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Cover of After Lights Out at the Y, Gay Timeline members-only collection No. 1
New collectionMembers-only · No. 1

After Lights Out at the Y

25 true stories of the men who found each other in the YMCAs, bathhouses, gyms and quiet corners of a world that told them to hide. Never on YouTube.

25 stories · about 25 hours · read by Julian · MP3s to keep

$49for all 25 stories · about $1.96 each · paid once
Get the collection · $49 See the 25 stories
“These stories are priceless.”
gene978, a listener

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Why this collection

It started with our most-watched story

Our most-watched story ever is Inside the Gay YMCA. You asked for more, so here is a whole collection built around the Y and the world around it, from its Christian founders in 1844 to the closing of the old residence floors. Every one of these stories is members-only. You won’t hear them on YouTube or anywhere else.

The 25 stories

Story 1 · in the sample

Inside the Sloane House YMCA

Twelve floors of small rooms by Penn Station, a desk clerk with a diary, and the address men passed on by word of mouth.

Story 3

When Men Swam Naked

For decades the Y’s pools had one rule: no swimsuits. What that ease meant to men who had to hide everywhere else.

Story 4

The Harlem YMCA

On 135th Street, a home for young Black men arriving in the city, at the heart of the Harlem Renaissance.

Story 24

How the Y Became a Song

How a Christian hostel for young men became one of the best-known gay legends of the century, long before the disco hit.

  1. 01Inside the Sloane House YMCA: New York’s Biggest Gay Address, 1930–1960
  2. 02The West Side Y: Rooms, Pools and Quiet Friendships in Manhattan, 1930s–1950s
  3. 03When Men Swam Naked: The Secret Ease of the YMCA Pool, 1900–1960
  4. 04The Harlem YMCA: Poets, Dreamers and Brothers on 135th Street, 1920s
  5. 05The Y Before It Was Gay: The Founders’ Dream of Christian Brotherhood, 1844–1900
  6. 06The Chicago YMCA Hotel: 2,000 Rooms on South Wabash, 1916–1970s
  7. 07The Embarcadero YMCA: San Francisco’s Waterfront Rooms, 1926–1970s
  8. 08The Railroad YMCAs: Rooms for the Men Who Ran the Trains, 1872–1930
  9. 09The YMCA Lobby: Young Men Arriving With One Suitcase, 1920–1960
  10. 10The Physical Directors: The Gym Instructors of the Early Y, 1890–1930
  11. 11The YMCA Night Schools: Evening Classes for Young Men Alone in the City, 1900–1940
  12. 12The Springfield Training School: Where the Y Trained Its Men, 1885–1930
  13. 13The Ys Abroad: American YMCAs in Tokyo, Shanghai and Manila, 1900–1940
  14. 14Bathhouse Row: Men Taking the Waters in Hot Springs, Arkansas, 1890–1940
  15. 15The Downtown Athletic Clubs: Steam Rooms and Squash Courts, 1890–1950
  16. 16The Seamen’s Houses: Sailors Ashore in the Port Cities, 1880–1930
  17. 17Grand Central’s Waiting Room: Strangers Arriving in New York, 1913–1950
  18. 18The Reading Rooms: Quiet Men in the Public Libraries, 1911–1960
  19. 19The Movie Palaces of Times Square: Balcony Seats After Midnight, 1920–1950
  20. 20The Settlement Houses: Clubs and Classes for Young Men, 1890–1930
  21. 21Muscle Beach: Bodies in the Sun at Santa Monica, 1934–1959
  22. 22The Turnvereine: German Gymnastic Clubs in America, 1850–1920
  23. 23Gymnasiums and Athletic Clubs: Muscle and Male Devotion in Victorian Britain
  24. 24How the Y Became a Song: The YMCA’s Gay Legend, 1940s–1978
  25. 25The Last Nights of the Old Y: Closing the Residence Floors, 1960s–1980s

Inside every story

Questions

What do I get for $49?

All 25 stories, about an hour each: one ad-free MP3 per story with its cover art, and a one-page PDF of the real men, historians and books behind it. The files are yours to keep.

How do I listen?

After you pay, a download link arrives by email. Save the MP3s to your phone or computer and play them in any music or podcast app, even with no connection.

Are these stories on YouTube?

No. Every story in this collection is members-only and is never posted on YouTube or any other platform.

Are these stories true?

Yes. Each one is built from real historical records, and the sources are listed in the PDF that comes with it. Where a character is a composite of several real men, the story says so.

Is this a subscription?

No. You pay once and nothing renews.

Gay Timeline · Members’ collection No. 1

Give them your full attention.

They spent their lives being interrupted, hidden and erased. Hear their stories from beginning to end.

Get After Lights Out at the Y · $49 See all collections
After Lights Out at the Y
25 members-only stories · $49 Get it