Mattachine, a ten-episode serialized show available free on iTunes January 4, 2018, follows the true story of the secret Mattachine organization that catalyzed the American LGBTQ rights movement in 1950.
From a spark of inspiration in 1920s Chicago, through secret speakeasy-style meetings that brought together anonymous homosexuals, the program will open FBI case files to journey through McCarthy-era paranoia and the witch hunt that pulled the communist queer activists apart, scattering the seeds of the movement. Produced and hosted by Devlyn Camp with editorial advising from Paul Di Ciccio and Chicago theatre critic Albert Williams, Mattachine aims to entertain and educate an audience about our vast history and the strength of our community during a time of new political resistance. Listeners may listen to the trailer and subscribe now on iTunes or other podcast-playing apps.
Political and social history have been intertwined with queer history, though our stories are overlooked by all history classes in public schools. With the assistance of voice actors and interviews with Mattachine founder Harry Hay courtesy of the ONE Archives at the University of Southern California Library, Mattachine will bring the stories of these activists back to life in order to uncover nuanced issues the LGBTQ community still struggles with today: internalized homophobia, misogyny, political pressure, anonymity, and assimilation. Listeners may find that the study of history is preparation for the work ahead.
Devlyn Camp is a television writing and production graduate of Columbia College Chicago. They have studied under Albert Williams, whose guidance and stories as a longtime activist in the gay community inspired Camp’s passion for queer theory and history. Williams also advises on this project.
Follow the show on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @mattachinefiles, and explore resources and other details at mattachinepod.com.
