One From the Vaults

OFTV 40 - The High Priestess of Poughkeepsie Jun 9, 2026 01:09:34 One from the Vaults is back for a Tenth Anniversary Special! In this episode, we explore the life of tarot master, comic writer, and 1970s trans activist Rachel Pollack! Sources: 78 Degrees of Wisdom (1980) by Rachel Pollack “Pandora’s Bust” (1971) by Rachel Pollack The Body of the Goddess (1997) by Rachel Pollack Beatrix Gates (2018) by Rachel Pollack Conversations with Roz Kaveney (2018-presen

OFTV - Camp Trans (Live! at Camp Trans UK) Jul 25, 2022 00:31:08 A special episode LIVE from Camp Trans UK! Listen to the sounds of the wind in the trees and the smoke of a camp fire getting in my face as OFTV tells the story of the original Camp Trans. Works Cited: https://www.camp-trans.org/pages/ct-history.html http://eminism.org/michigan/faq-protest.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_Womyn%27s_Music_Festival https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Tran

OFTV Presents - Interview with Abram J Lewis Jul 12, 2021 01:43:09 In this double-length episode, OFTV speaks to trans historian Abram J. Lewis about TAO (Transsexual Action Organization), about oral history work, and about how magic, witchcraft, and "unreason" intersect with the emergence of Gay Liberation and early trans organizations. AJ Lewis is a post doctoral fellow at Grinnell College in Iowa, and the co-founder of the NYC Trans Oral History Project, a pa

OFTV Presents - Librada and Cubanecuir Mar 24, 2021 00:59:07 This month OFTV presents a special interview with archivist Librada González Fernández of the Cubanecuir archive! Librada is a young trans woman based in NYC and Miami who is pulling together the stories and ephemera of queer and trans Cubans, both on the island and in the diaspora! She joins OFTV to talk Cuban queer history, the ethics of archival work, being a trans person working in history. Y

OFTV Presents - Interview with Zackary Drucker Feb 12, 2021 00:42:43 To celebrate five years of One From the Vaults, this year I'll be presenting a series of interviews with artists, filmmakers, writers, and historians working on trans history. First up is the brilliant and beautiful artist Zackary Drucker, co-director of the new HBO docuseries The Lady and the Dale, which tells the wild story of 1970s icon Liz Carmichael!

OFTV 35 - La Prophetesse Jul 29, 2020 00:45:22 This month's episode of OFTV follows the life of a gender non-conforming mystic who lead an early insurgency in the Haitian Revolution! Works cited: The Priest and the Prophetesse (2018) by Terry Rey Des hommes et des dieux (2002) Sex and the Empire That is No More (1994) by J. Lorand Matory Mama Lola: a Vodou Priestess in Brooklyn (1991) by Karen McCarthy Brown

OFTV 34 - Gym Class May 23, 2020 00:24:00 In this episode of OFTV, we follow Steve Dain - teacher of the year, and later mentor to Lou Sullivan - in his fight for the right to keep teaching after his sex change! Works Cited: http://revolution.berkeley.edu/steve-dain-teacher-transitions/ https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/eastbaytimes/obituary.aspx?n=steve-dain&pid=96301343 https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/files/k930bx11b https:/

OFTV 33 - A Bunny in the Front Seat Feb 12, 2020 00:26:44 In our first episode for 2020, OFTV looks at the tumultuous life of early gender clinic patient, sex worker-turned businesswoman Patricia Morgan! Works cited: https://zagria.blogspot.com/2009/08/patricia-morgan-1939-sex-worker.html#.Xj_4lhP7SRs https://archive.org/details/drag414unse/page/n1/mode/2up https://www.newspapers.com/image/65480016/ https://archive.org/details/femalemimics13unse/page/4/

OFTV 32 - HALLOWEEN SPECIAL Oct 27, 2019 00:20:52 In our very first HALLOWEEN SPECIAL, OFTV looks at the all-too-brief story of a Vicar, a ghost, and a veil! Join us this All Hallow's Eve for a chilling tale from trans history! Works Cited: https://archive.org/details/venuscastinafamobull/page/248 https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/history/somersets-most-unusual-ghost-storya-1208123 https://dangerousminds.net/comments/the_woman_in_black_the_st

OFTV bonus 13 Sneak Peek Aug 31, 2019 00:01:20 A sneak peek of the new bonus episode available to our Patrons over at Patreon.com/oftv.

OFTV 31 - It's About Me Not You Aug 6, 2019 00:23:53 In this episode, we take a look at artist, sculptor, and dollmaker Greer Lankton - muse to Nan Goldin and other downtown luminaries! Works Cited: https://www.documentjournal.com/2014/10/doll-parts-hilton-als-recalls-some-of-his-most-poignant-memories-of-artist-greer-lankton/ https://www.artforum.com/interviews/lia-gangitano-discusses-the-first-new-york-retrospective-of-greer-lankton-48864 https

OFTV Bonus 12 - Sneak Peak! Jun 2, 2019 00:01:26 A sneak peak of the latest Patrons-only mini episode! Available at patreon.com/oftv.

OFTV 30 - The Great 48 Mar 24, 2019 00:26:57 In this episode of OFTV, we take a look at the life of burlesque queen Alexandra - The Great 48! Works cited: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/dallas-tx/geraldine-weise-8182441 http://www.lasvegasshowgirlmuseum.com/april-and-alexandra-interview Behind the Burly Q (2009) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTuGMbNUio0 http://www.queermusicheritage.com/fem-hummell3-3.html https://zagria.blogs

OFTV Bonus 11 - Sneak Peak Dec 2, 2018 00:01:33 A sneak peak of our latest Patrons-only special bonus mini episode! This episode features the life of non-binary painter Gluck!

OFTV 29 - Man By Choice Oct 7, 2018 00:23:28 Indulge in a tale of ill-fated bad boy Harry Allen! Works Cited: https://zagria.blogspot.com/2018/08/harry-allen-1882-1922-musician.html https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/this-week-in-history-1906-the-notorious-nell-pickerell-returns-to-seattle https://crosscut.com/2014/06/nell-pickerell-transgender-youth-knute-berger

OFTV 28 - La Chica Streissandisima Jul 31, 2018 00:27:21 In this month's episode, we follow the fabulous life of AIDS outreach worker Adela Vázquez - from her childhood in Camagüey, through the Mariel Boatlift, and onto the streets of San Francisco! Works Cited: Sexile by Jaime Cortez https://www.auntlute.com/cuentamelo https://archives.sfweekly.com/sanfrancisco/cuentamelo-an-oral-history-of-queer-latin-immigrants-in-san-francisco/Content?oid=2826471&s

OFTV Bonus 10 - Sneak Peek Jul 23, 2018 00:01:45 A sneak peek our latest bonus mini-episode available exclusively to subscribers of our Patreon! Visit Patreon.com/oftv to sign up today!

OFTV 27 - Let Me Tell You About My Operation Jun 3, 2018 00:38:45 In this episode, we look at the fabulously embellished life of known liar Rae Bourbon! Works Cited: http://www.coolcatdaddy.com/bourbon.html http://www.coolcatdaddy.com/bourbon-hookers.html http://www.coolcatdaddy.com/bourbon-doc-operat-ja.jpg http://archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22Rae%20Bourbon%20aka%20Ray%20Bourbon%22 https://www.queermusicheritage.com/drag-bourbon.html https://zagria

OFTV Bonus 9 - Sneak Peak Apr 30, 2018 00:01:39 The Battle of the Femmes Fatale! Check out this new bonus episode for OFTV's patrons over at Patreon.com/OFTV.

OFTV 26 - The Best Car Never Built Apr 17, 2018 00:22:42 In this short episode of OFTV, we take a look at a gonzo story from the headlines of 1975! Join us for the story of the best car never built! Works Cited: https://web.archive.org/web/20060618171208/http://www.automotivechronicles.com/articles/2005/dec/02/1975_05.pdf https://mises.org/library/complete-libertarian-forum-1969-1984 https://jalopnik.com/murder-transsexuals-and-the-price-is-right-the-s

OFTV 25 - The Count Feb 18, 2018 00:31:46 In this month's episode, OFTV travels to 19th Century Hungary to investigate the life of an early trans man whom psychologists would later use to form their theories about lesbians. Works Cited: Richard von Krafft-Ebing, Psychopathia Sexualis http://blog.wellcomelibrary.org/2014/01/a-lady-of-masculine-appearance/ https://muse.jhu.edu/article/53005 https://zagria.blogspot.co.uk/2008/06/sndor-v

OFTV Bonus Ep 8 - Sneak Peak Feb 14, 2018 00:02:00 Check out this special previous of the latest bonus mini episode of OFTV, available exclusively to patrons who donate $5 or more per month to our Patreon account over at Patreon.com/OFTV. This episode looks at the life of Mexican revolutionary, socialist, and trans man, Amelio Robles Avila!

OFTV 24 - Passing While Passing Jan 20, 2018 00:26:27 OFTV's special two year anniversary episode covers the story of Ralph Kerwineo, whose life sat at the crux of cultural debates around gender, race, and eugenics in the United States during the 1910s. Works Cited: Emily Skidmore's True Sex: the Lives of Trans Men at the Turn of the 20th Century (NYU Press, 2017). https://forgottenstories.net/2012/05/10/ralph-kerwineo-one-of-milwaukees-most-charm

OFTV 23 - The Ballad of Dawn and John-Paul Dec 8, 2017 00:28:57 In The Ballad of Dawn and John-Paul, we take a look at the turbulent romance of 1960s white trans woman writer Dawn Langley Simmons and her younger Black husband John-Paul Simmons in the Jim Crow South. Works Cited: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/15/dawn http://www.postandcourier.com/news/local_state_news/dawn-langley-simmons-story-still-makes-waves/article_2ba4d9b9-facf

OFTV Bonus Ep 7 - Sneak Peak Nov 19, 2017 00:01:29 Enjoy this sneak peak of the latest bonus mini-episode of OFTV, available exclusively for patrons over at Patreon.com/oftv.

OFTV 22 - Saint Georges Oct 22, 2017 00:27:26 In this episode of OFTV, we get mystical with the life of Georges Marasco - a trans man singer, lion tamer, poet, and stigmatic! Works Cited: http://vintagemedals.webs.com/hal.htm https://archive.org/stream/physicalphenomen007373mbp#page/n219/mode/2up https://zagria.blogspot.ca/2010/12/georges-marasco-1890-lion-tamer.html#.WezGwhNSyRs Paula Kane, Sister Thorn and Catholic Mysticism in Modern

OFTV Bonus Ep 6 - Sneak Peak Oct 15, 2017 00:01:39 A sneak peak of this month's bonus episode available exclusively for patrons over at Patreon.com/OFTV. This episode tells the story of the first trans porn star, Jill Monro!

OFTV 21 - A Sister Act Sep 4, 2017 00:23:27 In this episode of OFTV, we'll take a look at the intertwined lives of two trans women as they move through the drag balls of the 1960s, the golden era of porn in the 1970s, and the underground performance art scene of the 1980s! Works Cited: https://zagria.blogspot.ca/2010/08/international-chrysis-1951-1990.html#.Wa1_k9OGORs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q%26A_%28film%29 http://www.hungdevils.

OFTV Bonus Ep 5 - Sneak Peak Aug 27, 2017 00:02:04 In this month's bonus mini-episode, we try to sift fact from fiction in the strange life of Desiré Dubounet and her EPFX machine that can supposedly cure cancer and AIDS. Available now for patrons over at Patreon.com/OFTV.

OFTV 20 - Any Other Way Jul 23, 2017 00:33:41 In this month's OFTV, we look into the mystery surrounding the elusive 1960s Toronto-based chanteuse, Little Jackie Shane! Works Cited: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/music/searching-for-jackie-shane-rbs-lost-transgender-superstar/article35057998/ https://zagria.blogspot.ca/2017/06/jackie-shane-1940-musician.html#.WWumidPyuRs http://hazlitt.net/longreads/i-bet-your-mama-was-tent-show-quee

OFTV Bonus ep 4 - sneak peak Jul 14, 2017 00:01:36 A sneak peak of our latest bonus mini-episode, available exclusively for our patrons over at Patreon.com/OFTV!

OFTV 19 - Lou in the City of Night Jun 20, 2017 01:07:54 In this special DOUBLE episode of OFTV we took a look at the life of Lou Sullivan - the first gay FTM and the man largely responsible for creating the FTM community as we currently know it. Works Cited: Brice D. Smith's Lou Sullivan: Daring To Be a Man Among Men Stryker & Whittle's Transgender Studies Reader

OFTV Bonus Ep 3 - Sneak Peak Jun 3, 2017 00:02:00 A sneak peak of the third bonus mini episode available exclusively for patrons over at Patreon.com/oftv! In this episode, we tell the story of the very first trans woman to ever receive hormones.

OFTV 18 - Stormé Weather May 28, 2017 00:34:20 In this episode of OFTV, we take a look at the Black drag king at the centre of the Stonewall Rebellion. Long thought to have thrown the first punch, this butch spent her life defending the lesbian of the VIllage. Works Cited: Jewel Box Revue programs, 194?-1968, hosted at queermusicheritage.com The research of JD Doyle at queermusicheritage.com Stormé: The Lady of the Jewel Box, dir. Michelle

OFTV Bonus Ep 2 - Sneak Peak Apr 30, 2017 00:02:07 Check out this sneak peak of the latest bonus mini-episode of OFTV available only for our patrons over at Patreon.com/oftv! In this episode, we go back all the way to the 1830s and cover one of the earliest documented trans people in the United States!

OFTV 17 - The Man with Three Names! Apr 17, 2017 00:29:43 In this episode, we take a look at the hard life of the man with three names - a trans man who was forced into making desperate choices in a time before trans identities were readily available! Scandals! Murders! Lies! This story has everything. CW: brief discussion of rape. Works cited:http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/119068057 http://www.dictionaryofsydney.org/item/54518 http://adb.

OFTV Bonus Ep 1 - Sneak Peak Mar 28, 2017 00:02:07 Sneak peak of our first bonus mini-episode, available exclusively for our patrons who donate $5 or more to us at Patreon.com/oftv.

OFTV 16 - Crossdressing, Racist Laws, and Murder! Mar 18, 2017 00:31:57 Between 1849-1900, 34 cities in 21 states enacted anti-cross dressing laws in the United States. How and why did this happen? Join us as OFTV looks into the racist history of anti-cross dressing laws and tells the scandalous life story of one early trans man who resisted them! Works Cited: Clare Sears, Arresting Dress (2015) Zagria: https://zagria.blogspot.ca/2012/01/jean-bonnet-1849-1876-frog-c

OFTV 15 - a COG in the Machine Feb 5, 2017 00:33:29 This week, OFTV covers early trans activist group COG - North America's first trans organization! Based in San Francisco's Tenderloin District, COG fought against police persecution and for access to healthcare in the late 1960s. Works cited: Susan Stryker, Transgender History Susan Stryker, Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton’s Cafeteria (documentary) Joanne Meyerowitz, How Sex Changed Suza

OFTV 14 - Java vs. Right to Work Jan 8, 2017 00:30:04 This episode focuses on the life of Sir Lady Java! A Black trans civil rights pioneer and performer who fought for the right to work! Works cited: http://transgriot.blogspot.ca/2010/12/sir-lady-java-trans-civil-rights.html https://zagria.blogspot.ca/2013/02/sir-lady-java-1943-performer-activist.html#.WHKC9rYrKRs http://forge-forward.org/2016/02/17/bthm-sir-lady-java/ https://www.youtube.com/watch

OFTV 13 - Female Husband! Nov 6, 2016 00:31:39 Did trans men exist before the 20th Century? On this week's episode, we go all the way back to 1746 to explore the life of "female husband" Charles, or George, or Mary, or Molly Hamilton! Works cited: http://www.pascalbonenfant.com/18c/newgatecalendar/mary_hamilton.html Baker, S. (1959). Henry Fielding's The Female Husband: Fact and Fiction. Publications of the Modern Language Association of Amer

OFTV 12 - Murder on Homewood Oct 2, 2016 00:32:55 OFTV takes a look at a horrific moment in Canada's trans community that became a turning point in the country's trans history. This episode explores the 1996 triple homicide of Brenda Ludgate, Shawn Jr Keegan, and Deanna Wilkinson, and the community response that followed. Works Cited: http://accozzaglia.ca/ententasmagic/journal/knowledge/10-dead-trans-women-in-toronto/ http://accozzaglia.ca/essa

OFTV 11 - Tricky Mother Nature Aug 4, 2016 00:39:08 OFTV brings our mini-series on the trio of trans Warhol muses to a close with glamour and tragedy of Candy Darling! Works Cited: WarholStars.org Holly Woodlawn: A Low Life in High Heels Craig B Highberger - Superstar in a Housedress Beautiful Darling (documentary)

OFTV 10 - Glamour, Glory, And Gold! Jul 5, 2016 00:37:43 Part two of our three part series on the trio of trans Warhol muses who inspired Lou Reed's classic song, Walk on the Wild Side! This week, we take an elevator look at the life of Jackie Curtis.

OFTV 9 - Holly Came From Miami FLA Jun 20, 2016 00:37:39 OFTV brings you the first in a three part series on the trio of trans Warhol muses! Holly Woodlawn, trans Puerto Rican Superstar! Works Cited: Superstar in a Housedress, film and book, by Craig Highberger WarholStars.org A Low-Life in High Heels, by Holly Woodlawn https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2007/sep/26/art.theatre

OFTV 8: Spirit Of Gold Apr 15, 2016 00:32:26 One from the Vaults - trans history podcast looks at the successful life, bizarre death, and continuing afterlife of gospel quartet singer Wilmer Little Axe Broadnax! Works Cited: http://transgriot.blogspot.ca/2013/07/black-trans-history-wilmer-little-axe-m.html http://www.hoodedutilitarian.com/2014/11/male-and-female-in-christ/ http://ubleproject.tumblr.com/post/29515613795/a-tenor-passes-wilmer

OFTV 7: Behold! I Am A Woman! Apr 2, 2016 00:38:56 In this episode of OFTV, we'll try to make sense of the confusing life story, or stories, of Canada's "first" transsexual, Dianna Boileau! Works Cited: http://zagria.blogspot.ca/2010/09/dianne-boileau-1930-secretary.html http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2016/03/27/the-woman-who-was-trans-before-her-time.html Boileau and Cochrane, Behold! I am a Woman! (1972) Let Me Die a Woman: https://www.you

OFTV 6: The Art Of The Possible Mar 16, 2016 00:32:50 OFTV celebrates the life of trans politican and Indigenous sex worker Georgina Beyer - from her life on the streets to the house of parliament! Works Cited: Jewel's Darl - http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/about-face-jewels-darl-1985 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rab_LVPfxDc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8navq7MlomY http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/video/29381/passing-of-the-prostitution-reform-bill

OFTV 5: The Trans Howard Hughes Mar 1, 2016 00:38:30 On this episode of OFTV, we'll discuss the long life of eccentric FTM multimillionaire Reed Erickson - the architect of modern trans healthcare. Works Cited: Aaron Devor & Nicholas Matte, "Building a Better World." http://web.uvic.ca/~ahdevor/ABetterWorld.pdf Devor & Matte, "ONE Inc and Reed Erickson." http://web.uvic.ca/~ahdevor/UneasyCollaboration.pdf Devor, "Reed Erickson: How One Transsexua

OFTV 4: Valentine's Day Special! Feb 14, 2016 00:44:44 Join us for a Very Special Valentine's Day episode here at OFTV! We'll be discussing the groundbreaking life of trans man Michael Dillon and his doomed romance with trans woman Roberta Cowell! Works cited: From a Girl to a Man by Liz Hodgkinson The First Man-Made Man by Pagan Kennedy Sex Change Spitfire Ace documentary by Channel 4

OFTV 3: STAR House, STAR People Feb 1, 2016 00:32:21 Join us as we take a look at the early lives of the patron saints of the trans movement, Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P Johnson! We'll examine their beginnings, take a look at what might have gone down at Stonewall, and follow them up to the 1973 Christopher Street Liberation Day Parade! The first in a three part series on Sylvia and Marsha! Works Cited: http://www.workers.org/2006/us/lavender-red-73

OFTV 2: The Golden Age Of Hustlers Jan 15, 2016 00:31:14 In this episode of OFTV, we'll take a look at Vancouver's Golden Age of Prostitution from 1975-1985, in which Indigenous trans sex workers ruled the streets of the West End. We'll discuss how sex workers organized for their rights and safety, in opposition to gay white residents groups, the police, and the state. So tune in and get all the dirt, gossip, and glamour from trans history! Works Cited

OFTV 1: Whatever Happened To Rachel Dec 29, 2015 00:28:16 One from the Vaults is a new trans history podcast. Join us for our pilot episode as we take a look at the mystery of Lou Reed's transsexual girlfriend Rachel. Sources: http://www.jaynedoll.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/loureed.html http://dangerousminds.net/comments/rachel_lou_reeds_transsexual_muse https://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/a-morons-guide-to-lou-reed https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=mkG7Y6_J7pU

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