories it truly is.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Making Gay History | LGBTQ Oral Histories from the Archive
Podcast Episodes
Season 10: Episode 1: Randy Shilts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:17
Out gay journalist Randy Shilts desperately wanted to work for a big-city newspaper. No one wanted him. But reporting on the AIDS crisis brought him the success and fame he craved—and more than a little controversy. Visi…
Season 10: Preview [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:51
We’re back with more stories from the AIDS crisis. Hear Eric Marcus in conversation with six people whose lives and activism were transformed by the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and beyond. For exclusive Making Gay History…
Introducing: The Log Books: "Please Be Gentle" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:41
In commemoration of World AIDS Day, MGH host Eric Marcus introduces a poignant episode about the early years of the AIDS crisis from The Log Books, an award-winning documentary podcast that tells untold stories from Brit…
Coming of Age During the AIDS Crisis: Chapter 6: Making History [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:58
Being HIV+ was a virtual death sentence. So why get tested? But by 1988 there is a promising, if toxic, drug shown to extend life. Eric and Barry schedule their first test just as Eric starts work on his oral history boo…
Coming of Age During the AIDS Crisis: Chapter 5: In or Out [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:16
“You’re doing too many stories on AIDS.” The word had come down from on high at CBS This Morning. Eric didn’t want anyone to think he was biased, but as the only out gay person on the production staff, he felt an obligat…
Coming of Age During the AIDS Crisis: Chapter 3: 318 West 22nd Street [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:03
A straight drug addict. A gay waiter on a ventilator. Eric is confronted with the reality of AIDS when he volunteers for the Gay Men’s Health Crisis. Decades later, he speaks with his client’s widow, for whom AIDS is a d…
Coming of Age During the AIDS Crisis: Chapter 2: Not Alone [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:57
Even as the epidemic spreads, a rousing AIDS fundraiser at the circus, a new boyfriend, and journalism school combine to bring joy, a sense of community, and purpose into Eric’s life. Visit our episode webpage for backgr…
Coming of Age During the AIDS Crisis: Chapter 1: Buried Headline [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:35
“Rare Cancer Seen in 41 Homosexuals,” said the New York Times headline on July 3, 1981. It was the first time Eric Marcus read about what came to be known as AIDS. Nothing for me to worry about, he decided, and turned th…
Coming of Age During the AIDS Crisis: Preview [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:56
AIDS first made national news 40 years ago. MGH host Eric Marcus was 22 at the time, a gay kid in search of love and a career in New York City. In this six-part audio memoir, Eric explores his memories of the early years…