Ready for “the gayest stories never told?” Dekkoo, an innovative subscription streaming service dedicated to gay men, is. Well, it is Pride Month, after all, so here’s to Historical Homos. The new series — think of it like an engaging podcast you can watch — recently hit the streamer, thanks to collaborative efforts of Idyllwild Pictures and actor/producer Zachary Quinto (American Horror Story, The Boys in the Band, Star Trek).
“Zachary is a very old friend of mine, and he was very instrumental in this,” said Donal Brophy, head of development of Idyllwild Pictures, an entertainment company he runs in Palm Springs with his husband Emrhys Cooper. “He’s been our north star on Historical Homos.”
Historical Homos began as a coffee table book by Bash — just Bash, like Cher —and sister Lucy Hendra back in the UK. After their Instagram feed blew up, the hilarious yet informative siblings craved something more. Quinto happened to be working on something similar, called Pride and Prejudice, with Brophy and Cooper. Suddenly, all parties decided to combine the projects and create one memorable outing. It’s a good thing they did. Who knew history could be this fun? Well, Diane Morgan (Cunk on Earth) did, but savor this shiny gem, folks.
A Unique Spin on Queer History
Historical Homos delivers a festive and oftentimes hysterically funny guide to queer history. As hosts Bash and Brophy note early on in the series, historians kept “some of the greatest names in civilization in the closet… queer people have been around for eons, challenging society, serving looks, and living out their deepest fantasies.” Cue images of Socrates, Michelangelo, Virginia Woolf, Shakespeare, and others which, we’re told, “were all members of the rainbow tribe.”
The first four episodes offer an array of everything L, G, B, and T. Male homosexuality in Greek mythology is the topic of the first episode, and the hosts are downright entertaining as they reveal how those myths reflected real life in Ancient Greece. Throughout the episodes, Bash and Brophy reveal eye-opening tidbits. One tale that truly stands out is the true story of a transgender spy and soldier, Le Chevalier d’Éon, who was born Charles and became “Charlotte” at the age of 49, only to realize being a woman in the 18th century was extremely limiting.
When asked what he felt viewers would be most surprised by with the show, host/co-creator Donal Brophy quipped: “I feel the audience will be most surprised by how good-looking and skinny both Bash and I are.” (Wink!) “They will wonder themselves, ‘How could these attractive young men also be so intelligent. Just kidding. Not kidding.”
“People are most surprised by how much of history has been ‘straight washed,’” continued Brophy. “A lot of people that we have heard of — Shakespeare for instance and Christopher Marlowe — who lived very freely as both bisexual and fully gay men. The truth is, before we all started to label ourselves being queer, life was very fluid and also in a lot of circles quite accepted. Every generation thinks they invented sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll, and in the last 50 years a lot of people think they invented gay. Gay has been around forever.”
Cooper added: “I feel people will be most surprised by how accepting and how honored queer people were in ancient civilizations. In Ancient Egypt, for instance, trans and non-binary people were considered demigods.”
A Show Filled with LGBTQ Honors
It’s fitting, too, that Cooper wanted this series to be somewhat of an homage to a longtime mentor/collaborator, Bill Cohen, who died at the end of 2019. Cohen was an intrepid advocate and an early steward of LGBTQ+ studies and queer academia. Along with Patrick Mcloughlin, he co-founded the Haworth Press, and he and Cooper even worked on several projects together. After Cohen’s death, Cooper “wanted to continue his mission and memory… Historical Homos is a love letter to his work.”
There is a lot to appreciate in Historical Homos. The hosts are charming — Bash’s wit stands out, Brophy exudes plenty of charm. The series is inventive and informative as the “great queers of yesteryear” finally shine in the spotlight. In addition to Shakespeare, other noteworthy bits include revelations about Louis XIV’s brother, Philippe — he dressed up in drag — and Eleanor Rykener, a 13th century trans sex worker who claimed in court records that her best clients were monks because they paid more.
An important part of the couple’s mission: Giving a voice to the many people in history who have been overlooked. “I grew up feeling very alone as a closeted gay in the 1990s,” shared Cooper. “There wasn’t a lot of good representation in any of the media, and we didn’t learn anything about queer history in school or at home. It’s important for me to get this information out because I want young LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters to read, learn, and empower themselves and go to do great things. These characters should act as an inspirational Springboard for the rest of their lives.”
The Perfect Time for This LGBTQ+ Series
Any doubt that Historical Homos arrives at a perfect time is quickly cast aside when chatting with Brophy. “We are under attack. A number of malign forces seem to have come together and formed a serious backlash against LGBTQ+ rights,” said Brophy. He continued:
One thing needs to be made very clear: We are not going back into the closet, we are not taking prisoners, and we are not here to make friends. We intend to teach our fellow LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters, as well, as impressionable and lonely youth coming up, that they are part of a long history of fabulous, amazing groundbreaking, interesting, and genius queers.
Meanwhile, the series leans into its own importance with a fine balance of humor, facts, historical data, and a good amount of joi de vivre. “People have talked a lot about the gay agenda,” explained Brophy. “Mostly the gay agenda has been getting a good seat at brunch and making sure to tip your drag queen. The reality is, most queer people are just trying to get through the day hold down good jobs, fall in love, and be kind to their family and friends.
“However, there does seem to be a backlash against all of these thunderous rights that we have accumulated over the last 10 years,” he added. “It’s important to us to get Historical Homos out to shore up information so that there is no question as to how important queer figures have been to the intellectual and spiritual evolution of human society.”
New episodes of Historical Homos stream every Friday throughout Pride month. Learn more at Dekkoo.com.
Stay connected with us on social media platform for instant update click here to join our Twitter, & Facebook
We are now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@TechiUpdate) and stay updated with the latest Technology headlines.
For all the latest Education News Click Here