- Hi, I'm Jen.
- And I'm Nikki.
Today, we're discussing the untold stories of queer people
throughout history because they definitely exist.
Jen has a pipe, and we have a gavel,
so what could possibly go wrong?
(upbeat music)
Today, we are talking about the American Treasurer,
Eleanor Roosevelt, who is who is rumored to have had
relationships with both men and women.
Lots of rumors, lots of stories.
We're going to get into it today.
What do you know about her?
- I know she is married to Theodore Roosevelt.
(laughs)
- No she wasn't.
- Oh, she wasn't?
Who's she married to?
- The other Roosevelt, Franklin.
- Oh, Frankie Boy.
- Okay, Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1884
to a wealthy family in New York City.
Unfortunately, by age 10, everyone was dead.
So she like went to live with other relatives,
and like, the brother who lived.
In 1903, Eleanor got engaged to Franklin Roosevelt,
her fifth cousin once removed.
- Do you think they kissed with tongue back then?
- Absolutely.
After they married, Franklin's political career
really started ramping up, so this is where things get
a little bit scandalous, okay.
So, Franklin ended up cheating on Eleanor,
with Eleanor's secretary, which is pretty shitty
because Eleanor's secretary is probably somebody who
is pretty close to her, knew what her schedule was,
knew where she was at all the time, and then was just like,
"Alright cool, she's busy,
let me go fuck her husband real quick."
- Also, he wasn't hot.
You're really going to risk your career for someone,
it's like, I hope they're hot and like, not racist.
He didn't check either one of those boxes.
- So Eleanor first found out about this, she was like,
"Fuck this, lets get divorced,"
'cause she was not down for it, but as you know,
divorce when you're in the political limelight,
like, that's bad, it could end your career,
you have bad press, people think differently of you.
So Franklin was like, "Look, I promise to end the affair,
if you stay with me."
And she was like, "Fine," but pretty much after that,
their marriage was never the same.
When Franklin took office in 1933, as the President,
Eleanor kept doing her own damn thing
as First Lady of the United States.
She was very politically active, and she started a weekly
press conference for just female journalists who were
typically not allowed in other press conferences.
Again, just surrounding herself with ladies.
Okay, now is where we get to the gay stuff.
It is both juicy and steamy.
Eleanor's biographer and many others believe
the First Lady was in a relationship with one Lorena Hickok.
So Lorena Hickok is a reporter, nicknamed Hick,
was said to have ate, drank, smoked, gambled, and swore.
Sounds like a classic butch lesbian to me.
- [Jen] Yeah, she sounds fun.
- So although Hick and Eleanor knew each other
for a few years, it wasn't until Hick was assigned
to cover Eleanor during Franklin's presidential campaign
in 1932 that they really got to know each other.
When Hick wasn't on the road for her job,
she actually lived out of the White House,
and she gave Eleanor a ring
that Eleanor would wear publicly.
- That sounds gay.
- The fact that Hick lived in the White House
and gave her a ring, and no one thought anything of it,
no one was ever like, "Oh I wonder if those two
are just like, fucking each other."
- I think that speaks to heterosexism because they were
just like, "it's unfathomable - Gal pals, gal pals.
- that two women could find a relationship
and have pleasure from it.
- Anyways, so when Hick and Eleanor weren't together,
they were writing each other letters,
and that's where we have proof.
The two of them exchanged more than 3,300 letters
between 1932 and shortly before Eleanor died.
Like why would you do that
if you weren't like kind of obsessed with somebody?
- I don't know.
What did you ask me?
(laughs)
So these letters they were exchanging,
are they romantic in nature?
- Oh yes.
- Oh, okay.
- Would you like to read some?
- Okay.
- We're going to read some.
Picture this, Eleanor in her nightie, pondering to the moon.
Her snoring president of a husband
she doesn't sleep with anymore, snoring in the next room.
She saunters to her desk, and pulls out a quill.
Were they, I don't think they were using quills back then.
- They would have had pens.
- Probably using pens, okay, this is what she says.
"Even though I am busy every minute."
- God damn.
- That's saucy.
You wouldn't just say that to somebody
you weren't like, hmm, you know.
- No you wouldn't.
That's not something you send to a friend.
A little uncomfortable hearing you read that,
that's how uncommon it is.
- Now we cut to Hick, out on the lonely road as a reporter.
Nothing can keep her company at night but her cigarettes
and her distant memory of Eleanor's lips.
Here, you read this part.
- "Most clearly," I don't know, that voice.
"I wonder what we'll do when we meet, what we'll say."
What is northeast corner? Here?
What if this is just Hick revealing she is the worst kisser
in the world, just kisses right here every time?
- I only like this part.
It gets better.
- It gets better?
- There's more.
"Oh, how I wanted to put my arms around you
in reality instead of spirit.
I went and kissed your photograph instead
and tears were in my eyes."
- These are like I'm in love with you letters.
- Yeah, and they didn't just write letters to each other,
they also spent hours on the phone,
and allegedly ended every call with...
- [Both] (speaking foreign language)
- [Nikki] Which means.
- Get the door bitch.
(laughs)
- No, it means I love you and I adore you.
It's very sweet.
- It is really sweet.
- They have very sweet feelings towards each other.
So, it's pretty clear Eleanor was into women,
at least this woman can confirm.
As for Franklin, he died in 1945.
And sadly, Eleanor and Hick's relationship also ended.
We're not sure by how or why.
- It's not out of the realm of possibility too
that they just like, drifted apart,
couldn't spend time together, found other lovers?
- After Franklin died,
she joined the United Nations General Assembly
after an appointment from President Truman,
and several times during her life
she was voted World's Most Admired Woman.
So she was an honored and admired lady, so again,
probably why she couldn't be like, "I like boys and girls."
So we learned something new today
that they don't teach you in the history books.
- I mean that's pretty cool.
There was like a powerful queer woman running shit
and falling in love.
- In the White House.
- Yeah, years and years ago.
- Ladies have had sex with each other in the White House.
- That's my favorite fact about the White House.
(laughs)