Making Gay History

What Making Gay History does

Making Gay History (MGH) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that produces and distributes LGBTQ+ oral history content across multiple media formats. The organization was established around 2016 by journalist Eric Marcus, building on a 1988 commission from Harper & Row to write an oral history of the gay and lesbian civil rights movement that produced the 1992 book "Making History" and a 2002 revised edition retitled "Making Gay History." Its core product is the Making Gay History Podcast, an archive of 100+ episodes featuring first-person interviews and recordings with LGBTQ+ civil rights trailblazers, distributed across Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, Google Play, and Stitcher.

The organization extends its content beyond audio through "Resources for Educators," a set of teacher-created lesson plans supporting K-12 and higher education, "MGH the Play," a theatrical production that dramatizes the oral histories on stage, and branded merchandise sold through TeePublic. Founder Eric Marcus also conducts paid speaking engagements at events and conferences as a subject matter expert on LGBTQ+ history.

MGH operates as a community-supported nonprofit funded primarily by tax-deductible charitable donations and Patreon memberships that grant access to exclusive bonus content, supplemented by speaking fees and merchandise sales. Its audiences span LGBTQ+ community members seeking connection and solidarity, educators seeking LGBTQ+-inclusive curriculum materials, and allies and the general public seeking an accessible entry point to LGBTQ+ civil rights history. The organization is incorporated in the United States as Making Gay History, Inc. and holds a registered trademark for the "Making Gay History" brand.

Name

Making Gay History

Legal name

Making Gay History, Inc.

Website

https://makinggayhistory.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Making Gay History is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that produces and distributes LGBTQ+ oral histories via podcast, educator lesson plans, theatrical productions, and merchandise, supported by donations, Patreon memberships, speaking fees, and merch sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Educational Media

NAICS

Sound Recording Studios (51224)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Audio Production & Podcasting (BPAFAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

LGBTQ+ Rights & Advocacy Organizations (BPAGAFAE), Live Podcast Recordings (MPAGACAJ)

Keywords

• LGBTQ oral history
• Educational podcast production
• Nonprofit media organization
• Teacher lesson plans
• Queer history archive

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Tax-deductible charitable donations from individuals supporting the nonprofit mission to preserve and share LGBTQ+ history.
2. Patreon Membership: Subscription-based community support providing exclusive bonus content to paying members.
3. Speaking Engagements: Eric Marcus speaking at events and conferences as a subject matter expert on LGBTQ+ history.
4. Merchandise Sales: Branded merchandise sold through TeePublic storefront.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Making Gay History is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit media organization that produces and distributes LGBTQ+ oral history content, led by its flagship podcast of 100+ episodes featuring interviews with LGBTQ+ civil rights trailblazers. It complements the podcast with teacher-created classroom lesson plans, a theatrical production ('MGH the Play'), and branded merchandise, distributing content through major podcast platforms and accepting donations and Patreon memberships to support its preservation mission.

Product overview

Making Gay History is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates as a media and educational content producer. The core offering is the Making Gay History Podcast, an LGBTQ+ oral history series with 100+ episodes featuring archived recordings and interviews with trailblazers. Supporting products include Resources for Educators (teacher-created lesson plans), MGH the Play (a theatrical adaptation), and branded merchandise. The organization also offers speaking engagements featuring founder Eric Marcus. Content is distributed through major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and iHeart Radio, with additional support through Patreon membership.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Making Gay History Podcast An LGBTQ+ oral history podcast featuring interviews with trailblazers and archived recordings, spanning 100+ episodes, distributed across major podcast platforms (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, Google Play, Stitcher).
• Resources for Educators Teacher-created lesson plans designed to bring LGBTQ+ history into K-12 and higher education classrooms, supporting educators seeking LGBTQ+-inclusive curriculum materials.
• MGH the Play A theatrical production bringing LGBTQ+ oral history to life on stage, complementing the podcast's mission of preserving and sharing hidden history.
• Branded Merchandise Branded apparel and merchandise sold through TeePublic storefront, supporting the nonprofit's mission through merchandise revenue.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature2 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• StoryCorps: Nonprofit that produces and distributes oral history recordings as podcasts and broadcast segments. Most direct comparable on mission (preserving first-person stories), nonprofit funding model, podcast distribution, and free public archive.
• OutHistory.org: Public LGBTQ+ history website produced by the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies. Comparable on documenting hidden LGBTQ+ history and academic/educational audience, though delivered through written and visual media rather than audio.
• History UnErased: Nonprofit producing LGBTQ+-inclusive K-12 history curriculum and educator resources. Most direct comparable on the educator/curriculum segment that MGH serves, overlapping on teacher-created lesson plans and inclusive history education.
• It Gets Better Project: Nonprofit using storytelling (video and audio) to document LGBTQ+ experiences and reach young audiences. Comparable community-built content model with nonprofit donation funding and educational partnerships.
• ONE Archives at USC Libraries: Oldest active LGBTQ+ organization in the US, operating an archive of LGBTQ+ history materials. Directly comparable on preservation mission and educational programming, though it specializes in archival materials rather than audio podcasting.

Broad incumbents

• GLAAD: The largest LGBTQ+ media advocacy organization in the US. Comparable on nonprofit mission around LGBTQ+ representation and public discourse, but operates at a much larger scale and broader advocacy mandate than MGH.
• The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center (NYC): Long-standing LGBTQ+ nonprofit offering cultural programming, archives, and education across many touchpoints. Comparable on the nonprofit preservation-and-education mission, though much broader in scope with physical programming.

Emerging players

• The Moth: Nonprofit storytelling organization with a popular podcast and live events focused on first-person narratives. Comparable on oral-history audio production, nonprofit funding model, theatrical/podcast distribution duality, and educational content use.
• Radiolab: High-profile narrative podcast produced by WNYC Studios with a similar audio-documentary format. Comparable on long-form first-person storytelling podcast craft, though commercially funded rather than donation-based.
• Queer Places: Online archive that documents LGBTQ+ historical sites, people, and events. Overlaps with MGH's preservation focus, though Queer Places emphasizes geographic and biographical cataloguing rather than oral history audio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCNCrDhdcj-qK7PdY7HfZt0g
• Facebookfacebook.com/makinggayhistory
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/making-gay-history
• Instagraminstagram.com/makinggayhistorypodcast

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Making Gay History