Thank you so much to everyone who watched the video over its first week! The video accrued $570.73 in revenue from Ad/sense which I rounded up to $600 and donated to the First Nations Development Institute. ☺💜 Thank you for making the hard work this video took worth it, and thank you for your eagerness to learn!
Kaz, I'm hoping this will make the rounds through the goth community because we have a long history of accepting all people of all genders and all orientations. And all things considered, we collectively need to remember that. Thank you for your level of awesome. Please keep with these, this is a wondrous find!
I think one of the biggest realizations that I, a straight white guy from a small town, have made about history the more I study it is that ANY TIME you get a bunch of young, handsome, fit men together, whether soldiers, sailors, cowboys, etc. together, gay stuff will inevitably happen, and happen a LOT.
Usually means nothing that will last, but the body of someone like you is comforting and helps you face the world. I wonder what History will make of the late me.
I just wanted to say thank you for making this video. I myself am not gay, but after being a single father of roughly 18 years and just assuming my son hadn't yet ever had a girlfriend because he was shy and sheltered, he recently came out to me as gay and introduced me to his boyfriend. The only problem it has ever been with me is simply the prospect of "oh God my baby boy is grown up and dating already" and never in the slightest has it changed how much I love and care for him. Ever since, I have tried my best to become more educated and present in the world of LGBTQ and it saddens me at times to constantly discover new levels of hate and discrimination against it out there. For all these reasons, I greatly appreciate you and all alike out there who educate and support these topics and the humans that belong to them. I've watched a few of your videos already but I definitely hit subscribe after this one. Thanks again and please keep making great content.
That's really sweet of you!! Even tho it should be the standard, many people don't go the route you did You sound like a great father :)) I wish you, your son, his boyfriend and everyone else in your family a happy life!!
"you're not welcome roasting marshmellers at my campfire" the HIGHEST dishonor! also, holy crap I was not expecting to tear up at the word "comf" today
Honestly, this is why I love the internet. People think that history is a single thread when it's really a tapestry of other threads that come together to make something amazing. For too long we've been taught that only certain threads are worth focusing on and only now are we discovering everything that's been forced into the background. Thank you for all your hard work 🤠
this is exactly what i was thinking when i tapped on this video. i love when people can use internet to show different stories from history we haven’t heard before and making it interesting. this is beauty and grace itself
Yes! I am a hetero, indigenous woman who has been tradish (Lakota) since I was a kid. The holy man I go to is a winkté. Winktés have always been recognized in my culture as medicine people because they have 2 spirits. They can see both genders, as they have the vantage point of both. My people have never lost sight of this role, even through colonization. You did such a beautiful job telling this history, thank you!!
As a nurse in a facility I had occasional to see patients that didn’t fit the mold. We had a woman in her 80’s who had spent a good deal of her later life traveling the world with her sister. One night I helped the nurses aid clean the women and was shocked to see that although she had out worldly feminine genitalia, she had no vagina. I was very surprised.
I had a friend whose uncle lived with his brother on an isolated farm in northern South Dakota. I remember meeting them back in the 70s when they were both in their 80s. Ernie and Norm. Ernie was the real uncle, but I later learned Norm was not related by blood to the family. While the family simply ignored the fact, I put two and two together and realized Ernie and Norm were "partners" and had lived together since they met as soldiers in World War I. They lived alone together, respected by their farming neighbors, and left respectfully to live their lives together until Norm died in the late 70s, followed very soon after by Ernie. They were together to the end, which I found very poignant.
"I hope she is finally comf." Real trans joy is knowing that at the end of everything you have friends that will always love and respect you for all that you are
As a trans man, thank you. I’m so tired of historical trans men having their identities denied or co-opted just because the word transgender didn’t exist yet.
@@Mr_John_Herbert do you feel better now after commenting on my six month old comment? Get a life. Come back when you’ve actually encountered a ‘female’ who doesn’t run from you screaming and then maybe I’ll believe you even know what one is. XO
I could so tell you've lived in Texas. I live in Houston, I've worked The Rodeo, and as a WLW Latina I very much appreciate an academic encapsulation of things I've been telling people for YEARS.
Let's not forget that a lot of Texan and Southern US cowboy culture, ranch culture, etc. came form Mexico. Not only because Mexico had a deep engrained culture about horse cattle, but a very agriculture culture in the old days. And let's not forget that the southern part of the US used to be part of Mexico. That's why I always find funny how some US southerns, think that the south has always been white with white culture before and after the Mexican and American war, when in fact, before the war, it was a mixture, but the Mexican and indigenous cultures, where more prominent until white culture took over almost completely. Not for something, around the era of the wild west, there were lots of Mexicans and indigenous people. So of course, part of our culture was borrowed in those parts. In fact, the ranchero culture, is still prevalent in modern day Mexico, especially in the North and is a very respected profession in it's own way. Fun fact. Mexico abolished slavery in 1837, 16 years after becoming independent and before the US did it, and when black slaves ran to Mexico, they immediately became free. And when the US asked for their slaves to be returned, Mexico always gave them the middle finger and granted Mexican citizenship to those escaped black slaves apart form their freedom.
Also, here in northern Illinois, a friend and I stumbled on a Vaquero show and were immediately welcomed. What a great experience! The horses were spectacular, the horsemanship absolutely top notch--so exciting.
Howdy. I'm a Two-Spirit Old West historical reenactor, ranch hand, and desert wilderness and horseback tour guide. I've been working since 2013 to try to raise awareness about the REAL West, not that straight/cis/white/vanilla-washed John Wayne propoganda version. I'm so happy to see others helping in doing this work. Thank you for doing this and helping to bring the truth back to the light of day. Much obliged.
At my grandmother's passing, my family was going through old photo albums. I came across a small album within another album that was full of very old pictures. It was my great great grandmother in full men's clothing, often smoking a cigar, with a woman who was identified on the back of the photos as her "close friend and good neighbor". My family "disappeared" the album, but not before I saved two of the photos where they seemed happiest together. ❤
Hi, I'm a queer Native American person and I heavily appreciate you talking about Natives in your video! At the end, you mentioned that tribes had their own gender/sexuality rules, and thats true! A few years ago when I came out to my mom, she mentioned that women couldn't use the drum because they had a lot of spiritual power. With that in mind, she told me that queer women in queer relationships where considered more spirituality powerful.
All the natives in this comment section make me wish that I could just run away and hang out with some tribes. It's always nice to learn about native Americans because most tribes seem to have more respect for diversity in general (this is coming from a white person in a major white area so plz excuse me if I say something wrong, I'm trying)
Thank you for not calling us Indians, rather Natives, acknowledging adequately who we are, and drawing attention to our queer history, at least briefly. You are a treasure and a powerful ally. Love you channel beyond words. Peace be with you
I'm fifty yo and Seneca Iroquois, and yank bothers me more - is more insulting - than indian tbh. In fact, I don't mind indian; it's just another English word. But I don't like AmerInd. Uggg, that's weird, makes me feel like a specimen. Go figure.
@sofiajimenez4035yes indigenous or native American is fine just don't use Indian because that the name the white man gave us because Columbus thought he found a new route to india but it was actually a America not india so basically please don't calls Indians because we're not Indians we're native Americans/indigenous people
I'm native and nonbinary, being queer and indigenous is important to me, its part of me and to hear you talking about it in a historical senses means more then you realize, people like me have existed for so long but its been hidden by years of blurred lines, its just nice to see someone finally setting the recorded "straight" :D
Love this essay! In high school I wrote a short story about a rugged cowgirl who sought revenge from a capitalistic rancher, who had kidnapped her wife. My very western-loving, republican teacher was confused at best and low key disgusted at worse. He basically told me that my story was unrealistic. It’s nice to know that 4 years later, my gay cowboy story was more realistic than his John Wayne movies lol!
I have to admit that I need to keep reminding myself that she didn't die young and apparently lived a mostly good life after transition (even though it's awful that her final wishes went unrespected:/) It's the husband - driven to suicide - that I feel for:(
“cause Al ain’t here no more” i’m sobbing. The Lost Pardner is such a heartwrenching poem. i only wish i could reach back in time to let these souls know that they’ve touched mine. these are my ancestors, my queer forebears. our feelings are as old as time. I truly, dearly hope they are all comf now.
I'm a big fan of Alan Hart and have read up on him, after wwii he was able to start taking testosterone and apparently seemed more confident and outspoken. I'm so happy you included trans masc history, a lot of people dismiss historical trans men because they think they just lived that way to avoid misogyny (which can end up becoming a bit terfy). I believe there was also a trans man who fought in the Civil war but I don't remember exactly what his name is.
that poem made me cry. I had a partner for a short time who was an older man...he loved men but loved women too. He was just..him. I allowed him the sexual relationship with men, for his happiness meant mine. He loved me once and I knew where his heart was, but he couldn't help loving men too. I let him be who he was.
This video brought back some memories. As a young kid growing up in Idaho, my parents took me to a lot of rodeos, parades, fairs, etc. I became enamored with the cowboy/cowgirl aesthetic and my parents eventually got me boots and ten gallon hat. Soon after, we went to this parade where cowgirls and cowboys were riding horses through the streets of my hometown and I was really excited to show off my new boots to a group of cowgirls. I kept pointing to my boots and gleefully shouting, "I have boots too!" Looking back, I think this is one of my earliest expressions of femininity that eventually lead to me coming out as trans.
I really loved this video. As a mexican who lives in Northen Mexico where the ranchero culture is still *very* prevalent (my dad was a bull tamer, my brother was a "charro" -like a horserider that does cool rope tricks-, my sister was an "escaramusa" -they were sort of dancers that ride horses-, and me and my little sister did some cow herdering when we were little) it is very exciting to hear about cowboy history, *especially* queer cowboy history as a nonbinary lesbian. It feels like I'm more in touch with my culture hearing queer history of how the cowboy society was like and learning how diverse it actually was. It bafles me but doesn't really surprises me that white-cishet culture took over it As a thank you for this video I'll share a quick fun-fact: the word "bukaroo" is actually a mispronunciation of the spanish word "vaquero" which means cowboy in English
Yo nice! Im a queer colombian who lives in the Midwest and have been surrounded by stories of cishet white cowboys as well. I am very happy to hear that I live where many many queer poc came from miles away. It's touching for me
Duuuuude! I didn't know the thing about buckaroo being a mispronounced version of vaquero!! They look way different written, but when I said vaquero out loud the way you would in Spanish, like the V actually being more of a B sound and so on (I took 4 years of Spanish lol) I could really hear it!! 😱 it sounds like buckaroo kinda and I could see an American, with a very thick American cowboy/texas accent, attempting to repeat vaquero sounding like they're saying buckaroo. 🤯 you blew my mind that is so friggin cool lol!!
Being born in 1958, I grew up being taught "traditional" history. It's only been the last 20 years or so that it's begun to come out how seriously that one threaded history was forced on us. Some of it was just flat out lies, and so, so much was left out completely
If you're interested, I'd recommend the book "A People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn. It helps to break down a lot of the history we were taught in school and show the fallacies and why they were a convenient story to teach us as Americans
I'm trying to write a story for uni and I just spent a week complaining about how hard it is to find information about the old west. You're a saviour, I'm so glad I got recommended this video skadsnabsb
If you can't find information on the old west you've gotta be sitting on your fucking hands or just a dumbass. Oh wait you're wasting money at a university checks out.
As a gay navy sailor the stereotype of the gay sailor is still very much prevalent in our own circle. First thing I hear when I talk to others in different branches is the gay jokes ☠️. It’s kinda of weird that such stereotypes have stay for over a 100 years now lol
Fun fact: the inventor of cattle wrestling was Bill Pickett, a black cowboy. Despite the fact that many rodeos banned black performers like him, Pickett still found success. Look him up!
my husbands grandma makes family trees for a living, and discovered an ancestor that was the mayor of a western town and after their death the town discovered that she was a woman masquerading as a man. she'd had a kid and so she was the first female mayor in the west, this was before women could vote in the us, so the town kept her secret.
As always, actual History is so much more interesting than the mainstream version of it. How can people not bask in the glory of diversity? How can people try to force Humanity into 2 dimensions and think that's actually better? I honestly finish this video with a flutter of happiness in my heart for how interesting everyone you spoke of was.
Trans masc Texan here and I've been lucky to always know that cowboys weren't all white. Knowing that they weren't all cishet sadly came later. Love having this history brought into the light and shared with a wider audience, especially in one of your wonderful videos
Hey, another trans masc Texan. Nice to see you in the wild. It's always nice to learn that people like me have always existed, even while being beat over the head with the straight Texan cowboy culture.
Transmasc Arizonan here! I had a pretty similar experience and I’m so glad I can learn really how queerness and cowboys intersect since I grew up being completely obsessed with them- all my boy cousins compete in rodeo and have their whole lives and I’ve always been so jealous but I doubt they, as small town Utah republicans, know how non white and queer cowboys have always been and they would lose it if they did lmao
transfem texan here and yeah i’ve noticed that texas has a DISPROPORTIONATE amount of transmascs and i love it!!! is it just that a lot of texan conservatives don’t even know that y’all exist so you’re less afraid to be yourself?
the thing about doctors in ye old days prescribing "be trans, do cowboy stuff" makes me think that the transphobes that came after really had no excuse of "it was a different time back then"
there’s something so comforting for me about knowing that there were sapphics that dressed masculine to protect other women. as a butch, i feel an immense amount of pride to carry that flag forward. much love.
I'm a straight old (UK) guy who has written 4 westerns. This was fascinating, and I loved it. I knew some of it, but, well... lost for words! Thankyou so much for this.
Sir, please graciously consider writing up a queer 'n' POC inclusive cowboy romp in the same style as those westerns you've written with the eye opening this video has created
Fun fact about people of color and rodeos! Hawaiian cowboys (called paniolo) were super hardcore because the feral cows on the Hawaiian islands are massive and terrifying. In spite of having no American rodeo experience Ikua Purdy along with two other paniolo (Archie Ka`aua, and Jack Low) went to the 1908 Frontier Days Rodeo in Wyoming and Ikua set a record by roping his steer in less than a minute. The three of them placed 1st, 3rd, and 6th respectively, which was such an unexpected upset that it caused something of an uproar among the rest of the competitors. He is now recognized as a rodeo legend but wasn't given the respect he should have received at the time
I remember when Lil Nas X's Hometown Road got popular and one of the big arguments against it was how "unrealistic" a black cowboy was...😒😑 The stereotype of every cowboy looking like John Wayne is incredibly pervasive.
Conservative Americans really do get enraged at the mere thought of diversity… Just like people complaining that interracial relationships in media are “ forced on them”, as if they didn’t actually exist in the real world.
Alan Hart also wrote what is considered the first medical dramas (one of which is a novel about a gay radiologist trying not to be outed) as well as pioneered testing for TB using x-rays. Even without being trans, he is an important figure in medical history. He was likely the first person to legally transition in the united states without the use of fraud, using legal precedent from one of Hirschfeld's patients winning the right to serve in the German military after medically transitioning.
AS A QUEER WHO GREW UP IN THE SOUTHWEST, I WAS ALWAYS VERY DRAWN TO THE STORIES OF WOMEN OUT HERE AND HOW GENDER ROLES WERE ABANDONED OUT OF NECESSITY AND THE QUEER OLD WEST GENTLY HELP SHAPE HOW I SEE MYSELF THANKS KAZ
As someone who grew up in Montana and someone who has desperately tried to inform homophobic “country folk” in my town that cowboys were a lot gayer than they think, I love this video!
@sillyscribbles3 As someone who is currently in Montana (Kalispell) I do the same, although it may be in a different manner. There are many LGBTQ up here, and instead of picking sides and causing hatred, I do the best I can to arm the population, while trying to make amends between both sides. A strong population is harder to hurt when they are armed, and those who are in the LGBTQ can't be hurt if they have the weaponry to back themselves up. I do consider myself to be an ally, and my closest friend, someone I consider a sister, is very much lesbo, and I will go as far as to die to ensure her safety. Essentially, what I'm trying to do through my made up militia (Montana Liberation Front, AKA MLF, more commonly known as milf) is to make everyone stronger, mentally and physically, and to bring peace to everyone. I do this in multiple ways: *I spread words of peace, and the only reason, the ONLY reason violence should be brought into anything is for self defense *I try to bring common ground into arguments. If I see some shit going on, then I will try to be the peacemaker. This goes for anyone and everything. *I try to make make it a point to separate fact from fiction. No, fox news or CNN do not bring facts to the table and I swear to God if I hear anything about Trump whether its good or bad I will commit actions that will force the U.S. government to reinstate the death penalty on the federal level. That's all I got. I hope I don't cause any issues and if I do I'm sorry about that!
@@r.w.860wanted to say, thank you for being such a dedicated ally. all that matters is you support us and have understanding! besides that, can i ask what living in montana is like for you or others? i'm just curious cause i have a character that grew up in montana and i like to hear personal anecdotes from people who live in these areas, since i'm from the southeast
It's almost impossible to believe that a doctor of that era would look at a biologically female person, hear their case, and come to the utterly rational conclusion...... you just gotta be you brother.... its more than a little deflating every time I learn about this kind of stuff and I realize we probably haven't really come very far at all. On the other hand it's nice to know that we were always capable of such rational kindness.
Wow, Dr. Alan Hart was super brave to get a hysterectomy in the days before penicillin. That is powerful. So many powerful stories of brave people. I wish everyone was free to be truly “comf”.
They already had so many years of experimenting on black women in the field of gynecology they had some knowledge about infection prevention and all that
It never gets old learning how white cishet people, over and over again, appropriated a part of history in which minorities were heavily involved or downright created for themselves and twisted it to their favor. Excellent video as usual I learn a lot from your videos :D Nice outfits by the way. Also couldn't help to think that the lamp in the first half had also a cowboy hat.
Even male dominance isn't reflected! I have heard about a bone with 28 notches as "men's first calendar" while over 50% percent of the population have a reason to count that range of days, aren't mentioned in it's inception.
I read a comment somewhere that gays ruined disney movies when in fact, what seems to have ruined them is cis suburban family friendliness lol gays made disney bruh
As a person from the south who always felt a sense of pride and connection to so-called cowboy culture, this video was very informative! I also fell prey to the myths of the old west popularized by television, not because it satisfied some idea I had of white, cishet, American masculinity, but because of the freedom it portrayed. Growing up a scared queer kid in an environment that saw my identity as at worst evil, and at best just a phase, it brought me comfort to imagine a fantastical image of America where I wouldn't have to hide myself, that I COULD be different and still respected, even loved. As I got older, I heard plenty of stories about famous non-conforming cowboys (and cowgirls, and everything in between) and felt seen by their presence, but I never stopped to consider how deep the history went, and just how much was left out of the popular view of the "wild west." This open explanation of the time period clearly comes from the heart and helped change my perspective on cowboys of old.
This video did more than just educate me. I've had serious issues trying to consolidate my queerness with my love of more "country fella" pursuits like fishing or country music. Really, it was a part of queer culture all along that's just being further appropriated and horded by the institutions that control everything where I live. I don't feel so self conscious about it anymore. So thank you.
As a Mexican-American growing up in “Deep South Texas” I was legitimately convinced that there was a “lost in translation” issue w/ Cowboys and Vaqueros. My grandpa would always tell me that Vaqueros were the REAL Cowboys but I always found it weird when a rancher would call himself a Cowboy even though technically they’d be correct. Even as an almost 30yr old I still feel weird thinking of a Cowboy as a ranch hand and not like a football team name or something from tv or my grandma’s erotic novel collection lmao.
I think a good comparison would be that vaqueros back then are what truckers are today. Working class, skilled, transient tradesmen in a male-dominated field. Plus with how much gay sex goes on at truck stops it’s probably fair to say the culture hasn’t changed much
There's so much love in the videos you put out about queer history that I'm constantly heartbroken and heart warmed (?) at the same time. The truth always comes out in history, no matter how much people try to erase diversity, it's there, and passionate enough people will find it and speak of it. It makes a difference for me, and I hope it does for others, too. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for including the Walt Whitman references! I got myself a copy of Leaves of Grass for Christmas as part of my exploration of my own queer identity, and I'm deeply amused by the fact that everyone who's seen me with it has assumed I'm just reading some wholesome all-American poetry about Abraham Lincoln. I mean...he did write about Lincoln...but he had a certain perspective about it...
We read a piece of one of his works in school, but I have no idea why they never told us about his sexuality. Not that it truly matters to me as a person, but he's an important historical figure who deserves the recognition for what he was and what he stood for
18:10 "The only way to treat his condition was to live his life the way he wanted to live it" That's surprisingly good for the time. I expected some nightmarish electro shock therapy or something awful like that akin to conversion therapy.
I would honestly love to hear about the south asian, hawaiian, native, etc. ideas about gender non-conformity! Its been something Ive been meaning to look into honestly and it seems like something awesome for you to talk about
Kaz, as a very soft hetero half Mexican man, I can't begin to thank you for this wonderful history. As being born and raised in Los Angeles, went to Manzanar in high school, I could never be a "proud" American, but I am always grateful for all-encompassing knowledge. I have watched all your videos, still learning about a world I am not a part of, but is a part of my life all the same. Also, F John Wayne and Reagan. You, and those you follow on this platform I have been engaging with, I cannot even express my enormous gratitude.
Honestly thank you for you 17 minute-ish insistence that is someone lived as a specific gender and then died as a specific gender than that's what they were and it erases historical trans people to say otherwise. This comes up alot when people discuss Dr. James Barry, who upon his death everyone alive just decided his will/wishes didn't need to be respected at all and the end result of that was everyone finding out he was a trans man. His legacy as a proponent of hand washing and belief in germ theory are completely forgotten. Not to mention his place as the first doctor to be able to perform a c-section and have both mother and child survive the procedure. Just a super important piece of medical history, but no all anyone has to say about him is that people desecrated his corpse and that was 'actually a woman'.
Oh my God. I had no idea. I had thought that the idea of insistence upon hand washing in medical settings was something attributed to Liston. I also had no idea he was the first (US citizen of the Western world, I'm guessing) person to successfully deliver a child via Csection with mother & child surviving and thriving after the birth. I'm going to look for more information on him. Thank you so much.
While I am not gay,nor do I pretend to understand how I person can be attracted to someone of the same sex , I do appreciate this video and what you are doing
i mean, you do not need to understand, just respect it. They respect you as well and while not being able to relate to the attraction to the other gender, theyre okay with it
I’ve loved western movies and aesthetics since I was little because my dad loved it, but growing up lead me to realize the horrid colonizing and oppressive violence of the era..nowadays I try to enjoy the aesthetic by watching more discerning media that doesn’t shy away from the darkness of the west’s history. Also I love putting my gay/trans lil hands all over an aesthetic glorified by cishet white men✨
Your overthinking it. No shame in wearing cowboy hats and boots or enjoying westerns. They were just practical things to wear at the time, and now there fashionable. The western genre is vast and recently is starting to include people of all backgrounds who were a part of that original narrative. Mexico and Brazil started a lot of that original aesthetic. Many classics are self aware of its bloody history, just look at “The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly” which is literally all about the corrupting power of greed. The salvageable core of the western aesthetic is a sense of adventure, reinvention of yourself, new beginnings, and grit. Nobody owns that. Go yee-haw till your heart’s content ❤️, and fuck John Wayne.
Kaz I've watched a few of your videos in a row. I'm a Ally and Momma to a gay son, with a few other queer family members. This is all about 5 years new to me. But I have ALWAYS been in support of the community. I don't care who you love as long as you are good to eachother.
I just discovered your content this week thanks to the your Bram Stoker video. I am a Trans Woman living in Texas (Yee-Haw) and I really, really appreciate all of your Queer History videos. They are so fascinating and your presentation style is exceptionally engaging and entertaining. Keep up the good work and thank you! Happy Halloween!
This video reminded me of my senior thesis paper in my undergrad about how women working as sex workers in the west helped significantly contribute to the passing of the 19th amendment. I had so much fun researching and writing that paper that I eventually bought my own copies of all the books I borrowed from the library while researching for it. 🤠
I'm a queer Okie, and I have been gradually learning more and more about the queerness of the lands out this far west in American history. Thank you so, so much for giving more exposure and information demonstrating that our national history has always been less white, less straight, and less traditional than what the narrative is usually made, and thank you for your unfailingly wonderful hard work and research. As an aside, I was floored to notice that one of my (aggressively allied) close friends has a large print of the photo at 36:55 hanging in her cabin in Osage County. Have a wonderful day, and thank you as always!
I also wanted to mention that I am a Folksinger and there are a TON of traditional ballads and songs about women dressing up as men and running off to be soldiers, sailors, or "drummer boys".
Working my way through your videos. Kaz, you give me such hope for the future. Thanks for your videos and coverage. I grew up queer in Wyoming and am now raising two trans kids. My "cowboy" father is struggling. I will be sending this to him. Thank you.
Hell, I'm straight and not really into the old west, but who in their right mind wouldn't want to hear Kaz discuss queer cowboys? A new video was good enough, queer cowboys is just the very rough, sweaty, and leather chaps wearing icing on the cake.
hell yeah!! I've been waiting for you to talk about this topic for so long, as a queer person from the rural west this topic is very important and interesting to me
I’m disappointed I wasn’t here when this video first released. Phenomenal research and excellent execution. The very real and forgotten history of old west era is purposely swept under the rug precisely to preserve American exceptionalism. So thank you for this breath of fresh air.
I know these stories are more often than not painful and tragic but in a strange way, they are also beautiful to me. As a gay man, hearing stories of queer people throughout history living their lives and finding some kind of acceptance, no matter how small is so validating. We truly have always been here.
You might want to check out Twin Rabbit here on yt, a small indigenous creator who does address this in some of their videos (there’s only a few so far, but they’re all pretty interesting!): th-cam.com/channels/_7FDEMkBBWWcol7QPzToaw.html I’d love to see a lot more like this, especially by indigenous creators themselves. Anybody reading with more recommendations, please pass them on!
There's some amazing works found thru AK Press that deal with different Racialized and Marginalized People s history of the United States as well as many other great reads!
Anthropologist here - it’s hard to say because European contact goes back so far that all we have are things that don’t decay - bones, stones - and we can’t tell much about social relationships like that, there’s just not enough evidence to say either way. the book The Invisible Sex talks a lot about sex and gender in ancient archaeology and i think some things about sexuality and queerness can be extrapolated from that.
Thankyou so much for the time you took to learn more about acknowledge what happened to us Native Americans. Our history is usually brushed off or picked for the fun parts. And for donating to such a beneficial cause for us. I really appreciate you doing this for our community.
Lovely video! I'm a fanfic writer from ao3 and I primarily work on historical AUs. I've been playing around with a fic set in this time period for a few weeks now and this video just shows up in my feed. It feels like fate. But seriously, great video. A lot of great information and I love the background music and the inclusion of how queer people were viewed in their historical context. Earned yourself a subscription.
Not in the LGBTQ+ community, but still a fascinating topic. Thanks for shining some light on a few historical figures I hadn’t been taught about at school.
Yee mf-ing HAW!!! 🤠 Another amazing video! You're so skilled at taking facts/history and weaving them into a story that feels more accessible and dimensional than just a timeline. My queer native heart appreciates the knowledge you share so deeply
Been working (on and off) on a Weird West novel about a lesbian card sharp in Nevada whose secret is that the cards truly do (mystically) love and talk to her. I'd already been thinking about all this stuff, but I have bookmarked the HELL out of this video. Thank you for all this legwork, ma'am. :)
@@ladyredl3210 Sadly, it'll be a while. My wife and I are still working on the sequel to our other novel. I can link you to that, if you're interested. Not much lesbian content, but I'm still very proud of it.
Thank you so much to everyone who watched the video over its first week! The video accrued $570.73 in revenue from Ad/sense which I rounded up to $600 and donated to the First Nations Development Institute. ☺💜 Thank you for making the hard work this video took worth it, and thank you for your eagerness to learn!
You're an absolute blessing
Omg we love a supportive well informed QUEEN living for this
Your sub-tittles are out of sync with what you're actually saying in this one :(
Kaz, I'm hoping this will make the rounds through the goth community because we have a long history of accepting all people of all genders and all orientations. And all things considered, we collectively need to remember that.
Thank you for your level of awesome. Please keep with these, this is a wondrous find!
You fight our fight with us and we will fight for you too🧡🧡🧡
'I hope she is finally comf' made me fully tear up
Same
Poor old Nash
I was like damn dont cry at the word comf good lord
Saaame
same, so sweet
I think one of the biggest realizations that I, a straight white guy from a small town, have made about history the more I study it is that ANY TIME you get a bunch of young, handsome, fit men together, whether soldiers, sailors, cowboys, etc. together, gay stuff will inevitably happen, and happen a LOT.
Usually means nothing that will last, but the body of someone like you is comforting and helps you face the world.
I wonder what History will make of the late me.
@@20chocsadaydrama queen
@@20chocsaday are you trying to tell me you did some gay shit in the military?
...fr
Real the pirates to
"Modern hypermasculinity, completely by accident, always manages to be homoerotic." I'm a 70 year old straight geezer-coot and I heard that! ;-)
You must be the coolest 70 year old
Thank you, good sir. Have a good day. (And many to follow.)
Yuup
That is so awesome, grandad!!😅 I mean, Mr tomkie - I'm in my fifties already you are not old enough to be my grandpa...
I just wanted to say thank you for making this video. I myself am not gay, but after being a single father of roughly 18 years and just assuming my son hadn't yet ever had a girlfriend because he was shy and sheltered, he recently came out to me as gay and introduced me to his boyfriend. The only problem it has ever been with me is simply the prospect of "oh God my baby boy is grown up and dating already" and never in the slightest has it changed how much I love and care for him. Ever since, I have tried my best to become more educated and present in the world of LGBTQ and it saddens me at times to constantly discover new levels of hate and discrimination against it out there. For all these reasons, I greatly appreciate you and all alike out there who educate and support these topics and the humans that belong to them. I've watched a few of your videos already but I definitely hit subscribe after this one. Thanks again and please keep making great content.
That's really sweet of you!!
Even tho it should be the standard, many people don't go the route you did
You sound like a great father :))
I wish you, your son, his boyfriend and everyone else in your family a happy life!!
Fathers like you are a treasure ❤️
You such a good father❤💕
@@humantrash1478 thank you that was nice to say ☺️
@@sarahoitmann3900 I appreciate that thank you
"you're not welcome roasting marshmellers at my campfire" the HIGHEST dishonor!
also, holy crap I was not expecting to tear up at the word "comf" today
same 😭
That got to me, too.
"Are ya comf?" I love her soooo much. Literally the sweetest lady
I'm telling this story to everyone I know and I'm adopting it as part of my vocabulary
These two were also my highlights of the video 🌟
Honestly, this is why I love the internet. People think that history is a single thread when it's really a tapestry of other threads that come together to make something amazing. For too long we've been taught that only certain threads are worth focusing on and only now are we discovering everything that's been forced into the background. Thank you for all your hard work 🤠
I love you, and your comment, I feel exactly the same.
this is exactly what i was thinking when i tapped on this video. i love when people can use internet to show different stories from history we haven’t heard before and making it interesting. this is beauty and grace itself
Maybe sometimes if you’re forced into the background it’s because you’re useless
Internet is good, social media is cancer.
@@AgernonTheUnfair and queer people arent.
Yes! I am a hetero, indigenous woman who has been tradish (Lakota) since I was a kid. The holy man I go to is a winkté. Winktés have always been recognized in my culture as medicine people because they have 2 spirits. They can see both genders, as they have the vantage point of both. My people have never lost sight of this role, even through colonization. You did such a beautiful job telling this history, thank you!!
In the old days the Sundance pole was first “chopped” ceremonially by a Winkte, before being moved to the dance location.
I’ve heard them called Beardaches.
As a nurse in a facility I had occasional to see patients that didn’t fit the mold. We had a woman in her 80’s who had spent a good deal of her later life traveling the world with her sister. One night I helped the nurses aid clean the women and was shocked to see that although she had out worldly feminine genitalia, she had no vagina. I was very surprised.
Just discovered this site. It’s Great 👍 Looking forward to future topics.
@@kathleenhartnellharper7234 please don't use that term, its a slur toward native Queer people that can also imply p*dophilia
I had a friend whose uncle lived with his brother on an isolated farm in northern South Dakota. I remember meeting them back in the 70s when they were both in their 80s. Ernie and Norm. Ernie was the real uncle, but I later learned Norm was not related by blood to the family. While the family simply ignored the fact, I put two and two together and realized Ernie and Norm were "partners" and had lived together since they met as soldiers in World War I. They lived alone together, respected by their farming neighbors, and left respectfully to live their lives together until Norm died in the late 70s, followed very soon after by Ernie. They were together to the end, which I found very poignant.
That is an incredibly touching story. Thank you for sharing
Wow that’s so sweet, I’m so happy they were treated with kindness and respect.
@@tianna1116 i am almost 80. this story is a lot more common than people think today. peoplewispered but left others alone.
Wow. This made me tear up. Thanks for sharing with us. So sweet.
As it should be!
"I hope she is finally comf." Real trans joy is knowing that at the end of everything you have friends that will always love and respect you for all that you are
As a trans man, thank you. I’m so tired of historical trans men having their identities denied or co-opted just because the word transgender didn’t exist yet.
yes!!!!!!!! 🤠
Argh!
Ur not a man you're a female
@@Mr_John_Herbert do you feel better now after commenting on my six month old comment? Get a life.
Come back when you’ve actually encountered a ‘female’ who doesn’t run from you screaming and then maybe I’ll believe you even know what one is. XO
@@AndersWatches you know ur wrong in the end, you just don't want to admit it
I could so tell you've lived in Texas. I live in Houston, I've worked The Rodeo, and as a WLW Latina I very much appreciate an academic encapsulation of things I've been telling people for YEARS.
Howdy fellow Houstonian! Born and raised here and I love it. “Houston: It’s Worth It”!
Hi neighbors ! 🤍
Hudson Texas baby
WLW?
@@2degucitas woman loving woman!
Let's not forget that a lot of Texan and Southern US cowboy culture, ranch culture, etc. came form Mexico. Not only because Mexico had a deep engrained culture about horse cattle, but a very agriculture culture in the old days. And let's not forget that the southern part of the US used to be part of Mexico. That's why I always find funny how some US southerns, think that the south has always been white with white culture before and after the Mexican and American war, when in fact, before the war, it was a mixture, but the Mexican and indigenous cultures, where more prominent until white culture took over almost completely. Not for something, around the era of the wild west, there were lots of Mexicans and indigenous people. So of course, part of our culture was borrowed in those parts. In fact, the ranchero culture, is still prevalent in modern day Mexico, especially in the North and is a very respected profession in it's own way.
Fun fact. Mexico abolished slavery in 1837, 16 years after becoming independent and before the US did it, and when black slaves ran to Mexico, they immediately became free. And when the US asked for their slaves to be returned, Mexico always gave them the middle finger and granted Mexican citizenship to those escaped black slaves apart form their freedom.
So much of the terminology, riding style, tack and equipment, etc. is obviously derived from Mexico.
Also, here in northern Illinois, a friend and I stumbled on a Vaquero show and were immediately welcomed. What a great experience! The horses were spectacular, the horsemanship absolutely top notch--so exciting.
As a first gen Mexican American I agree so much my dads family is from northern Mexico and they are very much cowboy types
You ever smell pizza but there’s none around
wow I never knew mexico was so cool. thanks for sharing!
Howdy. I'm a Two-Spirit Old West historical reenactor, ranch hand, and desert wilderness and horseback tour guide. I've been working since 2013 to try to raise awareness about the REAL West, not that straight/cis/white/vanilla-washed John Wayne propoganda version. I'm so happy to see others helping in doing this work. Thank you for doing this and helping to bring the truth back to the light of day. Much obliged.
I really hope you’re indigenous because two spirit is reserved for indigenous Americans
@@yem3321 I am.
@@derindeschain7978 what tribes?
@@yem3321 Aniyvwiya/Cherokee :) And yourself?
@@derindeschain7978 Lumbee, Lakota, Iroquois, Algonquin 🧡🪶
At my grandmother's passing, my family was going through old photo albums. I came across a small album within another album that was full of very old pictures. It was my great great grandmother in full men's clothing, often smoking a cigar, with a woman who was identified on the back of the photos as her "close friend and good neighbor". My family "disappeared" the album, but not before I saved two of the photos where they seemed happiest together. ❤
Hi, I'm a queer Native American person and I heavily appreciate you talking about Natives in your video!
At the end, you mentioned that tribes had their own gender/sexuality rules, and thats true! A few years ago when I came out to my mom, she mentioned that women couldn't use the drum because they had a lot of spiritual power. With that in mind, she told me that queer women in queer relationships where considered more spirituality powerful.
based and accurate tbh
All the natives in this comment section make me wish that I could just run away and hang out with some tribes. It's always nice to learn about native Americans because most tribes seem to have more respect for diversity in general
(this is coming from a white person in a major white area so plz excuse me if I say something wrong, I'm trying)
Thank you for not calling us Indians, rather Natives, acknowledging adequately who we are, and drawing attention to our queer history, at least briefly. You are a treasure and a powerful ally. Love you channel beyond words. Peace be with you
I always find it odd that people still call Natives Indians despite having the knowledge now and even then that they never originated from India.
I'm fifty yo and Seneca Iroquois, and yank bothers me more - is more insulting - than indian tbh. In fact, I don't mind indian; it's just another English word. But I don't like AmerInd. Uggg, that's weird, makes me feel like a specimen. Go figure.
This doesn’t count Comanche, does it? Screw the Comanche.
@sofiajimenez4035yes indigenous or native American is fine just don't use Indian because that the name the white man gave us because Columbus thought he found a new route to india but it was actually a America not india so basically please don't calls Indians because we're not Indians we're native Americans/indigenous people
I've seen many Indigenous Nations refer themselves as Indians. Curious to hear indigenous people's thoughts on this
I'm native and nonbinary, being queer and indigenous is important to me, its part of me and to hear you talking about it in a historical senses means more then you realize, people like me have existed for so long but its been hidden by years of blurred lines, its just nice to see someone finally setting the recorded "straight" :D
Hello from Your sister tribes Iroquois, Lakota, Algonquin and Lumbee!!
Hello from the cherokee tribe!
Navajo and pan here, fist bump! 👊🏼
bi non-binary raramuri person here! hello! :)
Niitsitapi Asexual and Biromantic
Love this essay! In high school I wrote a short story about a rugged cowgirl who sought revenge from a capitalistic rancher, who had kidnapped her wife. My very western-loving, republican teacher was confused at best and low key disgusted at worse. He basically told me that my story was unrealistic. It’s nice to know that 4 years later, my gay cowboy story was more realistic than his John Wayne movies lol!
Sounds like a captivating story 💕
I NEED TO SEE THIS PUBLISHED BRO
Now I want to read this 🤔
I want this story so bad! It would go perfectly with my lesbian romance book collection!
That sounds wonderful. Your idea could make me like westerns.
“If you’re a transphobe, you’re not welcome roasting marshmallers at my campfire. *cough cough*”
- Kaz Rowe
‘I hope she is finally comf’ OH MY GOD MY HEART
I burst into tears at "Poor dear. I hope she's finally comf"
I've watched this video many times and I still tear up everytime I hear it :")
Why?
I have to admit that I need to keep reminding myself that she didn't die young and apparently lived a mostly good life after transition (even though it's awful that her final wishes went unrespected:/) It's the husband - driven to suicide - that I feel for:(
“cause Al ain’t here no more”
i’m sobbing. The Lost Pardner is such a heartwrenching poem. i only wish i could reach back in time to let these souls know that they’ve touched mine. these are my ancestors, my queer forebears. our feelings are as old as time. I truly, dearly hope they are all comf now.
That poem was so beautiful!
I chuckled at the term 'forebears' xD
Where is Lost Partner from as a source?
Badger Clark was from Deadwood SD, and is considered the poet laureate of South Dakota.
I'm a big fan of Alan Hart and have read up on him, after wwii he was able to start taking testosterone and apparently seemed more confident and outspoken. I'm so happy you included trans masc history, a lot of people dismiss historical trans men because they think they just lived that way to avoid misogyny (which can end up becoming a bit terfy). I believe there was also a trans man who fought in the Civil war but I don't remember exactly what his name is.
It was Albert Cashier!
@@erraticonteuse yeah that's who I was thinking about! I am also a bit of a civil war buff so I was super happy to know he existed.
Also several doctors AFAB that lived as male until death.
@@Bildgesmythe yeah! Like James Barry who literally yelled at Florence Nightingale, the mother of modern nursing.
There was also a trans man in the Mexican Revolution!
Amelio Robles Ávila. He was a colonel!
that poem made me cry. I had a partner for a short time who was an older man...he loved men but loved women too. He was just..him. I allowed him the sexual relationship with men, for his happiness meant mine. He loved me once and I knew where his heart was, but he couldn't help loving men too. I let him be who he was.
Threatening masculine tradition with frivolous gay fun is truly something I strive for.
Too bad your parents failed you.
This is almost what Rupaul's Drag Race does lol
Right cuz that’s why u a basement dweller
This has always been the gay agenda 😂😂😂
This video brought back some memories. As a young kid growing up in Idaho, my parents took me to a lot of rodeos, parades, fairs, etc. I became enamored with the cowboy/cowgirl aesthetic and my parents eventually got me boots and ten gallon hat. Soon after, we went to this parade where cowgirls and cowboys were riding horses through the streets of my hometown and I was really excited to show off my new boots to a group of cowgirls. I kept pointing to my boots and gleefully shouting, "I have boots too!" Looking back, I think this is one of my earliest expressions of femininity that eventually lead to me coming out as trans.
Fellow idahoan!
That is one of the cutest stories ever I'm lowkey tearing up. I'm glad you're you and I'm proud of you
I'm a trans man in idaho, it's good to see other people like us from this state.
I really loved this video. As a mexican who lives in Northen Mexico where the ranchero culture is still *very* prevalent (my dad was a bull tamer, my brother was a "charro" -like a horserider that does cool rope tricks-, my sister was an "escaramusa" -they were sort of dancers that ride horses-, and me and my little sister did some cow herdering when we were little) it is very exciting to hear about cowboy history, *especially* queer cowboy history as a nonbinary lesbian. It feels like I'm more in touch with my culture hearing queer history of how the cowboy society was like and learning how diverse it actually was. It bafles me but doesn't really surprises me that white-cishet culture took over it
As a thank you for this video I'll share a quick fun-fact: the word "bukaroo" is actually a mispronunciation of the spanish word "vaquero" which means cowboy in English
Yo nice! Im a queer colombian who lives in the Midwest and have been surrounded by stories of cishet white cowboys as well. I am very happy to hear that I live where many many queer poc came from miles away. It's touching for me
Duuuuude! I didn't know the thing about buckaroo being a mispronounced version of vaquero!! They look way different written, but when I said vaquero out loud the way you would in Spanish, like the V actually being more of a B sound and so on (I took 4 years of Spanish lol) I could really hear it!! 😱 it sounds like buckaroo kinda and I could see an American, with a very thick American cowboy/texas accent, attempting to repeat vaquero sounding like they're saying buckaroo. 🤯 you blew my mind that is so friggin cool lol!!
You guys have great English lol
“You don’t belong here, even though you’ve always been here.”
In a bittersweet way that defines how I’ve felt all my life.
20:28 As a transwoman, the quote from her friend legitimately made me cry.
Being born in 1958, I grew up being taught "traditional" history. It's only been the last 20 years or so that it's begun to come out how seriously that one threaded history was forced on us. Some of it was just flat out lies, and so, so much was left out completely
Thank you for being open to learning in a time where so many are not
If you're interested, I'd recommend the book "A People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn. It helps to break down a lot of the history we were taught in school and show the fallacies and why they were a convenient story to teach us as Americans
I'm trying to write a story for uni and I just spent a week complaining about how hard it is to find information about the old west.
You're a saviour, I'm so glad I got recommended this video skadsnabsb
You might want to look into a book called "the man who fell in love with the moon" by Tom Spanbauer :)
If you can't find information on the old west you've gotta be sitting on your fucking hands or just a dumbass. Oh wait you're wasting money at a university checks out.
@@Calories_To_Calibers get a therapist.
@@Calories_To_Calibers get well soon
@@Calories_To_Calibers you ok pal?
As a gay navy sailor the stereotype of the gay sailor is still very much prevalent in our own circle. First thing I hear when I talk to others in different branches is the gay jokes ☠️. It’s kinda of weird that such stereotypes have stay for over a 100 years now lol
Spill like, how gay on a scale is it really, or is it just a stereotype? Seen it in riverdale so I assume it's true
" Underway, it's not gay".
Saw this notification, screamed “Hell yeah, gay cowboys” and immediately clicked lol
Samee 😭😭😩💗💗
I figured out why it was called broke back mountain..
Hard same!
Same😄
I read this in a cowboy accent. 5 stars.
Fun fact: the inventor of cattle wrestling was Bill Pickett, a black cowboy. Despite the fact that many rodeos banned black performers like him, Pickett still found success. Look him up!
my husbands grandma makes family trees for a living, and discovered an ancestor that was the mayor of a western town and after their death the town discovered that she was a woman masquerading as a man. she'd had a kid and so she was the first female mayor in the west, this was before women could vote in the us, so the town kept her secret.
leading theory is she took her husbands identity after he died.
OMG
OMG
"She" huh? Don't be dull. This video's literally about trans people. At least default to neutral language.
@@jesseh.5223 I'm talking about a completly real person in my husband's ancestry why are you acting like it's someone we don't have the facts on tf
As always, actual History is so much more interesting than the mainstream version of it. How can people not bask in the glory of diversity? How can people try to force Humanity into 2 dimensions and think that's actually better? I honestly finish this video with a flutter of happiness in my heart for how interesting everyone you spoke of was.
Because the more people think in simple terms, the easier it is to control how they understand the world.
Exactly.
Trans masc Texan here and I've been lucky to always know that cowboys weren't all white. Knowing that they weren't all cishet sadly came later. Love having this history brought into the light and shared with a wider audience, especially in one of your wonderful videos
Hi sir! I wish you good luck in your life and I hope you're living your best life!
Hey, another trans masc Texan. Nice to see you in the wild. It's always nice to learn that people like me have always existed, even while being beat over the head with the straight Texan cowboy culture.
Transmasc Arizonan here! I had a pretty similar experience and I’m so glad I can learn really how queerness and cowboys intersect since I grew up being completely obsessed with them- all my boy cousins compete in rodeo and have their whole lives and I’ve always been so jealous but I doubt they, as small town Utah republicans, know how non white and queer cowboys have always been and they would lose it if they did lmao
@@elijahevan5722 Another fellow Trans Masc Texan here. Love to know there's more of us here in my state. Wouldn't mind having a beer with y'all.
transfem texan here and yeah i’ve noticed that texas has a DISPROPORTIONATE amount of transmascs and i love it!!! is it just that a lot of texan conservatives don’t even know that y’all exist so you’re less afraid to be yourself?
the thing about doctors in ye old days prescribing "be trans, do cowboy stuff" makes me think that the transphobes that came after really had no excuse of "it was a different time back then"
there’s something so comforting for me about knowing that there were sapphics that dressed masculine to protect other women. as a butch, i feel an immense amount of pride to carry that flag forward. much love.
“Poor dear, I hope she is finally comf” made me want to rip my heart out 😭😭
the "i hope she is finally comf" quote absolutely made me cry
in general, all of history was way more queer than people think
it didnt pop up in our time
I'm a straight old (UK) guy who has written 4 westerns. This was fascinating, and I loved it. I knew some of it, but, well... lost for words! Thankyou so much for this.
Sir, please graciously consider writing up a queer 'n' POC inclusive cowboy romp in the same style as those westerns you've written with the eye opening this video has created
Fun fact about people of color and rodeos! Hawaiian cowboys (called paniolo) were super hardcore because the feral cows on the Hawaiian islands are massive and terrifying. In spite of having no American rodeo experience Ikua Purdy along with two other paniolo (Archie Ka`aua, and Jack Low) went to the 1908 Frontier Days Rodeo in Wyoming and Ikua set a record by roping his steer in less than a minute. The three of them placed 1st, 3rd, and 6th respectively, which was such an unexpected upset that it caused something of an uproar among the rest of the competitors. He is now recognized as a rodeo legend but wasn't given the respect he should have received at the time
I remember when Lil Nas X's Hometown Road got popular and one of the big arguments against it was how "unrealistic" a black cowboy was...😒😑
The stereotype of every cowboy looking like John Wayne is incredibly pervasive.
Conservative Americans really do get enraged at the mere thought of diversity… Just like people complaining that interracial relationships in media are “ forced on them”, as if they didn’t actually exist in the real world.
@@Guineapigsreadingbooksyou people lack common sense .
@@Mediterraneangun What is common sense telling you about that comment, since we're lacking it?
@@Guineapigsreadingbooks to believe that homosexuality is okay or that there are more than two genders.
@@colbyboucher6391 accusing white Americans with racism !!
Alan Hart also wrote what is considered the first medical dramas (one of which is a novel about a gay radiologist trying not to be outed) as well as pioneered testing for TB using x-rays. Even without being trans, he is an important figure in medical history. He was likely the first person to legally transition in the united states without the use of fraud, using legal precedent from one of Hirschfeld's patients winning the right to serve in the German military after medically transitioning.
Amazing
Wow. I admire him.
Quietly sitting here thinking about my great grandpa who was a cowboy, until he joined the Navy.
More like great-GAYpa amirite?
this is what makes history so interesting. All these little stories weaved together like a quit explaining the story of humanity
AS A QUEER WHO GREW UP IN THE SOUTHWEST, I WAS ALWAYS VERY DRAWN TO THE STORIES OF WOMEN OUT HERE AND HOW GENDER ROLES WERE ABANDONED OUT OF NECESSITY AND THE QUEER OLD WEST GENTLY HELP SHAPE HOW I SEE MYSELF THANKS KAZ
Queer history is so NOT talked about and I deeply appreciate your channel for going in depth about it
As someone who grew up in Montana and someone who has desperately tried to inform homophobic “country folk” in my town that cowboys were a lot gayer than they think, I love this video!
@sillyscribbles3
As someone who is currently in Montana (Kalispell) I do the same, although it may be in a different manner. There are many LGBTQ up here, and instead of picking sides and causing hatred, I do the best I can to arm the population, while trying to make amends between both sides. A strong population is harder to hurt when they are armed, and those who are in the LGBTQ can't be hurt if they have the weaponry to back themselves up. I do consider myself to be an ally, and my closest friend, someone I consider a sister, is very much lesbo, and I will go as far as to die to ensure her safety.
Essentially, what I'm trying to do through my made up militia (Montana Liberation Front, AKA MLF, more commonly known as milf) is to make everyone stronger, mentally and physically, and to bring peace to everyone. I do this in multiple ways:
*I spread words of peace, and the only reason, the ONLY reason violence should be brought into anything is for self defense
*I try to bring common ground into arguments. If I see some shit going on, then I will try to be the peacemaker. This goes for anyone and everything.
*I try to make make it a point to separate fact from fiction. No, fox news or CNN do not bring facts to the table and I swear to God if I hear anything about Trump whether its good or bad I will commit actions that will force the U.S. government to reinstate the death penalty on the federal level.
That's all I got. I hope I don't cause any issues and if I do I'm sorry about that!
@@r.w.860wanted to say, thank you for being such a dedicated ally. all that matters is you support us and have understanding! besides that, can i ask what living in montana is like for you or others? i'm just curious cause i have a character that grew up in montana and i like to hear personal anecdotes from people who live in these areas, since i'm from the southeast
The homophobes definitely won't take your words for it, and if you try and show them something they will just scoff at you and doubt the sources
No words or proof will change the fundies. They've purposely steeped themselves in a sh*t ton of -isms and cling to then like a life raft
It's almost impossible to believe that a doctor of that era would look at a biologically female person, hear their case, and come to the utterly rational conclusion...... you just gotta be you brother.... its more than a little deflating every time I learn about this kind of stuff and I realize we probably haven't really come very far at all.
On the other hand it's nice to know that we were always capable of such rational kindness.
The doctor took one look at how masculine they were, how deep their voice was and it was obvious.
Wow, Dr. Alan Hart was super brave to get a hysterectomy in the days before penicillin. That is powerful. So many powerful stories of brave people.
I wish everyone was free to be truly “comf”.
They already had so many years of experimenting on black women in the field of gynecology they had some knowledge about infection prevention and all that
Seriously, we need an "are ya comf?" T shirt
I would love a tshirt that asks “Are ya comf?” 😍
Holy crap, that letter about that man's lover after he passed made me openly weep. People talking about their lovers is beautiful.
"You can take the lesbian out of Texas, but you can't take the Texas out of the lesbian" 🤣🤣🤣
It never gets old learning how white cishet people, over and over again, appropriated a part of history in which minorities were heavily involved or downright created for themselves and twisted it to their favor.
Excellent video as usual I learn a lot from your videos :D Nice outfits by the way.
Also couldn't help to think that the lamp in the first half had also a cowboy hat.
Even male dominance isn't reflected!
I have heard about a bone with 28 notches as "men's first calendar" while over 50% percent of the population have a reason to count that range of days, aren't mentioned in it's inception.
Reminds me of modern videogames appropriating homoerotic imagery and aesthetics to sell to fetishistic cishet women and uneducated men
@@jpgextinction I know exactly what you mean.
I read a comment somewhere that gays ruined disney movies when in fact, what seems to have ruined them is cis suburban family friendliness lol gays made disney bruh
@@itsmj3103 exactly! also its not a secret anymore that many disney villains were queer coded
As a person from the south who always felt a sense of pride and connection to so-called cowboy culture, this video was very informative! I also fell prey to the myths of the old west popularized by television, not because it satisfied some idea I had of white, cishet, American masculinity, but because of the freedom it portrayed. Growing up a scared queer kid in an environment that saw my identity as at worst evil, and at best just a phase, it brought me comfort to imagine a fantastical image of America where I wouldn't have to hide myself, that I COULD be different and still respected, even loved. As I got older, I heard plenty of stories about famous non-conforming cowboys (and cowgirls, and everything in between) and felt seen by their presence, but I never stopped to consider how deep the history went, and just how much was left out of the popular view of the "wild west." This open explanation of the time period clearly comes from the heart and helped change my perspective on cowboys of old.
This video did more than just educate me. I've had serious issues trying to consolidate my queerness with my love of more "country fella" pursuits like fishing or country music. Really, it was a part of queer culture all along that's just being further appropriated and horded by the institutions that control everything where I live. I don't feel so self conscious about it anymore. So thank you.
Barely half way through the video and I'm already crying 💀 Why is it so hard to accept and love each other no matter how we present??
As a Mexican-American growing up in “Deep South Texas” I was legitimately convinced that there was a “lost in translation” issue w/ Cowboys and Vaqueros. My grandpa would always tell me that Vaqueros were the REAL Cowboys but I always found it weird when a rancher would call himself a Cowboy even though technically they’d be correct. Even as an almost 30yr old I still feel weird thinking of a Cowboy as a ranch hand and not like a football team name or something from tv or my grandma’s erotic novel collection lmao.
I think a good comparison would be that vaqueros back then are what truckers are today. Working class, skilled, transient tradesmen in a male-dominated field. Plus with how much gay sex goes on at truck stops it’s probably fair to say the culture hasn’t changed much
@@k80_ That’s an excellent way to put it. I know some truckers past and that makes everything click.
Your grandma's WHAT?? May I have the name of the novels?? For cowboy studies obviously
There's so much love in the videos you put out about queer history that I'm constantly heartbroken and heart warmed (?) at the same time. The truth always comes out in history, no matter how much people try to erase diversity, it's there, and passionate enough people will find it and speak of it. It makes a difference for me, and I hope it does for others, too. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for including the Walt Whitman references! I got myself a copy of Leaves of Grass for Christmas as part of my exploration of my own queer identity, and I'm deeply amused by the fact that everyone who's seen me with it has assumed I'm just reading some wholesome all-American poetry about Abraham Lincoln.
I mean...he did write about Lincoln...but he had a certain perspective about it...
Some of us got to read him in like elementary school!!
We read a piece of one of his works in school, but I have no idea why they never told us about his sexuality. Not that it truly matters to me as a person, but he's an important historical figure who deserves the recognition for what he was and what he stood for
Being Navajo and pan, I gonna say it's great to see topics like these discussed. High five!
"Poor dear. I hope she is finally comf." IS THE MOST HEART WRENCHING, HEART WARMING, HEART DESTROYING STATEMENT EVER
you're such an amazing force of intersectional and progressive education. you truly use your platform for good.
18:10 "The only way to treat his condition was to live his life the way he wanted to live it"
That's surprisingly good for the time. I expected some nightmarish electro shock therapy or something awful like that akin to conversion therapy.
That doctor just had good sense. 💕
Thanks you for donating to the native organizations. Its greatly needed and appreciated.
NOOOOO that gay cowboy poem… the good ol way their knees touched…. Im fucking dying over here man
Fucking devastatingly sad, dude.
I'm a transmasc guy. The stories of and quotes from Hart and Allen were incredibly validating. Manly tears were shed.
I would honestly love to hear about the south asian, hawaiian, native, etc. ideas about gender non-conformity! Its been something Ive been meaning to look into honestly and it seems like something awesome for you to talk about
historical sources tend to call gender nonconformity the “third gender” its a good keyword if youre looking for older sources
Kaz, as a very soft hetero half Mexican man, I can't begin to thank you for this wonderful history. As being born and raised in Los Angeles, went to Manzanar in high school, I could never be a "proud" American, but I am always grateful for all-encompassing knowledge. I have watched all your videos, still learning about a world I am not a part of, but is a part of my life all the same. Also, F John Wayne and Reagan. You, and those you follow on this platform I have been engaging with, I cannot even express my enormous gratitude.
Honestly thank you for you 17 minute-ish insistence that is someone lived as a specific gender and then died as a specific gender than that's what they were and it erases historical trans people to say otherwise. This comes up alot when people discuss Dr. James Barry, who upon his death everyone alive just decided his will/wishes didn't need to be respected at all and the end result of that was everyone finding out he was a trans man. His legacy as a proponent of hand washing and belief in germ theory are completely forgotten. Not to mention his place as the first doctor to be able to perform a c-section and have both mother and child survive the procedure. Just a super important piece of medical history, but no all anyone has to say about him is that people desecrated his corpse and that was 'actually a woman'.
Oh my God. I had no idea. I had thought that the idea of insistence upon hand washing in medical settings was something attributed to Liston. I also had no idea he was the first (US citizen of the Western world, I'm guessing) person to successfully deliver a child via Csection with mother & child surviving and thriving after the birth. I'm going to look for more information on him. Thank you so much.
I’m a whole ass health scientist and didn’t know this.
Biology class must drive you insane..
“I hope she’s finally comf” not me sobbing
While I am not gay,nor do I pretend to understand how I person can be attracted to someone of the same sex , I do appreciate this video and what you are doing
i mean, you do not need to understand, just respect it. They respect you as well and while not being able to relate to the attraction to the other gender, theyre okay with it
@@mintii0308 I do respect the fact that everyone has a right to live free and be themselves, I was hoping that my message conveyed that
This lesbian stuck in Texas will keep rootin' and masked tootin' just because you told me to
Another amazing video! 🖤
I’ve loved western movies and aesthetics since I was little because my dad loved it, but growing up lead me to realize the horrid colonizing and oppressive violence of the era..nowadays I try to enjoy the aesthetic by watching more discerning media that doesn’t shy away from the darkness of the west’s history. Also I love putting my gay/trans lil hands all over an aesthetic glorified by cishet white men✨
Your overthinking it. No shame in wearing cowboy hats and boots or enjoying westerns. They were just practical things to wear at the time, and now there fashionable. The western genre is vast and recently is starting to include people of all backgrounds who were a part of that original narrative. Mexico and Brazil started a lot of that original aesthetic. Many classics are self aware of its bloody history, just look at “The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly” which is literally all about the corrupting power of greed. The salvageable core of the western aesthetic is a sense of adventure, reinvention of yourself, new beginnings, and grit. Nobody owns that. Go yee-haw till your heart’s content ❤️, and fuck John Wayne.
@🇪🇸spanish boy i don't think anyone was arguing against that, we know basically all of the continent was colonized
My ancestors were black cowboys in Colorado and Wyoming. A lot of my family still lives out there today.
Kaz I've watched a few of your videos in a row. I'm a Ally and Momma to a gay son, with a few other queer family members. This is all about 5 years new to me. But I have ALWAYS been in support of the community. I don't care who you love as long as you are good to eachother.
I just discovered your content this week thanks to the your Bram Stoker video. I am a Trans Woman living in Texas (Yee-Haw) and I really, really appreciate all of your Queer History videos. They are so fascinating and your presentation style is exceptionally engaging and entertaining. Keep up the good work and thank you! Happy Halloween!
This video reminded me of my senior thesis paper in my undergrad about how women working as sex workers in the west helped significantly contribute to the passing of the 19th amendment. I had so much fun researching and writing that paper that I eventually bought my own copies of all the books I borrowed from the library while researching for it. 🤠
Drop the book list!!
I'm a queer Okie, and I have been gradually learning more and more about the queerness of the lands out this far west in American history. Thank you so, so much for giving more exposure and information demonstrating that our national history has always been less white, less straight, and less traditional than what the narrative is usually made, and thank you for your unfailingly wonderful hard work and research.
As an aside, I was floored to notice that one of my (aggressively allied) close friends has a large print of the photo at 36:55 hanging in her cabin in Osage County.
Have a wonderful day, and thank you as always!
i cried at "poor dear, i hope shes finally comf" 🥺
I also wanted to mention that I am a Folksinger and there are a TON of traditional ballads and songs about women dressing up as men and running off to be soldiers, sailors, or "drummer boys".
Working my way through your videos. Kaz, you give me such hope for the future. Thanks for your videos and coverage. I grew up queer in Wyoming and am now raising two trans kids. My "cowboy" father is struggling. I will be sending this to him. Thank you.
Your kids are lucky to have you. Hope your dad comes round soon enough
Welp, I’m Bi and like Old West history. Already got me hooked.
Hell, I'm straight and not really into the old west, but who in their right mind wouldn't want to hear Kaz discuss queer cowboys? A new video was good enough, queer cowboys is just the very rough, sweaty, and leather chaps wearing icing on the cake.
@@jeremysmith4620 go away only straight women are welcome
“I hope she is finally comf” I’M-😭😭😭
And the poem about the guy missing his partner? I’m done, I’m done 😭
hell yeah!! I've been waiting for you to talk about this topic for so long, as a queer person from the rural west this topic is very important and interesting to me
I’m disappointed I wasn’t here when this video first released. Phenomenal research and excellent execution. The very real and forgotten history of old west era is purposely swept under the rug precisely to preserve American exceptionalism. So thank you for this breath of fresh air.
I googled, "Transgender is the 1800s" to find this. Subscribed, now and liked. I too would have found this sooner but am happy to have found it 🥰
I know these stories are more often than not painful and tragic but in a strange way, they are also beautiful to me. As a gay man, hearing stories of queer people throughout history living their lives and finding some kind of acceptance, no matter how small is so validating. We truly have always been here.
A queer history of the US pre Euro Invasion would be cool.
You might want to check out Twin Rabbit here on yt, a small indigenous creator who does address this in some of their videos (there’s only a few so far, but they’re all pretty interesting!): th-cam.com/channels/_7FDEMkBBWWcol7QPzToaw.html
I’d love to see a lot more like this, especially by indigenous creators themselves. Anybody reading with more recommendations, please pass them on!
@@literaterose6731 thanks for the recc!
There's some amazing works found thru AK Press that deal with different Racialized and Marginalized People s history of the United States as well as many other great reads!
Anthropologist here - it’s hard to say because European contact goes back so far that all we have are things that don’t decay - bones, stones - and we can’t tell much about social relationships like that, there’s just not enough evidence to say either way. the book The Invisible Sex talks a lot about sex and gender in ancient archaeology and i think some things about sexuality and queerness can be extrapolated from that.
Being from an Oklahoma/Texas family I'm YELLING I always want to see more queer western history there's Not Enough!!!!! T h a n k you 💖
Thankyou so much for the time you took to learn more about acknowledge what happened to us Native Americans. Our history is usually brushed off or picked for the fun parts. And for donating to such a beneficial cause for us. I really appreciate you doing this for our community.
Love from your sister tribes 🪶🧡
Thank you Kaz for the Indigenous Resources and also for the acknowledgment of Turtle Island ✊🏽 Chi Miigwetch
Lovely video! I'm a fanfic writer from ao3 and I primarily work on historical AUs. I've been playing around with a fic set in this time period for a few weeks now and this video just shows up in my feed. It feels like fate.
But seriously, great video. A lot of great information and I love the background music and the inclusion of how queer people were viewed in their historical context. Earned yourself a subscription.
Not in the LGBTQ+ community, but still a fascinating topic. Thanks for shining some light on a few historical figures I hadn’t been taught about at school.
Yee mf-ing HAW!!! 🤠 Another amazing video! You're so skilled at taking facts/history and weaving them into a story that feels more accessible and dimensional than just a timeline. My queer native heart appreciates the knowledge you share so deeply
Been working (on and off) on a Weird West novel about a lesbian card sharp in Nevada whose secret is that the cards truly do (mystically) love and talk to her. I'd already been thinking about all this stuff, but I have bookmarked the HELL out of this video. Thank you for all this legwork, ma'am. :)
I volunteer to beta this, when you finish
This sounds fantastic!
@@ladyredl3210 Sadly, it'll be a while. My wife and I are still working on the sequel to our other novel. I can link you to that, if you're interested. Not much lesbian content, but I'm still very proud of it.
@@mcwjes Hope I get to write it. :) My wife and I are necks deep in the sequel to a different novel, so it's been on the sideline for a good while.
@@RonelynValor oh still cool. My wife is a gamer, but she understands my need to write
"poor dear, I hope she is finally comf" made me cry. What a sweet friend 💕💕
i like how the haters are proving your points