Community Highlights: Meet Amanda W. Timpson of Yesterqueers

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda W. Timpson.

Hi Amanda W., can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am what I like to call an accidental public historian. Unlike many of my colleagues, I’m not a formally credentialed historian and wasn’t even working in academia when I stumbled onto this path–I was a television executive and had been for almost fifteen years. So how does a woman go from production executive to public historian? Of course, it all started on TikTok.

Though I was never taught queer history in school and didn’t study it formally in college, when I founded Yesterqueers it had been one of my primary hobbies for more than 25 years. I didn’t have a single coming out experience so much as I had a slow becoming that lasted into my thirties and studying queer history played a huge part in it. As anti-queer sentiment, and transphobia in particular, caught fire across the U.S. (again), I turned to history for comfort and perspective.

It didn’t take me long to realize that if I was comforted by stories about our queer ancestors, maybe others would be too. So, when I was fired for the first time in my life in 2022, I started a channel called Yesterqueers on TikTok which was just me sitting on my porch, talking about queer history that I found interesting. I thought it was just fun project to do while I took stock of my life and started hunting for another job, but followers turned up in droves.

I did find my next job, but it certainly wasn’t the one I expected. Four years later Yesterqueers is a full-fledged public history project that celebrates the broad expanse of queer history and actively works to correct historical erasure, and I am a full time public historian who writes, speaks, and produces social media content about queer history.

I know now that sharing queer stories is my life’s work. As the descendent of a long line of writers and raconteurs, storytelling is part of my DNA. I firmly believe that restorative storytelling is our most powerful tool for connection, understanding, and change.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I had to turn my back on a 20+ year career in film & television to pursue being a public historian, so I was essentially starting from scratch. Fortunately I became friends with a group of wonderful women and non-binary people, all of whom are humanities professionals in public-facing jobs (other public historians, art history educators, archaeologists with large social media followings, etc), and they helped guide my earliest steps,

I also chose to be publicly, visibly queer and to focus on queer history at a time when the country’s rhetoric about queer people is increasingly violent; I get a steady stream of disgusting comments and violent threats. The Trump administration’s policies have not only directly impacted institutions I rely on to do my research, many of which are funded in whole or in part by federal grants, but they have also made it harder for me to book speaking and consulting engagements. When the White House made it clear that DEI initiatives are no longer a priority, many of the companies I work with took that as an opportunity to pull back on the programs that fund my work.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Yesterqueers is a public history project that uplifts queer stories and actively works to rectify historical erasure. Founder & Host Amanda W. Timpson creates narratively compelling and academically rigorous program and media content that connects queer people to the rich tapestry of our lineage, and helps those outside the community understand that we have always been here and we have always been queer.

In the four years since I first sat down on my porch to talk to my phone, Yesterqueers has grown into a multi-media project that encompasses social media content, live shows, speaking engagements, and corporate education. Yesterqueers gets millions of views across platforms each month and I’ve had the privilege to work with radio stations, colleges and universities, compnaies of all sizes, LGBTQ+ organizations like GLAAD and The American LGBTQ+ Museum, and even fashion designer Timothy Westbrook. I am immensely proud of the fact that Yesterqueers continues to grow and to reach more and more people in spite of the concerted effort by our government to silence queer voices.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
As an historian who is not affiliated with an institution, I would not be able to do the work I do without public libraries and archives.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://yesterqueers.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yesterqueers/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yesterqueers/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@yesterqueers

Image Credits
David Laurell (last photo, “Dear Heart” only)