Most episodes draw on the three-decade-old audio archive of rare interviews conducted by the podcast's founder and host Eric Marcus in the late 1980s and 1990s.

In 2016, Marcus revisited the archive of his original recordings, which had since been digitized by the New York Public Library, along with executive producer Sara Burningham, who suggested that the interviews be used as the basis for a podcast.

[3][4] Since its launch in October 2016, the podcast has featured interviews with transgender rights icon Sylvia Rivera;[5] pioneering lesbian writer Edythe D. Eyde aka Lisa Ben;[6] American comedian, talk show host, and actress Ellen DeGeneres;[7] popular advice columnist and LGBT advocate Pauline Phillips ("Dear Abby");[8] and others.

It has also drawn on other audio archives to highlight the contributions of activists like Ernestine Eckstein and Bayard Rustin, and has used contemporary interviews to chronicle the life and work of Magnus Hirschfeld and Reed Erickson.

[12] In February 2020, Making Gay History was adapted for the stage at New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.