Smithsonian podcast centers queer voices in aerospace – The Washington Post
How did gay, male flight attendants fare in the early days of air travel?
Can science fiction with LGBTQ+ characters make space more inclusive?
What are the Air Force and Space Force doing to address LGBTQ+ issues?
Those questions are just a sampling of the ones asked and answered in QueerSpace, a limited series podcast from the National Air and Space Museum.
Devoted to stories of aviation, space and identity, the podcast is hosted by Erin Barker, co-founder of science storytelling program the Story Collider, and Sofia Soto Sugar, a program coordinator at the museum.
Although the series has just four brief episodes, it takes an ambitious view of flight, space and science. The bite-sized installments cover everything from science-fiction depictions of LGBTQ+ people, the experiences of service members who identify as queer and how queer artists confront and depict space.
The show’s topics and subjects “have been historically and intentionally ignored at the intersection of aviation, space, and LGBTQ+ history and culture,” in the words of the show’s introduction. Each episode invites listeners to learn more, offering recommendations that can serve as jumping-off points into these under-celebrated stories.
Ready to listen? Find QueerSpace on your preferred major podcast platform or on the museum’s website at Airandspace.si.edu. Transcripts are also available on the museum’s site.