Hey y’all—it’s me, Peppermint 💅🏽 and welcome back to Queer 101. In this episode, I’m joined by my partner in queer crime, Hugh the Historian, and honey… we are digging deep. Like “Hollywood secrets buried under a studio lot” deep.

We dive into the shadowy, fascinating, and sometimes infuriating hidden histories of queer culture—especially in old Hollywood, where being LGBTQ+ was very much a don’t ask, don’t exist situation. We unpack Michael Kresky’s book Sick and Dirty, which chronicles a time when queer folks were everywhere in the industry… just not allowed to be seen. Closets had closets, okay?

From there, we spill the tea on queer coding in film—how villains, side characters, and “odd” personalities were often the only places queer energy was allowed to live onscreen. Hugh breaks it down historically while I’m sitting there like, “Wait… so that’s why every fabulous villain felt a little too familiar?”

We also get into the real power players—the closeted figures who wielded enormous influence while benefiting from systems that oppressed the very community they were part of. Yes, we’re talking Roy Cohn, Liz Smith, and the complicated, messy reality of survival, power, and exploitation in systems that weren’t built for us.

And listen, this isn’t just a history lesson—it’s about how culture, politics, and power all intertwine, and how queer people have always been navigating that web, whether out loud or in the shadows. We reflect on how oppression works systemically, how visibility can be both dangerous and revolutionary, and why understanding this history matters right now.

So buckle up, grab your popcorn, and get ready to learn, laugh, and maybe side‑eye Hollywood just a little harder.

Timestamps

• 00:00 Welcome to Queer 101
• 01:03 Queer Coding: The Subtext Was Loud
• 05:35 Why So Many Villains Felt… Familiar
• 10:53 Closets, Power, and Complicity
• 15:08 Systems of Oppression & Queer Survival
• 22:17 Final Thoughts, Community Love & Birthday Vibes

Follow us at:

• @peppermint247
• @hughoryan
• @pridehousemedia

Write to us at:

• questions@queer101podcast.com

Hey y’all, it’s me Peppermint 💋 and welcome back to Queer 101! This episode is one of those “once you see it, you can’t unsee it” conversations—because we’re talking all about queer coding in pop culture. And yes… it’s been happening forever.

This week Hugh Ryan, and I break down how queerness has been sneaking into movies, books, and TV for decades—especially back when being openly queer was a hard no thanks to censorship, moral panics, and a whole lot of pearl‑clutching. So what did creators do? Oh, they got creative.

We get into Hollywood history and how queerness was often hidden in plain sight through gestures, voices, fashion, and vibes. Then we jump straight into Disney, because let’s be honest—the villains were serving. From Scar’s theatrical drama in The Lion King to Ursula’s larger‑than‑life fabulousness in The Little Mermaid, we talk about why so many of us clocked those characters immediately—even as kids.

But it’s not just about being queer-coded; we also unpack how queerness and racial coding often overlapped, reinforcing stereotypes and shaping how audiences understood “otherness.” It’s layered, it’s complicated, and yes—it had real cultural consequences.

We also look beyond film into literature, where queerness has long lived between the lines, and we ask the big question: now that we can be more open, why are we still relying on subtext?

By the end, Hugh and I share our hopes for a future where queer characters don’t have to hide in villains, metaphors, or side‑eyes—and where authenticity doesn’t require decoding. And of course, we want to hear from you, so I invite you to share your thoughts, your favorite coded characters, and what you want us to tackle next on Queer 101.

Because if the subtext was loud back then? Baby, the text deserves a microphone now.

Timestamps

• 00:00 Welcome back to Queer 101
• 01:09 How Hollywood Learned to Code Queerness
• 03:38 Disney Villains: The Real Gay Icons
• 07:11 How Queer Coding Shaped Culture
• 10:19 Race, Queerness & “Otherness”
• 17:44 Queer Stories Between the Lines
• 29:06 Imagining a Future Without Coding
• 29:46 Final Thoughts & Call to Action

Follow us at:

• @peppermint247
• @hughoryan
• @pridehousemedia

Write to us at:

• questions@queer101podcast.comScar, Ursula, and the Queer History of Disney, Hollywood & Pop Culture
  
  

Hey y’all, it’s me, Peppermint, and on this episode of Queer 101, Hugh and I are ringing in the New Year the only way we know how: chatty, curious, and a little bit queerly chaotic.

We kick things off swapping New Year’s stories — who rested, who partied, who intended to journal but absolutely did not — and then get into the real question: Do queer people even do resolutions the same way? (Spoiler: yes, but gayer.)

From there, we dive headfirst into one of my favorite topics: queer coding in the media — aka all the gay stuff they didn’t teach us in school but definitely snuck into movies anyway. I get especially excited talking about Michael Koresky’s book Sick and Dirty, which peels back the glittery curtain on Hollywood from the 1930s–60s and shows how queer creators and characters survived under censorship by being clever, coded, and just a little scandalous.

Of course, we don’t stay in the past too long. We also discuss modern queer media, from buzzy shows like Heated Rivalry to the current state of queer visibility on TV. What’s working? What feels forced? And what makes us scream “FINALLY!” at our screens?

We also get real for a moment about the political climate and why representation still matters — especially when queer stories are often the first to be questioned, cut, or “rebranded.” But don’t worry, we balance the heaviness with joy, laughter, and personal reflections on the queer-coded characters that helped shape us before we even had the words for ourselves.

Before we wrap, we invite you into the conversation:
💬 What queer-coded characters did you clock way before everyone else?
📚 What should we read or watch next?
📺 What makes queer representation feel authentic to you?

Come for the media analysis, stay for the laughs, and leave knowing you’re part of a long, fabulous lineage of queer storytelling.