Why me, and why this story?

I was the co-producer, researcher, writer, and cohost of Ghosts in the Closet. This show was produced alongside my friend and classmate Mary Rodgers, who co-produced, co-hosted, and edited the show. 

This show was born out of Mary and I’s reflections about the lack of queer people in our history education growing up. Queer people have always existed. So why did we never learn about them? And would learning about them have made growing up queer easier? 

Ghosts in the Closet tells the stories of historical figures whose queerness was ignored or erased from the history books. From Frédéric Chopin to the Suffragettes, we dive into the lives of queer people from past generations- their accomplishments, tragedies, romances, and oftentimes, the ways in which they changed the world. We explore their legacies from a modern lens to better understand our own place in the world as queer women. 

It was also important to us that we approached this topic in a fun, engaging way. Rather than a simple history lesson, we wanted to create a show that taught listeners about unexpected queer history, immersed them in a story, and made them laugh. 

As the researcher and scriptwriter, balancing the educational and entertainment aspects of the show was a unique writing challenge. I also took great care to make sure that we were doing justice to the historical figures we covered and choosing subjects from a diverse range of backgrounds and areas of the queer community. Overall, Ghosts in the Closet was an invaluable lesson in documentary writing, balancing tones, and telling true stories with truth, humour, and heart.