“Queer people and trans people have always existed and we will always exist.” In this episode, we’re exploring trans and gender-nonconforming saints, gods, and everyday people from the ancient and medieval past (and why their stories are so relevant to the present). Our guides on this journey are Dr Jonah Coman, a historian of medieval queer history and trans theology, and Amy Jefford Franks, a historian of Viking age religion and queerness.

As you may know, some people advocate for eating one’s placenta after the birth of a child. The placenta can–according to proponents of the practice–be steamed, stir-fried, blended in a smoothie, or dried and encapsulated in pills. A whole host of benefits have been claimed, as has an ancient and global precedent. In this episode, we look for historical evidence of human “placentophagy” and ask scientific and medical experts Dr Bryony McNeill, Dr Laurence Totelin and Dr Jen Gunter to weigh in on the trend.

People with clitorises have been solo paddling the pink canoe since perhaps even before actual canoes were invented. Early on they invented tools to ease their burden. The greatest of these, the vibrator, has a wild origin story concerning Victorian doctors...which unfortunately isn’t true. In this episode, we explore the true history of the vibrator with historian Dr Fern Riddell...and its future with the owners of the Glasgow sex shop Luke + Jack.

People have really strong feelings about “hair down there.” You could say it’s a “prickly” subject. But the way we talk about our pubic hair speaks volumes. In this episode, we part the bush of history to explore pubic hair preferences past and present. Dr. Kate Lister (Whores of Yore) gives us a history lesson on 18th century pubic hair wigs, the founders of FUR talk body- hair-agnostic beauty, and illustrator Hilde Atalanta shares insights from The Vulva Gallery.

Gwyneth Paltrow is in the news again promoting scientifically dubious treatments for your vag. One practice that Goop has popularized is vaginal steaming. In this episode, we find out the history of V-steam and whether or not it’s actually good for you (Spoiler alert: It’s not! Don’t steam your vag!). OB/GYN Dr. Jen Gunter joins us to explain why your vulva doesn’t need a steam cleaning, and Lizzie Marx educates us on steaming’s weird Medieval ancestor, womb fumigation.

Fanny, minge, vajayjay, pussy, down there, yoni...There are hundreds, if not thousands, of terms in the English language for vaginas. Many of them are sexist and most are rather unhelpful. But none is as taboo, as frowned upon in high and low society, as much of an assault on the average upstanding citizen’s ears as “c*nt.” What’s up with that? What did c*nt ever do to you? In this episode, we answer those burning questions with the help of Fiona Sterling, bona fide Scottish person, and Professor Emma L.E. Rees, AKA Prof Vag.