Lavender Ranks

About Lavender Ranks

lavender noun /ˈlæv.ən.dər/ A symbolic colour associated with LGBTQ2S+ identity, queer culture, and queer resistance. ranks noun / ræŋks / The members of a military force considered collectively. When you picture the First World War, you probably think of barbed wire, artillery fire, and mud. What you probably don’t think of: drag shows, love letters passed between soldiers, and queer lives hiding in plain sight. Hosted by Queer Collective’s Emily and Karbon, Lavender Ranks explores the stories that didn’t make it into the official record because they were too tender, too queer, or too dangerous to preserve. From Canadian soldiers performing in drag at the front, to forbidden love in the trenches, to nurses whose lifelong relationship was dismissed as mere “friendship,” the series uncovers a hidden history buried beneath the mythology of war. If you’re interested in queer history, Canadian history, the First World War, or military history, follow Lavender Ranks now and discover the stories history tried to leave behind. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Publisher

Knockabout Media

Category

history · society & culture · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

1 May 2026

Latest episode

17 Jun 2026

Latest episodes

6 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   17 Jun 2026

   We Think You'd Like: The Bosom Friends Affair

   Host Ryan Barnett interviews playwright Rosemary Rowe and cartoonist Kathleen Gros about queer interpretations of Anne and Diana's deep bond in Anne of Green Gables.

2. 

   10 Jun 2026

   Bonus: Jo Whitehead Served at the Eastern Front

   Host Jo Whitehead explores the gender-defiant life of a Canadian WWI veteran, questioning if she was an early non-binary icon or radical dissident woman.

3. 

   3 Jun 2026

   Sisters in Arms

   Hosts Emily Gioskos and Karbon interview Sarah Worthman and others about the hidden sapphic love story of Nursing Sisters Ellanore and Murney during WWI.

4. 

   27 May 2026

   The White Blood of No-Hope

   Host Emily Gioskos interviews Sarah Worthman, Mitchell LaFramboise, Cameron Telch, Andrea McKenzie, and Martine Roy about forbidden queer love and trauma during the Great War.

5. 

   20 May 2026

   The Front’s Favourite Gal

   Hosts Emily Gioskos and Karbon interview Ross Hamilton, exploring how queer aesthetics and performance flourished on the Western Front during World War I.

6. 

   1 May 2026

   Introducing Lavender Ranks

   Emily and Karbon of The Queer Collective interview guests about untold LGBTQ2S+ stories of resilience and resistance within military history.

Who has been a guest on Lavender Ranks

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Rosemary Rowe
• Kathleen Gros
• Kate Macdonald Butler
• Kate Scarth
• Jessica Young

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

3.5 / 5

63 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

7 ratings

Contact Lavender Ranks

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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