<description>&lt;p&gt;In this deeply moving and often electric episode, &lt;em&gt;Our Dyke Histories&lt;/em&gt; sits with legendary writer, activist, and Lesbian Herstory Archives co-founder &lt;strong&gt;Joan Nestle&lt;/strong&gt; in her last interview as she reflects on the queer worlds that shaped her life in the 1940s–1960s. Joan guides us through her Friday night walks from a condemned Lower East Side tenement to the Sea Colony bar; the dangers and solidarities of queer street life; the violent policing and erotic possibility inside lesbian bars; and the role of race, class, and labor in shaping queer women’s worlds. Along the way, she brings us into Harlem drag balls with &lt;strong&gt;Mabel Hampton&lt;/strong&gt;, the lesbian feminist relationship to the &lt;strong&gt;Women’s House of Detention&lt;/strong&gt;, the labor histories behind Massachusetts’ &lt;strong&gt;Moody Gang&lt;/strong&gt;, and the erotic power of &lt;strong&gt;butch-femme desire&lt;/strong&gt;. This is Joan Nestle at her usual: always generous, political, and brilliant—offering a vivid map of mid-century queer survival and community.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;**&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Join Our Community&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Want to be part of our community? We'd love to have you. 😏 Come comment, connect, and get your gayme on!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Newsletter&lt;/strong&gt; to your inbox: Jack's &lt;a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://queergeographies.ghost.io/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Queer Geographies newsletter&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; with detailed takes on each episode, &amp;amp; more about lezbiqueertrans spaces across time&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instagram&lt;/strong&gt; for more dyke visuals and stories &lt;a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/ourdykehistories"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;@ourdykehistories&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Read&lt;/strong&gt; and follow our co-producer and collaborator, &lt;a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.sinisterwisdom.org/podcast"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Sinister Wisdom&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Email&lt;/strong&gt; us questions and comments at &lt;a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="mailto:ourdykehistories@gmail.com"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ourdykehistories@gmail.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;p&gt;**&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Credits&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Producer, Editor, Host, &amp;amp; Creative Director: Jack Gieseking&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Co-Producer: Julie Enszer &amp;amp; Sinister Wisdom&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Co-Producer &amp;amp; Co-Editor: Cade Waldo&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Assistant Editor: Mel Whitesell&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Social Media: Audrey Wilkinson&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Interns: Michaela Hayes and Sophie McClain&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Consulting Producer: Rachel Fagen&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Music: Our theme song: "Like Honey" by Kit Orion &lt;a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.kitorion.com/"&gt;https://www.kitorion.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;CC-BY-NC-ND 2025. Write to us at &lt;a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="mailto:ourdykehistories@gmail.com"&gt;ourdykehistories@gmail.com&lt;/a&gt; for permission to use any of our content.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Our Dyke Histories

Jack Gieseking with Sinister Wisdom

The Gender of Desire: Joan Nestle’s Last Interview

DEC 22, 202556 MIN
Our Dyke Histories

The Gender of Desire: Joan Nestle’s Last Interview

DEC 22, 202556 MIN

Description

<p>In this deeply moving and often electric episode, <em>Our Dyke Histories</em> sits with legendary writer, activist, and Lesbian Herstory Archives co-founder <strong>Joan Nestle</strong> in her last interview as she reflects on the queer worlds that shaped her life in the 1940s–1960s. Joan guides us through her Friday night walks from a condemned Lower East Side tenement to the Sea Colony bar; the dangers and solidarities of queer street life; the violent policing and erotic possibility inside lesbian bars; and the role of race, class, and labor in shaping queer women’s worlds. Along the way, she brings us into Harlem drag balls with <strong>Mabel Hampton</strong>, the lesbian feminist relationship to the <strong>Women’s House of Detention</strong>, the labor histories behind Massachusetts’ <strong>Moody Gang</strong>, and the erotic power of <strong>butch-femme desire</strong>. This is Joan Nestle at her usual: always generous, political, and brilliant—offering a vivid map of mid-century queer survival and community.</p><p>**</p><p><strong><em>Join Our Community</em></strong></p><p>Want to be part of our community? We'd love to have you. 😏 Come comment, connect, and get your gayme on!</p><ul><li><strong>Newsletter</strong> to your inbox: Jack's <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://queergeographies.ghost.io/"><strong>Queer Geographies newsletter</strong></a> with detailed takes on each episode, &amp; more about lezbiqueertrans spaces across time</li><li><strong>Instagram</strong> for more dyke visuals and stories <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/ourdykehistories"><strong>@ourdykehistories</strong></a></li><li><strong>Read</strong> and follow our co-producer and collaborator, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.sinisterwisdom.org/podcast"><strong><em>Sinister Wisdom</em></strong></a></li><li><strong>Email</strong> us questions and comments at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="mailto:[email protected]"><strong>[email protected]</strong></a></li></ul><p>**</p><p><strong><em>Credits</em></strong></p><p>Producer, Editor, Host, &amp; Creative Director: Jack Gieseking</p><p>Co-Producer: Julie Enszer &amp; Sinister Wisdom</p><p>Co-Producer &amp; Co-Editor: Cade Waldo</p><p>Assistant Editor: Mel Whitesell</p><p>Social Media: Audrey Wilkinson</p><p>Interns: Michaela Hayes and Sophie McClain</p><p>Consulting Producer: Rachel Fagen</p><p>Music: Our theme song: "Like Honey" by Kit Orion <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.kitorion.com/">https://www.kitorion.com/</a></p><p>CC-BY-NC-ND 2025. Write to us at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a> for permission to use any of our content.</p><p></p>