How Gay Was Abraham Lincoln?

We’re looking for a man in politics. Thick thighs. 6’4”. Blue eyes. Abraham Lincoln, course - or as we’re lovingly referring to him on this episode: GAY-braham Lincoln. That’s right - today we’re exploring whether or not  “America’s best president” was also a soft-top zaddy! And to do that - we’re bringing in experts from the upcoming film, Lover of Men. We’ve got Shaun Peterson (the director) and Thomas Balcerski (one of the film’s historians) joining JVN to give us the receipts, proof, timelines, screenshots, f*cking everything to figure out if President Lincoln was a little…ya know… Thomas Balcerski is a scholar of early American history. He holds a B.A. from Cornell University, an M.A. from SUNY Stony Brook, and a Ph.D. from Cornell University. He is author of Bosom Friends: The Intimate World of James Buchanan and William Rufus King (Oxford University Press, 2019). Thomas is also one of the most cited Abraham Lincoln historians, and is featured in the new documentary: Lover of Men.  Shaun Peterson got a B.A. in Film Production and Theater Arts at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Peterson has worked as an editor for MTV, VH1, and A&E. He directed his first feature film, Living In Missouri in 1999. He then started directing music videos for bands such as Train, Team Sleep, And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, Vendetta Red, and Low. Shaun is the director of the new documentary Lover of Men, Out September 6th. You can follow the Lover of Men on Instagram @loverofmenfilm or on loverofmen.com Lover of Men is proud to partner with The Human Rights Campaign. A portion of ticket sales from Lover of Men will directly benefit HRC when moviegoers use HRC’s custom ticket purchase link. Lover of Men is in theaters September 6th, 2024. Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN. Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com. Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn. Our senior producer is Chris McClure. Our editor & engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from Julie Carrillo, Anne Currie, and Chad Hall. Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com. Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Join Jonathan Van Ness (Queer Eye) each week for their next exciting endeavor! “Getting Better with Jonathan Van Ness" is here to empower listeners (and also make them laugh) by using curiosity as a tool for personal growth. In a world that often feels overwhelming—where it’s easy to feel stuck, frustrated, or helpless—Getting Better offers a lifeline. Each week, Jonathan Van Ness, alongside experts and thought leaders, guides us through our shared challenges—confidence, productivity, mental health, happiness, relationships, and more—helping us emerge thriving, invigorated, and most importantly - a little bit better. Join us every Wednesday for brand new episodes, and catch full video episodes on YouTube! And tune in every Monday for brand new episodes of our companion show: The Monday Edit, where JVN and senior producer Chris giving you a behind the scenes look at the creation of Getting Better, hot takes on today’s headlines, and all in all share with you how the sausage gets made! Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastsales@sonymusic.com