3 10 32 https://nunncenter.net/outsouth/files/original/28c3acdd83795d29a5d68ef4f2af0dc3.PNG 46a0e87aec2d6ada8c7f632fb76692f7 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Adriana Sisko Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed J. P. Davis OHMS Object https://nunncenter.net/ohms-spokedb/render.php?cachefile=2018oh355_lgbtq024_ohm.xml Interview Keyword Politics and government Politicians Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- ) Education OHMS Object Text 5.2 2018oh355_lgbtq024 Interview with J.P. Davis, July 13, 2018 2018oh355_lgbtq024 lgbtq Outsouth: LGBTQ+ Oral History Project Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries (Exhibit) Ashland (Ky.) Childhood Families. Closeted gays. Gay men--Family relationships--United States. Gays--Family relationships. Homosexuality. Sexual minorities' families. Sexual minorities. Sexual orientation. Religion Churches Homosexuality--Religious aspects. Gay men--Identity. Coming out (Sexual orientation) Politics and government Politicians Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- ) Education J. P. Davis Adriana Sisko 0 Vimeo video &lt ; iframe src=&quot ; https://player.vimeo.com/video/280365826&quot ; width=&quot ; 640&quot ; height=&quot ; 360&quot ; frameborder=&quot ; 0&quot ; allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; 0 Childhood in Ashland, Kentucky This is Adriana Sisko and we are in the Nunn Center. J. P. Davis is introduced. He talks about growing up in Ashland, Kentucky. He talks about his relationship with his parents and his two brothers. He talks about his parents' careers, attitudes, and social standing in the community. He briefly mentions the conflict between himself and his parents regarding his sexual orientation. Ashland Oil ; Beauty pageants ; Brothers ; Closeted ; Conflicts ; Effects ; Elementary schools ; Fast food ; Fathers ; Fighting ; Grandparents ; Growing up ; Impact ; Jobs ; Louisville (Ky.) ; Mothers ; Parents ; Reasons ; Sports ; Upbringing Ashland (Ky.) ; Childhood ; Closeted gays. ; Education ; Employment--Kentucky ; Families. ; Gay men--Family relationships--United States. ; Gays--Family relationships. ; Homosexuality. ; Sexual minorities' families. ; Sexual minorities. ; Sexual orientation. 17 358 Hiding his sexual orientation in middle school and high school But, um, but, yeah, Ashland was great. Davis talks about his brother's interest in sports in school and talks about how his own interests and personality differed. He talks about being aware of being gay very early in life and talks about others' perceptions of his sexuality. He talks about his personal feelings regarding his sexual orientation and why he kept it hidden for so long. He talks about the attitudes of his parents, classmates, and community regarding sexuality, race, and gender. Apologies ; Awareness ; Brothers ; Bullied ; Bullying ; Classmates ; Colleges ; Crushes ; Dating ; Different ; Fairview High School ; Hiding ; High schools ; Homophobia ; Homophobic ; Middle schools ; Name changes ; Parents ; Peers ; Perceptions ; Popularity ; Racism ; Racist ; School principals ; Sexism ; Sexist ; Social life ; Sports ; Student body presidents Ashland (Ky.) ; Childhood ; Churches ; Closeted gays. ; Education ; Families. ; Gay men--Family relationships--United States. ; Gay men--Identity. ; Gays--Family relationships. ; Homosexuality--Religious aspects. ; Homosexuality. ; Religion ; Sexual minorities' families. ; Sexual minorities. ; Sexual orientation. 17 744 Decision to come out So, um, it wasn't until I finished undergrad and went to England and worked in Parliament... Davis talks about studying abroad in England after college and the experience that led him to decide to come out. Avoidance ; Avoiding ; Colleges ; Dating ; England ; Hiding ; Ignoring ; London (England) ; London School of Economics ; Parliament ; Relationships Closeted gays. ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Dates (Social engagements) ; Dating (Social customs) ; Gay men--Identity. ; Homosexuality. ; Interpersonal relations ; Sexual minorities. ; Sexual orientation. 17 898 His brother being outed Um, I--to this day, um--I can tell you--I want to back up before I tell you how I came out... Davis talks about an incident before he left for college in which someone told him his brother was gay and then he outed his brother to his parents. He talks about how these events changed his family. He talks about his relationship with his brother currently. Brothers ; China ; Christian schools ; Colleges ; Critical ; Fathers ; Friends ; LGBTQ youth ; Mothers ; Outing ; Parents ; Reactions ; Regrets ; Resentment ; Therapy ; university of Louisville Ashland (Ky.) ; Childhood ; Churches ; Closeted gays. ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Education ; Families. ; Gay men--Family relationships--United States. ; Gay men--Identity. ; Gays--Family relationships. ; Homosexuality--Religious aspects. ; Homosexuality. ; Religion ; Sexual minorities' families. ; Sexual minorities. ; Sexual orientation. 17 1226 Coming out experience But, um, you know, my mom and dad, you know, they're something else. Davis talks about coming out to his parents via a letter. He talks about their negative reactions and how they led to his desire to be an advocate for LGBTQ youth. He talks about how coming out to his boss was very stressful, but says that his boss' positive reaction gave him a lot of confidence and security. He talks about his difficulty fitting in to the LGBTQ social scene. Advice ; Advocates ; Awareness ; Brothers ; Bush Administration ; Conservative ; Expectations ; Fathers ; Fears ; Fitting in ; Gay bars ; Hurt ; Jobs ; Judgment ; Letters ; LGBTQ youth ; Life choices ; Mothers ; Owsley Brown Frazier ; Parents ; Personal assistants ; Prodigy ; Questions ; Reactions ; Regrets ; Republicans ; Responsibility ; Scared ; Security ; Social scenes ; Suicide ; Understanding ; Young people Ashland (Ky.) ; Childhood ; Closeted gays. ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Families. ; Gay men--Family relationships--United States. ; Gay men--Identity. ; Gays--Family relationships. ; Homosexuality. ; Sexual minorities' families. ; Sexual minorities. ; Sexual orientation. 17 1818 Role of religion in his life Um, I want to hear more about the church you attended growing up. Davis describes the church he and his family attended during his childhood. He talks about being very involved in the church, and also talks about the negative messages preached at the church. He talks about how his family's relationship with the church changed after his brother was outed as gay. He discusses his current feelings about church and religion. Beliefs ; Brothers ; Christian schools ; Church camps ; Conflicts ; Conservative ; Divisiveness ; Fathers ; Following ; Friends ; Influence ; Kicked out ; Leadership ; Mission trips ; Mothers ; Negative ; Parents ; Preachers ; Religious ; Rose Hill Christian Church ; Sermons ; Social groups ; Spiritual ; Summer camps ; Yelling ; Youth groups Ashland (Ky.) ; Childhood ; Churches ; Closeted gays. ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Education ; Families. ; Gay men--Family relationships--United States. ; Gay men--Identity. ; Gays--Family relationships. ; Homosexuality--Religious aspects. ; Homosexuality. ; Religion ; Sexual minorities' families. ; Sexual minorities. ; Sexual orientation. 17 2216 Awareness of LGBTQ people during his early life And growing up, what was your awareness of words like 'gay' or 'homosexuality,' um, or even gay people in general? Davis talks about his awareness of LGBTQ people during his childhood. He talks about why people may have assumed he way gay during his youth. Actors ; Assumptions ; Avoidance ; Avoiding ; Awareness ; Dating ; Denial ; Derogatory ; Different ; Family ; Flamboyant ; Girls ; Hiding ; LGBTQ people ; Movies ; Perceptions ; Personality ; Schools ; Slurs ; Social circles ; Social life ; Terminology Ashland (Ky.) ; Childhood ; Closeted gays. ; Families. ; Gay men--Family relationships--United States. ; Gay men--Identity. ; Gays--Family relationships. ; Homosexuality. ; Sexual minorities' families. ; Sexual minorities. ; Sexual orientation. 17 2473 First experiences dating after coming out And so was it at 23 that you came out? Davis talks more about studying abroad in England after college and his experience dating for the first time. He talks about how LGBTQ people are treated in various places around the world and how he is relatively lucky to live in the United States. Discrimination ; Emotions ; Fears ; Grateful ; Homelessness ; Homophobia ; Illegal ; LGBTQ youth ; London (England) ; Murder ; Sexual experiences ; Treatment ; Vocal Closeted gays. ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Couples. ; Dates (Social engagements) ; Dating (Social customs) ; Gay men--Identity. ; Homosexuality. ; Interpersonal relations ; Sexual minorities. ; Sexual orientation. 17 2827 More on his coming out experience Um, if you're ready I have another follow up question. Davis talks about coming out to his friends. He talks more about how coming out to his boss was very stressful, but says that his boss' positive reaction gave him a lot of confidence and security. He talks more in depth about his mother and father's reactions, including his mother trying to set him up with women or 'save' him religiously. He talks about his relationship with his grandmother, her religious and social beliefs, and her acceptance of him. He talks about his negative experience at his grandmother's funeral. He talks about coming out as a perpetual process. &quot ; Saved&quot ; ; Acceptance ; Attitudes ; Barack Obama ; Beliefs ; Bible ; Bosses ; Closeness ; Conservative ; Constant ; Death ; Difficult ; Eastern Kentucky ; Education ; Elections ; Employment ; Empowerment ; Fathers ; Fears ; Fired ; Friends ; Funeral services ; Girls ; Grandfathers ; Grandmothers ; Home ; Jobs ; Lifestyles ; Losses ; Mothers ; Negative ; Offensive ; Peers ; Perspectives ; Preachers ; Reactions ; Relationships ; Ridicule ; Suicide ; Visits ; Voting ; Widows ; Women Ashland (Ky.) ; Childhood ; Churches ; Closeted gays. ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Families. ; Gay men--Family relationships--United States. ; Gay men--Identity. ; Gays--Family relationships. ; Homosexuality--Religious aspects. ; Homosexuality. ; Politics and government ; Religion ; Sexual minorities' families. ; Sexual minorities. ; Sexual orientation. 17 3715 Current relationship with the LGBTQ community Um, so you mentioned that, you kno--as a result of having this sort of like, kind of like delayed adolescence, delayed sexual awakening... Davis talks about his current relationship with the LGBTQ community, which he says is mostly through his fundraising and policy change efforts. He talks about cliques and segregation within the LGBTQ community. Assumptions ; Bar scene ; Civics ; Cliques ; Delayed ; Educate ; Education ; Fitting in ; Fundraising ; Infiltrate ; Infiltration ; Labels ; Left out ; LGBTQ community ; Perceptions ; Policies ; Policy changes ; Positions ; Power ; Pride festivals ; Scholarships ; Segregated ; Segregation ; Social scenes Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Gay men--Identity. ; Homosexuality. ; Sexual minorities. ; Sexual orientation. 17 4054 Career And I'm probably--I'm going to ask you a question that might necessitate another long answer. Davis talks about his career path and his current work as the Executive Vice President for the Fund for the Arts. He talks about some of the challenges he has faced. Activism ; Careers ; Challenges ; Changes ; Fund for the Arts ; Fundraisers ; Jobs ; Owsley Brown Frazier ; Reactions ; Resources ; University of Louisville ; Women ; Youngest Employment--Kentucky ; Gay men--Identity. ; Homosexuality. ; Politics and government ; Sexual minorities. ; Sexual orientation. 17 4314 Changes in Kentucky So it seems like with all of your fundraising and sort of activism work that you probably have... Davis discusses how Kentucky has changed, both positively and negatively. He talks about how politics and religion have influenced one another. He talks about the negative impact of ultra-conservatives' control of the state. Better ; Changes ; Control ; Culture ; Discrimination ; Economics ; Hateful ; Hurting ; Influence ; Kentucky ; Leadership ; Policies ; Policy ; Political climate ; Progress ; Protection ; Republicans ; Rights ; Small communities ; Small towns ; Society ; Treatment Churches ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Gay men--Identity. ; Homosexuality--Law and legislation. ; Homosexuality--Religious aspects. ; Homosexuality--Social aspects. ; Homosexuality. ; Politics and government ; Religion ; Sexual minorities. ; Sexual orientation. 17 4671 Current political administration So continuing heading in this direction, um, how do you feel politically and personally regarding the current presidential administration? Davis discusses his views on the current political administration under Donald Trump. He talks about how divisiveness is hurting the country and his worries in regard to the president. Authority ; Careless ; Divided ; Divisiveness ; Donald Trump ; Followers ; Hurt ; Ideology ; Integrity ; Leadership ; Minorities ; Party politics ; Policies ; Policy ; Political administrations ; Presidency ; Public leaders ; Public servants ; Representative ; Track record ; Women ; Worry Politicians ; Politics and government ; Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- ) 17 4934 Hope for the future And heading in a different direction now that we've looked into the darkness. Davis says that the next generation gives him hope for the future. He talks about how their lack of divisiveness will improve things, but says that they lack knowledge of civics and how to talk to those who disagree with them. He talks about citizens becoming involved in politics. The interview is concluded. Challenges ; Changes ; Civics ; Disagreements ; Divisiveness ; Elections ; Empowerment ; Establishment ; Fundraising ; Future ; Hopes ; Leadership ; Next generation ; Social issues ; Sports figures ; Teaching ; Women Gay teenagers. ; Gay youth ; Politicians ; Politics and government ; Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- ) ; Sexual minority youth 17 interview J.P. Davis describes his upbringing in Ashland, Kentucky and coming out as a gay man to his church-going family. Davis also shares his passion for fundraising work and talks about his current career as executive vice president for Louisville's Fund For The Arts. No transcript. All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries. video Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries. 0 http://www.nunncenter.net/ohms/render.php?cachefile=2018oh355_lgbtq024_davis_ohm.xml 2018oh355_lgbtq024_davis_ohm.xml https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt70gb1xgm7q Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource J.P. Davis Description An account of the resource J.P. Davis describes his upbringing in Ashland, Kentucky and coming out as a gay man to his church-going family. Davis also shares his passion for fundraising work and talks about his current career as executive vice president for Louisville's Fund For The Arts. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2018oh355_lgbtq024 Subject The topic of the resource Ashland (Ky.) Childhood Families. Closeted gays. Gay men--Family relationships--United States. Gays--Family relationships. Homosexuality. Sexual minorities' families. Sexual minorities. Sexual orientation. Religion Churches Homosexuality--Religious aspects. Gay men--Identity. Coming out (Sexual orientation) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://nunncenter.net/outsouth/files/original/23e4927a9891b2c29bf2a9f1f0863d6e.PNG b5eea500fbb913cd2b42bab570704d7a Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Adriana Sisko Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Rory Barron OHMS Object https://nunncenter.net/ohms-spokedb/render.php?cachefile=2018oh375_lgbtq025_ohm.xml Interview Keyword Trans masculine Transmasculine The Queer Project LGBTQ students Politics and government Activism Activists Feminism Friendship. Interpersonal relations Student protesters OHMS Object Text 5.2 2018oh375_lgbtq025 Interview with Rory Barron, July 17, 2018 2018oh375_lgbtq025 lgbtq Outsouth: LGBTQ+ Oral History Project Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries (Exhibit) Education Childhood Sexual minorities' families. Families. Woodford County (Ky.) Gender expression. Gender identity. Gender. Sexual minorities--Identity. Sexual minority students. Sexual minority youth Transgender children. Transgender youth. Coming out (Sexual orientation) Religion Transgender identity Transgender people. Transgender people--Identity. Gender issues Coming out (Gender identity) University of Kentucky Education, Higher College environment College students--Social conditions Universities and colleges. Trans masculine Transmasculine The Queer Project LGBTQ students Politics and government Activism Activists Feminism Friendship. Interpersonal relations Student protesters Rory Barron Adriana Sisko 0 Vimeo video &lt ; iframe src=&quot ; https://player.vimeo.com/video/281498863&quot ; width=&quot ; 640&quot ; height=&quot ; 360&quot ; frameborder=&quot ; 0&quot ; allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; 1 Childhood My name is Adriana Sisko and the date is July 17th, 2018. Rory Barron is introduced. He discusses his family and childhood, moving around Kentucky before settling in Woodford County. He talks about his elementary school experiences, his participation in Girl Scouts, and the class distinctions he noticed in Woodford County. He talks about how his twin sister's experiences differed from his own. 'Weird' ; Brandenburg (Ky.) ; Brothers ; Bullying ; Class distinctions ; Communication ; Daydreaming ; Divorce ; Easygoing ; Elementary schools ; Family ; Friends ; Girl Scouts ; Growing up ; Lexington (Ky.) ; Middle class ; Mothers ; Moving ; Neighborhoods ; Parents ; Playful ; Popularity ; Recess ; Schools ; Sisters ; Social ; Troop leaders ; Twins ; Undergraduate ; University of Kentucky ; Upbringing Childhood ; Education ; Families. ; Sexual minorities' families. ; Woodford County (Ky.) 17 327 Masculine qualities and behaviors in childhood When you were in elementary school or younger, um, did you engage in any behaviors that other people around you considered to be masculine? Barron talks about the masculine behaviors and qualities he displayed as a young child. He talks about his parents' and other adults' reactions to his masculine tendencies. Adults ; Assumptions ; Class distinctions ; Clothes ; Clothing ; Expectations ; Extended family ; Femininity ; Hyper feminine ; Masculine ; Masculinity ; Parents ; Poor ; Practical ; Reactions ; Sisters ; Sports ; Supportive ; Tomboys ; Twins Childhood ; Education ; Families. ; Gender expression. ; Gender identity. ; Gender. ; Sexual minorities' families. ; Sexual minorities--Identity. ; Sexual minority students. ; Sexual minority youth ; Transgender children. ; Transgender youth. ; Woodford County (Ky.) 17 502 Discovering his sexual orientation and coming out in middle school Did you continue with Girl Scouts moving into middle school? Barron talks about discovering his attraction to girls in middle school. He talks about the angst that these feelings caused. He talks about coming out to two friends in his freshman year of high school and how those friendships ended. He talks about how his mother became aware of his sexual orientation. He talks about his struggles with his sexuality and discusses reaching out to a religious organization for help. &quot ; Normal&quot ; ; Alone ; Angst ; Attraction ; Awareness ; Awkward ; Basketball teams ; Conversations ; Crushes ; Emails ; Freshman year ; Friends ; Girl Scouts ; Girls ; High schools ; Joking ; Mental health issues ; Middle schools ; Mothers ; Problems ; Relief ; Revelation ; Secrets ; Sexuality ; Sisters ; Social life ; Teammates ; Texting Childhood ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Education ; Families. ; Homosexuality--Religious aspects. ; Religion ; Sexual minorities' families. ; Sexual minorities--Identity. ; Sexual minority students. ; Sexual minority youth ; Sexual orientation--Religious aspects. ; Woodford County (Ky.) 17 942 Role of religion in his early life So this, um--these religious people or this religious group that you emailed, how did you find them? Barron talks more about reaching out to a religious organization for help with his sexual orientation. He talks about the role of religion in his early life, including his parents' beliefs and feelings about churches and his own attendance (or non-attendance) of church. Baptists ; Bible ; Bible study ; Catholics ; Churches ; Class distinctions ; Community dinners ; Conversion ; Fathers ; Hypocritical ; Important ; Internet ; Interracial marriage ; Interracial relationships ; Mothers ; Online ; Parents ; Religious community ; Religious groups ; Religious organizations ; Skipping church ; Spiritual Childhood ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Families. ; Homosexuality--Religious aspects. ; Religion ; Sexual minorities' families. ; Sexual minorities--Identity. ; Sexual minority students. ; Sexual minority youth ; Sexual orientation--Religious aspects. ; Woodford County (Ky.) 17 1254 Struggles with his sexuality in high school So moving into high school. Barron talks more about coming out to two friends in his freshman year of high school and the aftermath of those friendships ending. He talks about his internal struggles, as well as his negative experiences with coming out to friends, teammates, and crushes. He talks about a former teacher who he now recognizes as a lesbian and her struggles with parents' reactions. Angst ; Awareness ; Awkward ; Basketball teams ; Camping trips ; Classes ; Coaches ; Crushes ; Feelings ; Freshman year ; Friendships ; Future ; Girl Scouts ; Guidance counselors ; High schools ; Hurt ; Issues ; Letters ; Parents ; Reactions ; Rejection ; Relief ; Religion ; Religious affiliation ; Seating assignments ; Sexuality ; Social workers ; Struggles ; Suicide ; Supportive ; Teachers ; Teammates ; Uncomfortable ; Wrong Childhood ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Education ; Sexual minorities--Identity. ; Sexual minority students. ; Sexual minority youth ; Woodford County (Ky.) 17 1840 Lack of plans for the future after high school When you graduated from high school, how did you feel when you finally graduated? Barron talks about his relief as well as fear upon graduation from high school. He talks about how having no representation or personal role models led to his feeling that he had no future possibilities. He talks about his unsatisfying experience attending community college and how he did not see a future until he began attending Gender &amp ; Women's Studies classes at UK. Academic probation ; Alternatives ; Bluegrass Community &amp ; Technical College (BCTC) ; Classes ; College majors ; Community colleges ; Courses ; Decisions ; Eastern Kentucky University ; Expectations ; Financial aid ; Future ; Gay people ; Gender &amp ; Women's Studies (GWS) ; Graduation ; Jobs ; Relief ; Role models ; Scared ; Small town mentality ; Stagnant ; University of Kentucky ; Working Education ; Gender identity. ; Sexual minorities--Identity. ; Sexual minority students. ; Sexual minority youth ; Transgender identity ; Transgender people--Identity. ; Transgender people. ; Woodford County (Ky.) 17 2192 Coming to terms with his gender identity and coming out as transmasculine So, you mentioned that somewhere around this point in time you're thinking about gender identity. Barron talks about beginning to come to terms with his thoughts about his gender identity. He talks about how he was affected by the film &quot ; Boys Don't Cry,&quot ; as well as by Chelsea Manning's coming out. He talks about the lack of non-stereotypical transgender representation which delayed his realization about his gender identity. He talks about his thoughts on various terms and labels for gender and sexual orientation. He talks about how his mother became aware of his gender identity and describes his coming out process. He talks about his feelings regarding various aspects of transitioning, including dysphoria and surgery. Angst ; Awareness ; Best friends ; Black queer experience ; Boys Don't Cry (Motion picture) ; Brokeback Mountain (Motion picture) ; Chelsea Manning ; Classmates ; Closeted ; Clothes ; Clothing ; Connected ; Daunting ; Denial ; Disclosure ; Double life ; Dysphoria ; Excuses ; Expression ; Fathers ; Feedback ; Feelings ; Films ; Google ; Haircuts ; Hairstyles ; High schools ; Identifying ; In the closet ; Inner turmoil ; Lesbians ; Marriage equality ; Masculine ; Masculinity ; Media ; Meg Coppala ; Mothers ; Movies ; Names ; Nuances ; Openness ; Peers ; Portrayals ; Process ; Public ; Reactions ; Relief ; Representation ; Searching ; Stereotypes (Social psychology) ; Surgery ; Terminology ; Texting ; Thoughts ; Toll ; Trans man ; Trans masculine ; Transgender man ; Transitioning ; Transman ; Transmasculine ; Uncomfortable ; University of Kentucky ; Whistleblowers Coming out (Gender identity) ; Education ; Gender identity. ; Gender issues ; Gender. ; Sexual minorities--Identity. ; Sexual minority students. ; Sexual minority youth ; Transgender identity ; Transgender people--Identity. ; Transgender people. 17 3135 Experience being out as a transmasculine person at the University of Kentucky And once you transferred to UK--you made some comment about UK being a Barron talks about his experiences at UK as a transmasculine person in regard to professors and classmates using his correct name and pronouns. Awareness ; Classmates ; Emails ; Experimental ground ; Gender &amp ; Women's Studies (GWS) ; Introductions ; Misgendered ; Name changes ; Names ; Peers ; Professors ; Pronouns ; Reputations ; Self-explanatory ; Trans masculine ; Transmasculine Coming out (Gender identity) ; Education ; Education, Higher ; Gender identity. ; Gender issues ; Gender. ; Sexual minorities--Identity. ; Sexual minority students. ; Transgender identity ; Transgender people--Identity. ; Transgender people. ; University of Kentucky 17 3378 More on his gender identity and feelings about the word &quot ; man&quot ; And so earlier you mentioned that while you never at all identified with 'female' or 'woman' or 'lesbian' or anything that was female-gendered... Barron talks more about his gender identity and his reasons for preferring the labels 'transguy' or 'transmasculine' over 'man' or 'transman'. He talks about the role of religion in his current life. &quot ; Man&quot ; ; Comfortable ; Connections ; Connotations ; Earthly matters ; Female ; Non-binary (gender identity) ; Non-binary people ; Nonbinary ; Religious beliefs ; Role of religion ; Spiritual practice ; Toxic masculinity ; Trans guy ; Trans masculine ; Transmasculine ; Women Coming out (Gender identity) ; Gender identity. ; Gender issues ; Gender. ; Religion ; Sexual minorities--Identity. ; Transgender identity ; Transgender people--Identity. ; Transgender people. 17 3616 Welcoming and unwelcoming spaces at the University of Kentucky And so, moving back to UK. Barron talks more about his experiences at UK, especially his feelings about the Gender &amp ; Women's Studies Department. He talks about safe spaces on campus, as well as places where he feels alienated or unsafe. Activism ; Alienating ; Assault ; Athletics culture ; Belonging ; College departments ; Comfortable ; Community ; Eerie ; Friends ; Fulfillment ; Gatton College of Business and Economics ; Gender &amp ; Women's Studies (GWS) ; Harassment ; Home ; Information ; John Schnatter &quot ; Papa John&quot ; ; Mentors ; Office of LGBTQ* Resources ; Protests ; Representation ; Restless ; Safe spaces ; Stadiums ; Unsafe ; Unwelcoming ; Welcoming College campuses. ; College environment ; College students--Attitudes. ; College students--Conduct of life. ; College students--Social conditions ; Coming out (Gender identity) ; Education ; Education, Higher ; Gender identity. ; Gender issues ; Gender. ; Sexual minorities--Identity. ; Sexual minority students. ; Student protesters ; Transgender identity ; Transgender people--Identity. ; Transgender people. ; Universities and colleges. ; University of Kentucky 17 4052 The Queer Project You mentioned that you started a student group? Barron talks about the student group he and his friends created, called The Queer Project. He talks about the group's mission, as well as his views on what constitutes activism. Activism ; All-encompassing ; Best friends ; Binary ; Clothing drives ; Clothing swaps ; Creative outlets ; Dr. Chamara Jewel Kwakye ; Expression ; Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) ; Genders &amp ; Sexualities Alliance (GSA) ; Goals ; LGBTQ students ; Long-term ; Meetings ; Meg Coppala ; Mentors ; Missions ; Protests ; Representation ; Student groups ; Student organizations ; The Girl Project ; Trans people ; Women's March College campuses. ; College environment ; College students--Attitudes. ; College students--Conduct of life. ; College students--Social conditions ; Coming out (Gender identity) ; Education ; Education, Higher ; Gender identity. ; Gender issues ; Gender. ; Sexual minorities--Identity. ; Sexual minority students. ; Student protesters ; Transgender identity ; Transgender people--Identity. ; Transgender people. ; Universities and colleges. ; University of Kentucky 17 4368 Relationship with the LGBTQ community / Social circles How would you characterize your relationship with, um, the LGBTQ community? Barron discusses his relationship with the wider LGBTQ community and talks about his current social circles and friends. Cisgender ; Complicated ; Disconnected ; Family ; Friends ; Gay men ; LGBTQ community ; Perspectives ; Queer ; Social circles ; Social life ; Straight ; Trans men ; Transgender men College students--Social conditions ; Coming out (Gender identity) ; Families. ; Friendship. ; Gender identity. ; Gender issues ; Gender. ; Interpersonal relations ; Sexual minorities--Identity. ; Sexual minority students. ; Transgender identity ; Transgender people--Identity. ; Transgender people. 17 4506 Feelings on the current political administration And so hopping topics a bit, moving more big picture. Barron discusses his views on the current political administration under Donald Trump. He talks about beginning to feel burnt out due to the constant need for activism. Activism ; Burnt out ; Donald Trump ; Friends ; Future ; Healing ; Losses ; Organizing ; Personal ; Political administrations ; Process ; Protests ; Tired ; Urgent College students--Attitudes. ; College students--Conduct of life. ; College students--Social conditions ; Politicians ; Politics and government ; Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- ) ; Sexual minority students. ; Student protesters ; Transgender people. 17 4681 Activism So it seems like activism is very important to you... Barron talks about his passion for activism since childhood and some of the influences on his interest in activism. He talks about the first protest he attended. Activism ; Activists ; Anticlimactic ; Dissatisfied ; Dr. Chamara Jewel Kwakye ; Influences ; Inspiring ; Justice ; Marches ; Masculinity ; Monsanto ; Organizing ; Passionate ; Role models ; Suffragettes Childhood ; College students--Attitudes. ; College students--Conduct of life. ; College students--Social conditions ; Gender identity. ; Gender issues ; Gender. ; Politics and government ; Sexual minorities--Identity. ; Sexual minority students. ; Student protesters ; Transgender identity ; Transgender people--Identity. ; Transgender people. 17 4903 Feminist ideology And when was your first encounter with the idea of feminism? Barron talks about when he became aware of the concept of feminism and why it took so long for him to self-identify as a feminist. Attitudes ; Chores ; Conflicts ; Criticisms ; Domestic work ; Fathers ; Feminists ; Gender division of labor ; Gender division of labor in the family ; Homemakers ; Jobs ; Labor disparity ; Mothers ; Parents ; Stereotypes (Social psychology) Childhood ; Feminism ; Gender issues ; Gender. ; Sex role 17 5048 Hope for the future And, this is gonna be my last question. Barron talks about what gives him hope for the future. The interview is concluded. Family ; Friends ; Future ; Hopes ; Mentors ; Plans Families. ; Friendship. ; Interpersonal relations 17 interview Rory Barron, a University of Kentucky undergraduate student, shares his life as a transmasculine person. Barron discusses his passion for activism, the importance of the University of Kentucky Gender and Women's Studies Department, and the future. No transcript. All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries. video Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries. 0 http://www.nunncenter.net/ohms/render.php?cachefile=2018oh375_lgbtq025_barron_ohm.xml 2018oh375_lgbtq025_barron_ohm.xml https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt70gb1xgm7q Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rory Barron Description An account of the resource Rory Barron, a University of Kentucky undergraduate student, shares his life as a transmasculine person. Barron discusses his passion for activism, the importance of the University of Kentucky Gender and Women's Studies Department, and the future. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2018oh375_lgbtq025 Subject The topic of the resource Education Childhood Sexual minorities' families. Families. Woodford County (Ky.) Gender expression. Gender identity. Gender. Sexual minorities--Identity. Sexual minority students. Sexual minority youth Transgender children. Transgender youth. Coming out (Sexual orientation) Religion Transgender identity Transgender people. Transgender people--Identity. Gender issues Coming out (Gender identity) University of Kentucky Education, Higher College environment College students--Social conditions Universities and colleges. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://nunncenter.net/outsouth/files/original/a011dbf32e8c69bc6611fd8b6e2c7da4.PNG 451e6d50f64561cc85fd6f915e5e67af Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Adriana Sisko Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Pamela Hammond OHMS Object https://nunncenter.net/ohms-spokedb/render.php?cachefile=2018oh473_lgbtq028_ohm.xml Interview Keyword Appalachian Mountains Appalachia Somerset (Ky.) London (Ky.) Lexington (Ky.) University of Kentucky Bisexual college students Bisexual youth Child abuse Foster care Native Americans Racism Donald Trump OHMS Object Text 5.2 2018oh473_lgbtq028 Interview with Pamela Hammond, August 13, 2018 2018oh473_lgbtq028 1:28:39 lgbtq001 Outsouth: LGBTQ+ Oral History Project Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries Appalachian Mountains. Somerset (Ky.) London (Ky.) Lexington (Ky.) Bisexual college students Bisexual youth Bisexual high school students Bisexuality. Bisexuals. Bisexuals—Relations with heterosexuals Sexual minorities. Sexual minority college students Sexual minority students. Sexual orientation. Sexual minority community. Coming out (Sexual orientation) Appalachian Mountains Appalachia Somerset (Ky.) London (Ky.) Lexington (Ky.) University of Kentucky Bisexual college students Bisexual youth Child abuse Foster care Native Americans Racism Donald Trump Pamela Hammond Adriana Sisko 0 Vimeo video &lt ; iframe src=&quot ; https://player.vimeo.com/video/284930170&quot ; width=&quot ; 640&quot ; height=&quot ; 480&quot ; frameborder=&quot ; 0&quot ; webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; 0 Basic information / Early life This is Adriana Sisko, and the date is August 13th. The interviewer, Adriana Sisko, introduces herself and the interviewee, Pamela Hammond. Hammond introduces herself--she's 23, graduated with a degree in Russian, and works as a photographer in Lexington, Kentucky. She also lists the various places she's lived before--Somerset, Kentucky, Richmond Hill, Ontario, and Texas. She was born in Somerset when her mother was 18 and her father was 49, and as a result, her maternal grandparents took her to Canada, where she lived until she was 4 or 5, when she was sent back to Kentucky for preschool. Appalachia ; Appalachian Mountains ; Appalachian Region ; Bisexuals ; LGBT community ; LGBT+ community ; LGBTQ community ; Richmond Hill (Ont.) ; Somerset (Ky.) ; Texas Appalachian Mountains. ; Bisexuals. ; Richmond Hill (Ont.) ; Sexual minority community. ; Somerset (Ky.) ; Texas 17 156 Elementary school in Kentucky All right, well, let's start with the beginning of elementary school in Kentucky, right? Hammond talks about her elementary school and how much she hated it, calling it the typical small-town, Southern school, complete with still practicing corporal punishment in the 21st century. She was abused by her stepmother, and one of her teachers was complicit in that abuse. Appalachia ; Appalachian Mountains ; Child abuse ; Corporal punishment ; Somerset (Ky.) Appalachian Mountains. ; Child abuse. ; Corporal punishment. ; Somerset (Ky.) 17 398 Moving to Texas for late elementary school and early middle school And you mentioned that--was it late elementary school that you went to Texas? Hammond talks about her experience spending late elementary and early middle school in Texas and the reasons for that. Her father had fourth stage liver cancer and sought proper treatment in Texas (she tells a story about the malpractice he underwent in Kentucky). They moved back to Kentucky after she told her teacher her stepmother hit her. She liked Kentucky better overall, but missed the academic team events in Texas. Appalachia ; Appalachian Mountains ; Child abuse ; Malpractice ; Somerset (Ky.) ; Texas Appalachian Mountains. ; Child abuse. ; Malpractice. ; Somerset (Ky.) ; Texas 17 695 Middle school in Somerset, Kentucky Um, when you came back to Kentucky, was that to Lexington or another city? Hammond talks about her time in middle school in Kentucky. She didn't have a real rebellious phase in middle school, but had an &quot ; emo phase&quot ; and huffed acetone, while having depression and being an honors student. She considers herself a terrible influence on a friend of hers during that time period. Appalachia ; Appalachian Mountains ; Burnside (Ky.) ; Somerset (Ky.) ; Substance abuse Appalachian Mountains. ; Burnside (Ky.) ; Somerset (Ky.) ; Substance abuse. 17 845 Appeal of &quot ; emo&quot ; culture / Her friendship then with her now-boyfriend So you mentioned that during that time period you were kind of, like, &quot ; emo&quot ; or &quot ; alternative&quot ; , or-- When asked, Hammond elaborates on the appeal of the emo subculture, which reminded her of her sister's goth phase, and resonated with her depression from her abusive childhood. Her now-boyfriend also had a rough childhood and they bonded over that as adolescents. (Now they don't talk about their previous lives much.) Appalachia ; Appalachian Mountains ; Child abuse ; Emo music ; Goth culture ; Goth culture (Subculture) ; Somerset (Ky.) ; Subcultures Appalachian Mountains. ; Child abuse. ; Emo (Music) ; Goth culture (Subculture) ; Somerset (Ky.) ; Subculture. 17 1123 A summary of high school / Entering foster care Um, tell me--we'll get deeper into that story. Hammond calls her high school experience &quot ; super chaotic&quot ; . She had a &quot ; creepy&quot ; boyfriend whom she dated until she went into foster care. She entered foster care at the end of ninth grade, because she was afraid of her dad, who had paranoid schizophrenia. Her first foster family treated her like one of them, but issues with her social worker sent her to a new family, a cousin of the social worker. Hammond had a therapist at the time, who was trying to help her and get her a new social worker ; as a result, her social worker cancelled her therapy and she stayed with that family until she turned 18. Appalachia ; Appalachian Mountains ; Child abuse ; Foster care ; Somerset (Ky.) Appalachian Mountains. ; Child abuse. ; Somerset (Ky.) 17 1520 Activities and friendships in high school affected by foster care Did your friends at school know about this situation, or did you keep it to yourself? Hammond talks about the impact of the chaos of foster care on her school life. She participated in academic team and JROTC while she was with the first foster family, but had to quit most of her extracurricular activities after she moved to the new foster family. Her technology use was also heavily moderated and she only really saw her friends at school. Her friends knew about her life, but most couldn't relate to her lack of a parental figure. Appalachia ; Appalachian Mountains ; Child abuse ; Foster care ; High school girls Appalachian Mountains. ; Child abuse. ; High school girls ; Somerset (Ky.) 17 1715 Graduating high school / What going to college meant to Hammond / Issues with heterosexual relationships When you graduated high school, how did you feel when you graduated? Hammond talks about visiting her grandparents in Canada during and after high school. She had the option to live with them instead of being in foster care, but they couldn't afford college, and she'd have free tuition if she turned 18 while in the foster system in Kentucky, so she &quot ; toughed it out&quot ; . The rest of her family was very emotionally abusive, and told her she wouldn't graduate high school and would become a pregnant teenager like her mom, and so she felt she had to graduate college out of spite. The emotional abuse of being told she'd become a pregnant teenager emotionally affects her thoughts on heterosexual relationships to this day, despite having a long-term boyfriend. Appalachia ; Appalachian Mountains ; Child abuse ; Somerset (Ky.) Appalachian Mountains. ; Bisexuals--Relations with heterosexuals ; Child abuse. 17 1897 Awareness growing up of LGBTQ individuals / Impact of religion So very tangentially connected with that, but hopping topics a bit, um... When asked about her awareness of LGBTQ individuals, Hammond describes how she was always aware somehow of LGBTQ individuals. Her older sister, for instance, was open about her girlfriends, despite their dad and his side of the family being &quot ; very&quot ; Southern Baptist. This sister was also pagan and at one point Satanist. Appalachia ; Appalachian Mountains ; Bisexual college students ; Bisexual high school students ; Bisexual youth ; Bisexuality ; Bisexuals ; Sexual minorities ; Sexual minority college students ; Sexual minority community. ; Sexual minority students ; Sexual minority youth ; Sexual orientation Appalachian Mountains. ; Appalachian Region, Southern--Social life and customs. ; Bisexual college students ; Bisexual high school students ; Bisexual youth ; Bisexuality. ; Bisexuals--Relations with heterosexuals ; Bisexuals. ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Sexual minorities. ; Sexual minority college students ; Sexual minority community. ; Sexual minority students ; Sexual minority youth ; Sexual orientation--Religious aspects. ; Sexual orientation. 17 2281 More on the role of religion in Hammond's childhood / Connection with music Tell me more about the role of religion in your childhood. When asked, Hammond further discusses the role of religion in her childhood. She spent a lot of time growing up with her nieces, who were her age, and their grandfather was a preacher, whom she considered fairly nice but occasionally made off-color jokes. Her dad never really went to church, even though he was raised in it. Her stepmother, who she says was &quot ; a mail order bride,&quot ; was Russian Orthodox, so they celebrated holidays by the Byzantine calendar. Furthermore, her mother was pagan. She states that she's explored many religions, but now lacks a positive feeling for organized religion, even though she's not an &quot ; anti-deist&quot ; . The only thing she liked about organized religion was the choir. Later in college, she was a DJ ; despite no longer being a DJ, she still searches for new music. Appalachia ; Appalachian Mountains ; Bisexual college students ; Bisexual high school students ; Bisexual youth ; Bisexuality ; Bisexuals ; Sexual minorities ; Sexual minority college students ; Sexual minority community ; Sexual minority students ; Sexual minority youth ; Sexual orientation ; Somerset (Ky.) Appalachian Mountains. ; Appalachian Region, Southern--Social life and customs. ; Bisexual college students ; Bisexual high school students ; Bisexual youth ; Bisexuality. ; Bisexuals--Relations with heterosexuals ; Bisexuals. ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Sexual minorities. ; Sexual minority college students ; Sexual minority community. ; Sexual minority students. ; Sexual orientation--Religious aspects. ; Sexual orientation. ; Somerset (Ky.) 17 2737 More on experience with LGBTQ individuals at home and at school So, looping back a bit, was your sister the first, like, LGBTQ-identified person you personally knew, or was there someone before her? When asked, Hammond elaborates on the LGBTQ individuals she knew, talking about her sister, as well as her father's friends in a cult called the Rainbow Family, who were largely lesbian couples. She considers this interesting, as the rest of her father's family was homophobic. At school, people started coming out as bisexual in middle school, and upon meeting people like her, she came out as well. She tells an anecdote about getting in a fight with someone who is now out as a guy, and states that girls could get away with holding hands with each other, but not with boys. Appalachia ; Appalachian Mountains ; Bisexual college students ; Bisexual high school students ; Bisexual youth ; Bisexuality ; Bisexuals ; Sexual minorities ; Sexual minority college students ; Sexual minority community ; Sexual minority students ; Sexual orientation ; Somerset (Ky.) Appalachian Mountains. ; Appalachian Region, Southern—Social life and customs. ; Bisexual college students ; Bisexual high school students ; Bisexual youth ; Bisexuality. ; Bisexuals. ; Bisexuals—Relations with heterosexuals ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Sexual minorities. ; Sexual minority college students ; Sexual minority community. ; Sexual minority students. ; Sexual orientation. ; Sexual orientation—Religious aspects. ; Somerset (Ky.) 17 3045 Realizing her bisexuality / Her family's reactions to LGBTQ individuals So, when was the first time, even if it was just like in your own head, that you applied the word bisexual to yourself? The interviewer inquires about how Hammond came to identify as bisexual. She then describes how she was never explicitly told not to act on attraction to the same gender, so she never applied that limitation to herself. Her mother is bisexual and some level of gender non-conforming. Appalachia ; Appalachian Mountains ; Bisexual college students ; Bisexual high school students ; Bisexual youth ; Bisexuality ; Bisexuals ; Sexual minorities ; Sexual minority college students ; Sexual minority community ; Sexual minority students ; Sexual orientation ; Somerset (Ky.) Appalachian Mountains. ; Appalachian Region, Southern—Social life and customs. ; Bisexual college students ; Bisexual high school students ; Bisexual youth ; Bisexuality. ; Bisexuals. ; Bisexuals—Relations with heterosexuals ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Sexual minorities. ; Sexual minority college students ; Sexual minority community. ; Sexual minority students. ; Sexual orientation. ; Sexual orientation—Religious aspects. ; Somerset (Ky.) 17 3260 Hammond and her friends coming out as bisexual and dating each other So, you had mentioned earlier that during school, that you and your friends were, like, coming out to each other as bi? Hammond talks about her and her friends' process of coming out to each other as bisexual in middle school and early high school. This coming out largely consisted of simply beginning to date someone of the same gender. Many of her friends dated each other, but she dated very few people, out of a fear of becoming a pregnant teenager. Appalachia ; Appalachian Mountains ; Bisexual college students ; Bisexual high school students ; Bisexual youth ; Bisexuality ; Bisexuals ; Sexual minorities ; Sexual minority college students ; Sexual minority community ; Sexual minority students ; Sexual orientation ; Somerset (Ky.) Appalachian Mountains. ; Appalachian Region, Southern—Social life and customs. ; Bisexual college students ; Bisexual high school students ; Bisexual youth ; Bisexuality. ; Bisexuals. ; Bisexuals—Relations with heterosexuals ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Sexual minorities. ; Sexual minority college students ; Sexual minority community. ; Sexual minority students. ; Sexual orientation. ; Sexual orientation—Religious aspects. ; Somerset (Ky.) 17 3424 Life with her abusive, then-boyfriend / Starting to date her current boyfriend Did that change any when you went to college? When Hammond turned 18, she moved in with her boyfriend and his mother to get out of foster care. Eventually they moved into an apartment of their own with roommates, when his manipulation turned into physical violence. She kicked him out around the same time her father died. Shortly thereafter she started dating her now-boyfriend Jacob. She briefly lived in Ontario before starting at the University of Kentucky, but maintained contact with Jacob throughout that time period. Appalachia ; Appalachian Mountains ; Bisexual college students ; Bisexual high school students ; Bisexual youth ; Bisexuality ; Bisexuals ; Domestic abuse ; Domestic violence ; Sexual minorities ; Sexual minority college students ; Sexual minority community ; Sexual minority students ; Sexual orientation ; Somerset (Ky.) Appalachian Mountains. ; Appalachian Region, Southern—Social life and customs. ; Bisexual college students ; Bisexual high school students ; Bisexual youth ; Bisexuality. ; Bisexuals. ; Bisexuals—Relations with heterosexuals ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Sexual minorities. ; Sexual minority college students ; Sexual minority community. ; Sexual minority students. ; Sexual orientation. ; Sexual orientation—Religious aspects. ; Somerset (Ky.) 17 3947 University of Kentucky experience Um, hopping topics a bit, tell me about your general UK experience? Hammond had taken general education classes and entry-level psychology classes at Somerset Community College before entering UK initially as a psychology major. She describes how she wasn't sad that her father died so much as she was sad that she missed out on real relationships with both her parents. She suffered from severe depression, and often received only automated email notices from Student Safety rather than actually being talked to by a human being. Eventually she went to therapy, but was told she would have to go talk to a psychiatrist outside of UK for help with her &quot ; many&quot ; issues. Appalachia ; Appalachian Mountains ; Education ; Lexington (Ky.) ; Mental health ; Somerset (Ky.) ; University of Kentucky Appalachian Mountains. ; Education. ; Lexington (Ky.) ; Mental illness. ; Somerset (Ky.) ; University of Kentucky 17 4179 Hammond's social circles So speaking of socializing and peers and what not, um, I wanted to ask you about your social circles. When asked, Hammond discusses her social circles, which she says largely consist of &quot ; artistic&quot ; or &quot ; eccentric&quot ; individuals. She became friends with some girls she met during K Week, but never really partied, except a bit during senior year of high school and one house party in college, where she had to parent people, in addition to going to the hookah bar during college. Bisexual college students ; Education ; Lexington (Ky.) ; Substance abuse ; University of Kentucky Bisexual college students ; Education. ; Lexington (Ky.) ; Substance abuse. ; University of Kentucky 17 4395 Hammond's relationship with the LGBTQ community / What &quot ; queer&quot ; means to her How would you characterize your relationship with the LGBT community? Hammond discusses her comparatively tense relationship with the LGBTQ community resulting from biphobic individuals and her own guilt as a bisexual woman who is in a heterosexual relationship. The interviewer asks what the word &quot ; queer&quot ; means to Hammond--growing up, she always heard it as a slur, but as of late, came to use it primarily as a synonym for LGBTQ. Appalachia ; Appalachian Mountains ; Bisexual college students ; Bisexual high school students ; Bisexual youth ; Bisexuality ; Bisexuals ; Sexual minorities ; Sexual minority college students ; Sexual minority community ; Sexual minority students ; Sexual orientation ; Somerset (Ky.) Appalachian Mountains. ; Appalachian Region, Southern—Social life and customs. ; Bisexual college students ; Bisexual high school students ; Bisexual youth ; Bisexuality. ; Bisexuals. ; Bisexuals—Relations with heterosexuals ; Sexual minorities. ; Sexual minority college students ; Sexual minority community. ; Sexual minority students. ; Sexual orientation. ; Sexual orientation—Religious aspects. ; Somerset (Ky.) 17 4611 Thoughts on Kentucky and changes it has undergone And so it seems like you, you know, hopping and around over the course of many years, you've spent a lot of time in Kentucky. Hammond states that she doesn't think Kentucky has changed much in the time she's lived in it. She moved from Somerset (in a 'red county') to Lexington (in a 'blue county'), but frequent visits to London, Kentucky, where her boyfriend lived, keep her out of the &quot ; bubble&quot ; of Lexington. However, she does express some hope for the future. Appalachia ; Appalachian Mountains ; Lexington (Ky.) ; London (Ky.) ; Rural areas ; Rural conservatism ; Somerset (Ky.) Appalachian Mountains. ; Lexington (Ky.) ; London (Ky.) ; Somerset (Ky.) 17 4889 Existing under the Trump administration / Her political involvement Um, so another big ques--another big picture question, but it's related to what you were just talking about. Hammond talks about living now under the current presidential administration and its attack on LGBTQ rights and protections. She describes the difference between coming out as an adolescent and being an adult, with the fear of living authentically, as both a bisexual and part-Native American (regarding the government reaction to the DAPL protests). Appalachia ; Appalachian Mountains ; Bisexual college students ; Bisexual high school students ; Bisexual youth ; Bisexuality ; Bisexuals ; Donald Trump ; Native Americans ; Sexual minorities ; Sexual minority college students ; Sexual minority community ; Sexual minority students ; Sexual orientation ; Somerset (Ky.) Appalachian Mountains. ; Appalachian Region, Southern—Social life and customs. ; Bisexual college students ; Bisexual high school students ; Bisexual youth ; Bisexuality. ; Bisexuals. ; Bisexuals—Relations with heterosexuals ; Native Americans ; Sexual minorities. ; Sexual minority college students ; Sexual minority community. ; Sexual minority students. ; Sexual orientation. ; Sexual orientation—Religious aspects. ; Somerset (Ky.) ; Trump, Donald, 1946- 17 5168 Hopes for the future Um, all right, so, for my last question, we're gonna head in a more optimistic direction. Hammond talks about her hopes for the future, placing it on the younger generation, which is growing up in a different, more connected world than she'd had, with more access to information and communication with people &quot ; like them&quot ; . Generation Y ; Generation Z ; Internet ; Technology Generation Y. ; Generation Z. ; Internet. ; Technology. 17 interview Pamela Hammond shares her life experiences in Texas, Ontario, and primarily Kentucky, as a bisexual woman. Hammond discusses being a foster child for a portion of her childhood, her family's complex relationship with religion, and her relationship with the LGBTQ community. No transcript. All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries. video Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries. 0 https://oralhistory.uky.edu/oh/render.php?cachefile=2018oh473_lgbtq028_hammond_ohm.xml 2018oh473_lgbtq028_hammond_ohm.xml https://oralhistory.uky.edu/catalog/xt70gb1xgm7q Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Pamela Hammond Description An account of the resource Pamela Hammond shares her life experiences in Texas, Ontario, and primarily Kentucky, as a bisexual woman. Hammond discusses being a foster child for a portion of her childhood, her family's complex relationship with religion, and her relationship with the LGBTQ community. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2018oh473_lgbtq028 Subject The topic of the resource Appalachian Mountains. Somerset (Ky.) London (Ky.) Lexington (Ky.) Bisexual college students Bisexual youth Bisexual high school students Bisexuality. Bisexuals. Bisexuals—Relations with heterosexuals Sexual minorities. Sexual minority college students Sexual minority students. Sexual orientation. Sexual minority community. Coming out (Sexual orientation) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://nunncenter.net/outsouth/files/original/8536f8c18e386b1269b9a77d372739a5.PNG ea34f6e25d6991061a844e4be98b1f14 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Adriana Sisko Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Meg Coppala OHMS Object https://oralhistory.uky.edu/oh/render.php?cachefile=2018oh478_lgbtq029_ohm.xml Interview Keyword Dating (Social customs) Education, Higher University of Kentucky Universities and colleges. College environment College students--Attitudes. College students--Social conditions Non-binary (Gender identity) Non-binary people OHMS Object Text 5.1 2018oh478_lgbtq029 Interview with Meg Coppala, August 15, 2018 2018oh478_lgbtq029 lgbtq Outsouth: LGBTQ+ Oral History Project Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries Childhood Families. Interpersonal relations Putnam County (W. Va.) West Virginia Religion Theology. Coming out (Sexual orientation) Gender nonconformity. Gender nonconforming people. Transgender identity Transgender people. Transgender people--Identity. Coming out (Gender identity) Dating (Social customs) Education, Higher University of Kentucky Universities and colleges. College environment College students--Attitudes. College students--Social conditions Non-binary (Gender identity) Non-binary people Meg Coppala Adriana Sisko 0 Vimeo video &lt ; iframe src=&quot ; https://player.vimeo.com/video/285297349&quot ; width=&quot ; 640&quot ; height=&quot ; 360&quot ; frameborder=&quot ; 0&quot ; allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; 1 Childhood This is Adriana Sisko and the date is August 15th. Meg Coppala is introduced. They talk about their childhood in West Virginia, their family, and social life. They talk about their ever-changing obsessions with various topics as a child, including mushrooms and space. They talk about their fears and anxieties as a child and their relationships with their peers. Afraid ; Anxiety ; Audubon field guides ; Black holes ; Brothers ; Elementary schools ; English ; Fathers ; Fears ; Friends ; Gender &amp ; Women's Studies (GWS) ; Hot lunches ; Interests ; Loners ; Middle class ; Mothers ; Obsessions ; Peers ; Relationships ; Science ; Senior year ; Siblings ; Social life ; Swimming ; Talking Childhood ; Families. ; Friendship. ; Interpersonal relations ; Putnam County (W. Va.) ; Recreation ; West Virginia 17 274 Middle school experience and relationship with religion And how about middle school? Coppala talks about their experience in middle school, focusing on their obsession with researching religion at that time. They talk about the discomfort brought on by puberty. They talk about their family's religious beliefs and practices and how that differed from their own. They talk about the religious practice of being 'saved.' They talk about when their obsession with religion began to wane. They discuss their awareness of LGBTQ people at that time as mainly through their religious research, which was a negative portrayal. 'Born again' ; 'Damned' ; 'Saved' ; Agnostic ; Anorexia ; Anxiety ; Awareness ; Baptist churches ; Beliefs ; Bible ; Body ; Calvinism ; Calvinist dogma ; Catholic churches ; Christian theology ; Church camps ; Church doctrines ; Churches ; Crushes ; Energy ; Evangelical ; Evangelism ; Family ; Fathers ; Friends ; Grandparents ; Heaven ; Homophobia ; Homophobic ; Inattentive ; Indoctrinated ; Interests ; Internet ; Late bloomers ; LGBTQ people ; Messages ; Middle schools ; Mothers ; Non-binary (Gender identity) ; Non-binary people ; Obsessions ; Obsessive personality ; Parents ; Presbyterian churches ; Puberty ; Religious ; Religious beliefs ; Social life ; Uncomfortable ; Withdrawn ; Wretched Radio ; Wrong Childhood ; Families. ; Friendship. ; Homosexuality--Religious aspects. ; Interpersonal relations ; Putnam County (W. Va.) ; Recreation ; Religion ; Research. ; Sexual orientation--Religious aspects. ; Theism. ; Theology. ; West Virginia 17 981 Coming to terms with their sexuality in high school So let's move forward a bit to high school. Coppala talks about their friend group in high school, which they say was mostly queer or LGBTQ students. They talk about discovering the term demisexual and how they came to identify with that label. 'Gay table' ; Accepting ; Anorexia ; Asexuality ; Attraction ; Awareness ; Band kids ; Best friends ; Bisexuality ; Bisexuals ; Cello ; Christianity ; Crushes ; Dean Winchester (Character) ; Demisexuality ; Demisexuals ; Discourse ; Fan fiction ; Fanfiction ; Friends ; High schools ; Internet ; Labels ; Lunch tables ; Percussion ; Queer (Gender identity) ; Queer (Sexual orientation) ; Social justice ; Social life ; Supernatural (Television show) ; Terminology ; Terms ; Tomboys ; Tumblr (Website) Childhood ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Families. ; Friendship. ; Homosexuality--Religious aspects. ; Interpersonal relations ; Putnam County (W. Va.) ; Recreation ; Religion ; Sexual orientation--Religious aspects. ; West Virginia 17 1464 Coming to terms with being non-binary So that tomboy era you were talking about-- Coppala talks about their early self-perceptions of their gender and how that changed over time. They talk about the definition of non-binary and why they feel that label best fits them. They talk about when they first met other transgender or gender non-conforming people. They discuss why they began identifying as pansexual rather than bisexual. 'Man' ; 'Weird' ; 'Woman' ; Bisexuality ; Bisexuals ; Cisgender ; Definitions ; Feminine tendencies ; Freedom ; Gendered expectations ; Genderfluid ; Girls ; High schools ; Inclusive ; Inclusivity ; Intentional ; Labels ; Masculine tendencies ; Non-binary (Gender identity) ; Non-binary people ; Outsiders ; Pansexuality ; Pansexuals ; Pronouns ; Self-perceptions ; Terminology ; Terms ; Tomboys ; Trans people ; Transpeople ; Uncomfortable Childhood ; Coming out (Gender identity) ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Families. ; Friendship. ; Gender nonconforming people. ; Gender nonconformity. ; Interpersonal relations ; Putnam County (W. Va.) ; Recreation ; Transgender identity ; Transgender people--Identity. ; Transgender people. ; West Virginia 17 1868 Reactions to their coming out So, this is backtracking again. Coppala talks about the reactions of their friends and family to their coming out, first as bisexual or pansexual and then as non-binary. They talk about how their academic studies in Gender &amp ; Women's Studies have helped them have coming out discussions. They talk about why they chose to come out, and how they have become more confident over time. They talk about why graduating high school was stressful. Academic background ; Academics ; Activism ; Activists ; Anti-anxiety medication ; Anxiety ; Atheists ; Awareness ; Bisexuality ; Bisexuals ; Catalysts ; College application process ; Confidence ; Depression ; Family ; Fathers ; Feminism ; Friends ; Gender &amp ; Women's Studies (GWS) ; Girlfriends ; Graduating ; Graduation ; Grandmothers ; High schools ; Impact ; Inauthentic ; Knowledge ; Mental health ; Mental illness ; Mothers ; Non-binary (Gender identity) ; Non-binary people ; Open-minded ; Openness ; Outness ; Overachievers ; Queer (Gender identity) ; Queer (Sexual orientation) ; Reactions ; Relationships ; Stressful ; Trans women ; Transgender women ; Transwomen ; Undergraduates ; Understanding ; Unintentional outing ; University of Kentucky Coming out (Gender identity) ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Couples. ; Dates (Social engagements) ; Dating (Social customs) ; Education ; Education, Higher ; Families. ; Friendship. ; Gender nonconforming people. ; Gender nonconformity. ; Interpersonal relations ; Putnam County (W. Va.) ; Religion ; Transgender identity ; Transgender people--Identity. ; Transgender people. ; West Virginia 17 2502 Their girlfriend And so I'm gonna loop back now to the girlfriend. Coppala talks about their girlfriend and the struggle to get their parents to use her correct pronouns. Bisexuality ; Bisexuals ; Fathers ; Girlfriends ; Misgendered ; Misgendering ; Mistakes ; Mothers ; Photography ; Spring break ; Stubbornness ; Tense ; Trying ; Upsetting Coming out (Gender identity) ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Couples. ; Dates (Social engagements) ; Dating (Social customs) ; Families. ; Gender nonconforming people. ; Gender nonconformity. ; Interpersonal relations ; Putnam County (W. Va.) ; Transgender identity ; Transgender people--Identity. ; Transgender people. ; West Virginia 17 2711 Experience on campus as a non-binary person and the continual process of coming out And so, um, I think I have two questions coming up. Coppala talks about their experiences at the University of Kentucky in regard to whether professors and other students respect their pronouns. They talk about how they handle instances of misgendering. They talk about having to constantly come out to new people. They talk about their social circles and their connection to the wider LGBTQ community. College majors ; Comfortable ; Constant coming out ; Continual processes ; Corrections ; Gaines Fellows ; Gender &amp ; Women's Studies (GWS) ; Girlfriends ; Interactions ; LGBTQ community ; Loners ; Mainstream ; Misgendered ; Misgendering ; Perpetual coming out ; Pride festivals ; Professors ; Pronoun usage ; Pronouns ; Public ; Queer (Gender identity) ; Queer (Sexual orientation) ; Queer culture ; Respect ; Social circles ; Social life ; Straight ; Strangers ; Students ; Trans community ; Transgender community College campuses. ; College environment ; College students--Attitudes. ; College students--Conduct of life. ; College students--Social conditions ; College teachers--Social conditions ; Coming out (Gender identity) ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Friendship. ; Gender nonconforming people. ; Gender nonconformity. ; Interpersonal relations ; Transgender identity ; Transgender people--Identity. ; Transgender people. ; Universities and colleges--Faculty. ; Universities and colleges. ; University of Kentucky 17 3097 West Virginia So how often do you visit home? Coppala discusses how they feel visiting their former home in West Virginia. They talk about the community they grew up in in regard to politics and social attitudes. Brothers ; Changes ; High schools ; Home ; Inattentive ; Misgendered ; Misgendering ; Mothers ; Parents ; Paying attention ; Politics ; Queer (Gender identity) ; Queer (Sexual orientation) ; Social attitudes ; Social interactions ; Stifling ; Suburbs ; Tensions Coming out (Gender identity) ; Families. ; Gender nonconforming people. ; Gender nonconformity. ; Interpersonal relations ; Lexington (Ky.) ; Putnam County (W. Va.) ; Transgender identity ; Transgender people--Identity. ; Transgender people. ; West Virginia 17 3289 Welcoming and unwelcoming spaces What spaces do you feel, um, most comfortable or more welcome in? Coppala discusses places they feel safe and says that they do not often notice unsafe places due to almost always feeling uncomfortable anyway. Anxiety ; China ; Comfortable ; Queer (Gender identity) ; Queer (Sexual orientation) ; Safe ; Uncomfortable ; Unsafe ; Welcoming College campuses. ; College environment ; College students--Attitudes. ; College students--Conduct of life. ; College students--Social conditions ; Coming out (Gender identity) ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Gender nonconforming people. ; Gender nonconformity. ; Interpersonal relations ; Transgender identity ; Transgender people--Identity. ; Transgender people. ; Universities and colleges. ; University of Kentucky 17 3362 Current political administration So now we're gonna head more in a political direction. Coppala discusses their feelings on the current political administration under Donald Trump. They talk more about the community they grew up in in regard to politics and social attitudes. Angry ; Appalachian ; Barack Obama ; Better ; Changes ; Defiant ; Endurance ; Endure ; Energized ; Homophobia ; Homophobic ; Marathon ; Midwestern ; Political administrations ; Political spectrum ; Waiting Politicians ; Politics and government ; Putnam County (W. Va.) ; West Virginia 17 3505 Hope for the future And this is gonna be my last question, actually. Coppala talks about the next generation of trans kids that give them hope for the future. The interview is concluded. Awareness ; Consciousness ; Future ; Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) ; Genders &amp ; Sexualities Alliance (GSA) ; Hopes ; Identity ; LGBTQ community ; Queer community ; Stronger ; Teenagers ; Trans children ; Trans kids ; Transgender kids Gender nonconforming people. ; Gender nonconformity. ; Transgender children. ; Transgender identity ; Transgender people--Identity. ; Transgender people. ; Transgender youth. 17 interview Meg Coppala, an undergraduate student at the University of Kentucky, talks about their experiences as a non-binary pansexual person. They talk about their relationship with Christianity growing up, their passion for learning and knowledge, and their coming out. No transcript. All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries. video Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries. 0 https://oralhistory.uky.edu/oh/render.php?cachefile=2018oh478_lgbtq029_coppala_ohm.xml 2018oh478_lgbtq029_coppala_ohm.xml https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt70gb1xgm7q Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Meg Coppala Description An account of the resource Meg Coppala, an undergraduate student at the University of Kentucky, talks about their experiences as a non-binary pansexual person. They talk about their relationship with Christianity growing up, their passion for learning and knowledge, and their coming out. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2018oh478_lgbtq029 Subject The topic of the resource Childhood Families. Interpersonal relations Putnam County (W. Va.) West Virginia Religion Theology. Coming out (Sexual orientation) Gender nonconformity. Gender nonconforming people. Transgender identity Transgender people. Transgender people--Identity. Coming out (Gender identity) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://nunncenter.net/outsouth/files/original/ebe6e73dc868719622beaf77b31c84f3.PNG eda03c5fc92416d52db244e666ba37cd Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Adriana Sisko Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Josh Mers OHMS Object https://oralhistory.uky.edu/oh/render.php?cachefile=2018oh531_lgbtq034_ohm.xml Interview Keyword LGBTQ family members LGBTQ community Husbands Fostering Kentucky House of Representatives OHMS Object Text 5.2 2018oh531_lgbtq034 Interview with Josh Mers, August 29, 2018 2018oh531_lgbtq034 lgbtq001 Outsouth: LGBTQ+ Oral History Project Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries Gay parents. Gay men. Political campaigns. Social justice. Franklin (Ky.) LGBTQ family members LGBTQ community Husbands Fostering Kentucky House of Representatives Josh Mers Adriana Sisko 0 Vimeo video &lt ; iframe src=&quot ; https://player.vimeo.com/video/287672802&quot ; width=&quot ; 640&quot ; height=&quot ; 480&quot ; frameborder=&quot ; 0&quot ; webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; 0 Introduction This is Adriana Sisko and the date is August 29th. Josh Mers introduces himself as a resident of Lexington, the owner of an insurance agency, and an alumnus of the University of Kentucky. He was born in rural Western Kentucky near Bowling Green. Insurance agencies ; Rural towns Bowling Green (Ky.) ; Lexington (Ky.) ; University of Kentucky 17 31 Upbringing / Relationship with faith and organized religion So, let's start at the beginning. Growing up. Tell me about that. Mers shares about his upbringing in Franklin, Kentucky. Mers characterizes Franklin as a rural, conservative, and agricultural community. He describes his family growing up as committed Southern Baptists who frequently went to church. Mers discusses his relationship with organized religion and faith over the years, describing distinct changes in his relationship with organized religion as he became older. Bible Belt ; Brothers ; Faith ; Farming ; Parents ; Rural towns ; Siblings ; Sins ; Small towns ; Southern Baptist Church ; Volunteer work Agriculture--Kentucky ; Agriculture. ; Conservatism. ; Franklin (Ky.) ; Homophobia. ; Liberation theology. ; Religion. ; Sexuality. ; Southern Baptist Convention. ; Volunteers. 36.723375, -86.577812 17 Franklin (Ky.) 145 Early schooling Tell me about elementary school specifically. How would you summarize that experience? Mers speaks positively about his experience in elementary school and middle school. He notes that both the elementary and middle schools he attended were very small and close knit. Mers mentions that his grandfather was the mayor of Franklin at the time. Mers says that eventually he and his family moved to Warren County, within the Bowling Green school district, so he ended up attending a high school much larger than the schools that he previously attended. Communities ; Community ; Rural towns ; Small towns Bowling Green (Ky.) ; Education--Kentucky ; Elementary schools. ; High schools ; Mayors. ; Middle schools ; Sports. ; Warren County (Ky.) 17 276 Awareness of LGBTQ people and topics growing up / Subject of homosexuality at church And growing up, what was your awareness of the existence of LGBTQ people, or even just associated words or notions? Mers describes his awareness as a young person of LGBTQ individuals and associated subjects. Mers primarily talks about his aunt, who identifies as a lesbian. He describes the strong connection he felt with her. Mers talks about how various members of his family viewed his aunt and her sexual identity. Mers also talks about the instances in which homosexuality came up as a topic at the church he and his family attended. He describes the stance their church took on homosexuality as being 'fire and brimstone'. Aunts ; Brothers ; Families ; Family ; Fire and brimstone ; Homophobic slurs ; LGBTQ family members ; Organized religion ; Relationships ; Roommates ; Sisters ; Slurs Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Gay men--Relations with lesbians ; Homophobia. ; Homosexuality--Religious aspects. ; Homosexuality--Social aspects. ; Lesbians. ; Religion. 17 562 Dating during high school / Graduating from high school And when you were in middle school and high school, were other kids dating at your school? Mers talks about the dating scene at his high school. He describes the scene as heteronormative, and talks about how he participated in heterosexual dating simply because it was what was expected of him and other kids. He was not able to realize other possibilities at the time, Mers says. Mers also describes the experience of graduating from high school as bittersweet. While he liked the kids he attended high school with and has many good memories, he also looked forward to moving away from Bowling Green and to a larger city. He was not sure why at the time. Attraction ; Closet ; Closeted ; Dating ; Heteronormativity ; Realization Bowling Green (Ky.) ; Closeted gays. ; Gay men--Relations with heterosexual women ; High school ; Relationships. 17 746 Transition from Bowling Green to Lexington, Kentucky / Attending the University of Kentucky So that transition to Lexington, that happened after your Europe trip, I'm assuming? Mers talks about moving from Bowling Green to Lexington in order to attend the University of Kentucky. Mers talks about his first roommate on campus, his dormitory Holmes Hall, and his majors. He discusses how he developed a passion for political science and history (the majors he ultimately selected during undergrad) during childhood. Mers summarizes his overall experience at the University of Kentucky. Changes ; Life upheavals ; Majors ; Roommates ; Transitions ; Undergraduate History. ; Political science. ; Politics. ; Sexual minority students. ; University of Kentucky 17 938 Reconsidering his sexuality during college / Realizing and navigating a gay identity You mentioned that it was during college that you started reconsidering your sexuality again, in terms of trying to like put a word to it and figure out what was going on. Mers describes his developing understanding of his sexual identity during college. His understanding shifted from thinking he was straight with some homosexual tendencies, to considering a bisexual identity, then later to accepting the gay identity that was accurate to his preferences. Mers also talks about a small circle of individuals who, during his time at the University of Kentucky, knew about his sexual preferences. He describes himself and others in his circle as being fairly, but not completely, closed about their sexual preferences. They would visit other cities to see gay bars and clubs, safe and beyond the purvey of other University of Kentucky students. Mers describes the reasons behind their caution. He talks about the measures he took, as well as the benefits he experienced by being able to pass as a heterosexual man. Being out ; Caution ; Closeted ; Gay.com ; Jim Gray ; Outness ; Passing (Sexual identity) ; Privacy ; Strategy ; Yahoo chatrooms Bisexuality. ; Chatrooms, Online ; Closeted gays. ; Drag shows ; Gay bars ; Gay men--Identity. ; Gay men--Relations with heterosexual women ; Gay men--Sexual behavior. ; Gay men. ; Gay pride parades ; Gay youth ; Masculinity 17 1425 Coming out / Being out privately and closeted publicly Did you ever stop covering? Mers discusses becoming more out and open regarding his sexuality as he got older. Mers also talks about coming out to friends and family members. He details his coming out to both of his parents and their respective reactions at the time. Based on the reactions he received, Mers decided not to be absolutely out and open about his sexuality. He talks about for years being out in his private life but closeted publicly. He talks about the journey his parents took, particularly his mother, to come around regarding his sexuality. Arguing ; Arguments ; Aunts ; Families ; Family ; Fathers ; LGBTQ family members ; Mothers Church. ; Closeted gays. ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Foster children. ; Foster parents. ; Gay men. ; Gay parents. ; Homophobia. ; Homosexuality--Religious aspects. ; Mother's Day. ; Same-sex marriage 17 1789 The impact of his first long-term relationship with a man / Graduating from college, working in losing political campaigns, and becoming an assistant golf professional And, earlier you mentioned that at a point you realized that you weren't actually bisexual, you were gay--or are gay. Mers talks about his mid-twenties. He describes the way his first long-term relationship with a man impacted him, and how it allowed him to realize that he could forge deep romantic emotional connections with men that he could not with women. Mers briefly talks about his career path immediately after he graduated from the University of Kentucky. After working on several losing political campaigns, Mers became a golf pro for a period of time. Assistant golf professionals ; Emotional connections ; Golf courses ; Golf professionals ; LGBT community ; LGBTQ community ; Love Bisexuality. ; Friendship. ; Gay men--Identity. ; Gay men. ; Kentucky--Politics and government ; Political campaigns. ; Politics. ; Relationships. ; University of Kentucky 17 1924 Volunteering for and working in political campaigns Tell me more about working on campaigns, 'cause I didn't you started that young. Mers tracks the history of his campaign involvement back to age eleven, when he idolized Bill Clinton. He briefly discusses the first seven campaigns he worked on throughout his late teens and early twenties. He also discusses what drew him to that kind of work. Al Gore ; Bill Clinton ; College Democrats at the University of Kentucky ; Democrats ; George Bush ; George Bush, Jr. ; UK College Democrats ; UK College Dems Elected officials ; Kentucky--Politics and government ; Political campaigns. ; Political parties. ; Politicians--Kentucky ; Politics. 17 2076 Political work during his twenties / Being closeted professionally So keep walking me through your twenties. Mers describes the political work he engaged in during his twenties. He briefly mentions working for Al Gore's presidential campaign, then lists off other political jobs he held including working with Jody Richards while she was Speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives, working for the Senate Minority leadership, working for the Kentucky Democratic Party, as well as individual campaigns throughout. During this period, Mers describes himself as professionally closeted. Over time, he became more professionally open about his sexuality. Mers says that becoming more involved in social justice, such as working with Lexington Fairness, inspired him to do so. Al Gore ; Ernesto Scorsone ; Jody Richards Closeted gays. ; Democratic Party (Ky.) ; Elections. ; Frankfurt (Ky.) ; Gay men. ; Jody Richards ; Kentucky--Politics and government ; Political campaigns. ; Politicians--Kentucky ; Politics. ; Presidential campaigns 17 2222 Meeting and eventually marrying his husband / Lexington Gay Sports Commission And so, tell me about, um, when you met Cody, was it? Mers shares how he and his now-husband met and how they eventually became married. He also talks about leading the softball team that was part of the Lexington Gay Sports Commission. Mers discusses which of his family members attended the wedding and which did not. Families ; Family ; Husbands ; Lexington Gay Sports Commission ; Parents ; Siblings Gay bars ; Gay couples. ; Gay men. ; Same-sex marriage ; University of Kentucky ; Weddings. 17 2508 Fostering to adopt children Tell me about fostering to adopt. Mers discusses his experience fostering to adopt children. He elaborates on the highs and lows of the process, and he also talks about the experience of parenting as part of a married same-sex couple. Adopting ; Children ; Families ; Family ; Foster children ; Foster parents ; Fostering Adoption. ; Fostering family ; Gay adoption. ; Gay couples--Legal status, laws, etc.--United States. ; Gay men. ; Gay parents. 17 2668 Social circles / Acting as chair for Lexington Fairness and relationship with the broader LGBTQ community That brings me to one of my next questions. So, your social circles, who do you surround yourself with? Mers describes his social circles and who he chooses to socialize with. Mers also talks about his time as chair of Lexington Fairness, a position he recently stepped down from. Mers describes the work as an honor, and talks about how time with Fairness as well as other social justice-oriented ventures broadened his social circles. Mers also characterizes his personal and professional relationship with the broader LGBTQ community. He elaborates on his work in social justice, including talking about his position as commissioner of the Lexington Human Rights Commission. Activism ; Extroverts ; Introverts ; LGBT community ; LGBTQ community ; Political advocacy ; Political advocates ; Protests ; Socializing Friendship. ; Gay pride parades ; Social justice. 17 2900 The perpetual process of coming out during his run for Kentucky House of Representatives And my next question is shifting gears slightly. Um, as you know coming out can be a perpetual process, particularly as you meet new people. So, do you ever find yourself coming out still, and in what situations does that tend to come up in? Mers discusses his run for the Kentucky House of Representatives during 2017. He describes that campaign as a perpetual process of coming out. Mers also talks about feeling as if others focused on his sexual identity to the point of eclipsing other potentially more important political concerns and aspects of his platform. Mers speculates as to why people focused on his sexual identity, adding that some people had good and supportive intentions whereas others had antagonistic intentions. Hate mail ; Kentucky House of Representatives ; LGBT community ; LGBTQ community ; Sexuality--Religious aspects ; State House of Representatives Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Frankfurt (Ky.) ; Gay men--United States--Social conditions. ; Gay men. ; Homophobia. ; Identity politics. ; Political campaigns. ; Politics. 17 3132 Lexington as a beacon for the rest of Kentucky / How Lexington has changed over the years And another gear shift in questions, uh, what spaces do you feel have been welcoming to your identity? Mers discusses the difference between Lexington and other towns and cities in Kentucky. He describes Lexington as a welcoming place in which he feels welcome, both in general and as a gay man. Mers talks about Lexington as a beacon for hope and progress for the rest of the state of Kentucky. He also talks about how much Lexington has changed politically and socially over the years, particularly with regards to the LGBTQ community. Acceptance ; Belonging ; LGBT community ; LGBTQ community ; Safety ; Welcoming Fayette County (Ky.) ; Gay men--United States--Social conditions. ; Gay men. ; Gay pride parades ; Jessamine County (Ky.) ; Lexington (Ky.) ; Sexual minorities. 17 3303 Thoughts on the Trump administration and the potential impact on marginalized communities Uh so earlier--and again leaping topics--earlier you mentioned Donald Trump and I always ask this in all the interviews usually toward the end. Mers talks about his thoughts and feeling regarding Donald Trump. He describes what members of the government he thinks present significant risk to marginalized communities and why. Donald Trump ; Hatred ; LGBT community ; LGBTQ community ; Marginalization ; Marginalized communities ; Political agreement ; Political disagreement ; Social circles ; Trump administration Homophobia. ; Politics. ; Racism. ; Social media. 17 3429 Hopes for the future And this is gonna be my last question. Um, what gives you hope for the future? Mers shares what gives him hope for the future. He talks about how looking back on his childhood and seeing how much progress the LGBTQ community has made gives him hope. He uses a scene from the &quot ; Will &amp ; Grace&quot ; television series reboot to illustrate the kind of progress he has seen. Celebration ; Childhood ; Diversity ; Future ; Hope ; Looking back ; Progress ; Representation ; Rural LGBTQ kids Equality. ; Gay men--United States--Social conditions. ; Sexual minorities. ; Will and Grace (Television program : 1998-2006) 17 interview Josh Mers, once a candidate for the Kentucky House of Representatives in the 2018 Democratic Primary, shares his life journey navigating politics, fatherhood, and marriage as a gay man. Mers talks at length about his numerous political and activist efforts, including once working as chair of Lexington Fairness and working as the commissioner of the Lexington Human Rights Commission. Mers discusses going from being professionally closeted, particularly while he worked on high profile political campaigns, to his sexual identity becoming well known as an effect of his social justice work. Mers talks about how he met his husband and their experiences fostering to adopt children. No transcript. All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries. video Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries. 0 https://oralhistory.uky.edu/oh/render.php?cachefile=2018oh531_lgbtq034_mers_ohm.xml 2018oh531_lgbtq034_mers_ohm.xml https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt70gb1xgm7q Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Josh Mers Description An account of the resource Josh Mers, once a candidate for the Kentucky House of Representatives in the 2018 Democratic Primary, shares his life journey navigating politics, fatherhood, and marriage as a gay man. Mers talks at length about his numerous political and activist efforts, including once working as chair of Lexington Fairness and working as the commissioner of the Lexington Human Rights Commission. Mers discusses going from being professionally closeted, particularly while he worked on high profile political campaigns, to his sexual identity becoming well known as an effect of his social justice work. Mers talks about how he met his husband and their experiences fostering to adopt children. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2018oh531_lgbtq034 Subject The topic of the resource Gay parents. Gay men. Political campaigns. Social justice. Franklin (Ky.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://nunncenter.net/outsouth/files/original/170e6ad50f5c31a1954da34bc5161771.PNG b110ca133e7a04454822b8c6e2cdd657 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Adriana Sisko Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Mead Overbeck OHMS Object https://nunncenter.net/ohms-spokedb/render.php?cachefile=2018oh532_lgbtq035_ohm.xml Interview Keyword Childhood Families. Miami (Fla.) Homesteaders Arts camps Hippies Teachers Teaching Lesbian youth. Lesbian teenagers Lesbian teachers Sexual minority youth College students--Social conditions Homophobia. OHMS Object Text 5.2 2018oh532_lgbtq035 Interview with Mead Overbeck, August 30, 2018 2018oh532_lgbtq035 lgbtq001 Outsouth: LGBTQ+ Oral History Project Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries Closeted gays. Coming out (Sexual orientation) Homosexuality--Social aspects. Lesbianism. Lesbians Lesbians--Identity. Lesbians--Family relationships. Lesbians--United States--Social conditions. Sexual minorities' families. Sexual minorities. Sexual minorities--Identity. Sexual orientation. Universities and colleges. Marriage Wayne County (Ky.) Child rearing Lexington (Ky.). Childhood Families. Miami (Fla.) Homesteaders Arts camps Hippies Teachers Teaching Lesbian youth. Lesbian teenagers Lesbian teachers Sexual minority youth College students--Social conditions Homophobia. Mead Overbeck Adriana Sisko 0 Vimeo video &lt ; iframe src=&quot ; https://player.vimeo.com/video/287671997&quot ; width=&quot ; 640&quot ; height=&quot ; 480&quot ; frameborder=&quot ; 0&quot ; webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; 0 Childhood in Miami, Florida My name is Adriana Sisko and the date is August 30th. Mead Overbeck is introduced. She talks about her childhood in Miami, including her tomboy-ish nature and her outdoor adventures with her friends. She talks about her family's social status which led to her being required to come out as a debutante at the country club. Activities ; Affluent ; Artists colony ; Athletics ; Boys ; Brothers ; Clothes ; Clothing ; Coconut Grove ; Controlling ; Country clubs ; Debut ; Debutantes ; Dresses ; Family ; Friends ; Houses ; Lexington (Ky.) ; Mothers ; Parents ; Playing ; Social classes ; Society ; Southern Miami (Fla.) ; Tomboys ; Washington (D.C.) Childhood ; Families. ; Miami (Fla.) ; Recreation 17 437 Elementary school / Religion And so let's backtrack slightly. Overbeck talks about her experience during elementary school during the 1950s. She talks about her family's religious beliefs and church attendance during her childhood. 1950s ; Athletics ; Choirs ; Churches ; Classmates ; Congregationalist churches ; Crushes ; Deacons ; Dresses ; Elementary schools ; Mothers ; Parents ; Socializing ; Spiritual ; Youth groups Childhood ; Education ; Families. ; Miami (Fla.) ; Recreation ; Religion 17 625 Discovery of sexuality from middle school to college So moving a step forward, how about middle school? Overbeck talks about her experience at a girls' camp beginning in middle school which led to her first lesbian experiences and relationships. She talks about her mother's awareness of her sexuality, and her mother's own sexuality. She talks about the social stigma at that time which caused her to remain closeted. She talks about her experience with diet pills which led to her dropping out of college. Amphetamines ; Appearance ; Awareness ; Camp counselors ; Children ; Diet pills ; Dropping out ; Drug abuse ; Drug use ; English teachers ; Fathers ; Fears ; Girls camps ; Married ; Middle schools ; Mothers ; Relationships ; Secrets ; Straight ; Supportive ; University of Tulsa ; Weight Closeted gays. ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Homosexuality--Social aspects. ; Lesbian teachers ; Lesbian teenagers ; Lesbian youth. ; Lesbianism. ; Lesbians ; Lesbians--Family relationships. ; Lesbians--Identity. ; Lesbians--United States--Social conditions. ; Sexual minorities' families. ; Sexual minorities--Identity. ; Sexual minorities. ; Sexual minority youth ; Sexual orientation. 17 1064 First marriage And so you also mentioned that you got married. Overbeck talks about her first marriage, to a man named Robert, which was arranged by her mother. She talks about moving to Wisconsin after getting married. Arranged marriages ; Churches ; Colleges ; Controlling ; Dating ; Married ; Miami (Fla.) ; Mothers ; Weddings ; Wisconsin Marriage ; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Veterans. 17 1217 College And so a slight backtracking. Overbeck returns to talking about her college experiences, including joining a sorority, dropping out of the University of Tulsa, and re-enrolling at Florida State University. She talks about her dating life at the time. Chi Omega ; Colleges ; Dating ; Florida State University ; Friends ; Higher education ; Labels ; LGBTQ ; Relationships ; Secrets ; Sororities ; Sorority ; University of Tulsa Closeted gays. ; College students--Attitudes. ; College students--Conduct of life. ; College students--Social conditions ; Education, Higher ; Greek letter societies. ; Homosexuality--Social aspects. ; Lesbianism. ; Lesbians ; Lesbians--Identity. ; Lesbians--United States--Social conditions. ; Sexual minorities--Identity. ; Sexual minorities. ; Sexual orientation. ; Universities and colleges. 17 1362 End of first marriage and beginning her homesteader lifestyle Uh, so your first marriage was with Robert, right? Overbeck talks about the abrupt end to her first marriage. She talks about beginning to become a hippie, living in a group house, and eventually starting an arts summer camp in Wayne County, Kentucky. She talks about meeting her second husband, Tom, at this time and their desire to start a school which led to the creation of the arts camp. She talks about their open relationship and her relationships with other lesbians during this time. She talks about her passion for teaching. Alternative ; Art camps ; Artists ; Arts ; Arts camps ; Buildings ; Children ; Community-building ; Depression ; Divorce ; Group houses ; Hippies ; Homesteaders ; Kentucky Arts Commission ; Kentucky Arts Council ; Kids ; Lesbian relationships ; Liberal ; Married ; Military spouses ; Military wives ; Milwaukee (Wis.) ; Milwaukee Free University ; Monticello (Ky.) ; Open relationships ; Partners ; Passions ; Radical ; Robert ; Salons ; Schools ; Sex ; Society ; Summer camps ; Teaching ; Tom ; Women Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Homosexuality--Social aspects. ; Lesbianism. ; Lesbians ; Lesbians--Identity. ; Lesbians--United States--Social conditions. ; Marriage ; Sexual minorities--Identity. ; Sexual minorities. ; Sexual orientation. ; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Veterans. ; Wayne County (Ky.) 17 2004 Current views on religion Um, how would you characterize your current relationship with religion? Overbeck briefly discusses her current views on religion. 'Seeker' ; Meditation ; Mindfulness ; Organized religion ; Reincarnation ; Spiritual ; Unitarian churches ; Yoga Religion 17 2080 Raising her son What was it like raising Will? Overbeck talks about her parenting philosophy, sharing joint custody with her ex-husband Tom, and raising her son while in lesbian relationships. Arguments ; Child-rearing ; Children ; Divorce ; Joint custody ; Lesbian relationships ; Lexington (Ky.) ; Parenting ; Sex ; Sons ; Tom ; Will ; Woman-identified Child rearing ; Homosexuality--Social aspects. ; Lesbianism. ; Lesbians ; Lesbians--Family relationships. ; Lesbians--Identity. ; Lesbians--United States--Social conditions. ; Marriage ; Sexual minorities' families. ; Sexual minorities--Identity. ; Sexual minorities. ; Sexual orientation. 17 2391 Obtaining her master's degree and teaching You used the phrase 'woman-identified' earlier. Overbeck talks about her interest in feminism. She talks about needing to obtain her master's degree in order to teach in Kentucky. She talks briefly about her teaching career. Behavior disorders ; Employment ; English ; Fayette County (Ky.) ; Jessamine County (Ky.) ; Jobs ; Liberated ; Master's degrees ; Special education ; University of Kentucky ; Woman-identified Feminism ; Teachers ; Teaching ; Women 17 2589 Current partner and her son And that's where I met my current spouse. Overbeck talks about meeting her current partner while teaching and discusses their fear of being out in Lexington during their teaching careers. She talks about her son's awareness of her lesbian relationships and his opinion of them. She talks about how society has become more accepting over time. Acceptance ; Accepting ; Assumptions ; Being out ; Child-rearing ; Childhood ; Collaborative teachers ; Conservative ; Dating ; Fathers ; Fears ; Fired ; Friends ; Homophobic ; Janet ; Male identity ; Openness ; Outspoken ; Partners ; Prejudice ; Safety ; Secrets ; Sons ; Substitute teachers ; Teenagers ; Wife ; Will Child rearing ; Closeted gays. ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Homophobia. ; Homosexuality--Social aspects. ; Lesbianism. ; Lesbians ; Lesbians--Family relationships. ; Lesbians--Identity. ; Lesbians--United States--Social conditions. ; Lexington (Ky.). ; Marriage ; Sexual minorities' families. ; Sexual minorities--Identity. ; Sexual minorities. ; Sexual orientation. 17 3040 Safe spaces in Lexington, Kentucky And what are--what spaces do you and Janet feel welcome in and safe in as two women in a relationship together? Overbeck talks about places in Lexington where she feels safe to be open about her sexuality. Affirming ; Being out ; Community ; Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) ; Genders &amp ; Sexualities Alliance (GSA) ; Neighborhood groups ; Neighborhoods ; Openness ; Pride Center ; Pride Community Services Organization (PCSO) ; Safe spaces ; Supportive ; Teaching ; Unitarian churches ; Welcoming ; Women Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Homosexuality--Social aspects. ; Lesbianism. ; Lesbians ; Lesbians--Identity. ; Lesbians--United States--Social conditions. ; Lexington (Ky.). ; Sexual minorities--Identity. ; Sexual minorities. ; Sexual orientation. 17 3259 Importance of female and LGBTQ solidarity So why is important to you to have this feeling of solidarity and this feeling of being surrounded by like, like-minded women? Overbeck talks about why solidarity among women is important. She talks about her interest in supporting the LGBTQ community, particularly transgender youth. She talks about how she personally feels about being gay. Acceptance ; Alternative ; Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) ; Genders &amp ; Sexualities Alliance (GSA) ; Happy ; Hiding ; Hippies ; Like-minded ; Males ; Men ; Pride Center ; Pride Community Services Organization (PCSO) ; Secrets ; Solidarity ; Support ; Transgender youth ; Women-identified Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Feminism ; Homosexuality--Social aspects. ; Lesbianism. ; Lesbians ; Lesbians--Identity. ; Lesbians--United States--Social conditions. ; Lexington (Ky.). ; Sexual minorities--Identity. ; Sexual minorities. ; Sexual orientation. ; Transgender identity ; Transgender people. 17 3459 Changes in the Lexington community And so you've in--remind me, you've been in Lexington for how many years now? Overbeck talks about how the Lexington community has changed over time, becoming less conservative and more accepting. Being out ; Careful ; Changes ; Character ; Conservative ; Jim Gray ; Judgmental ; Liberal ; Mayors ; Miami (Fla.) ; Open-minded ; Pride Center ; Pride Community Services Organization (PCSO) ; Secrets ; Size Closeted gays. ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Homosexuality--Social aspects. ; Lexington (Ky.). ; Sexual minorities--Identity. ; Sexual minorities. ; Sexual orientation. 17 3619 Current political administration / Hope for the future And so earlier you talked a bit about, um, the continued prevalence of male power. Overbeck discusses her views of the current political administration under Donald Trump. She talks about marrying her wife during the Obama administration. She talks about her hopes for the future. The interview is concluded. 'Helpers' ; Acceptance ; Active ; Activism ; Alternative churches ; Barack Obama ; Communication ; Current administration ; Donald Trump ; Environment ; Fears ; Fred Rogers ; Future ; Gay marriage ; Hopes ; Janet ; Male power ; Marriage ceremony ; Married ; Men ; Mike Pence ; Mr. Rogers ; Rights ; Same-sex marriage ; Scared ; Sons ; Supportive ; Will ; Women Discrimination. ; Feminism ; Homophobia. ; Homosexuality--Social aspects. ; Lesbianism. ; Lesbians ; Lesbians--United States--Social conditions. ; Lexington (Ky.). ; Marriage ; Politics and government ; Sexual minorities. ; Sexual orientation. 17 interview Mead Overbeck shares her journey as a lesbian. Overbeck discusses her passion for teaching, the environment, and women-identified spaces and groups. Overbeck details her path to identifying as a lesbian over the course of marriage and parenthood. No transcript. All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries. video Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries. 0 https://oralhistory.uky.edu/oh/render.php?cachefile=2018oh532_lgbtq035_overbeck_ohm.xml 2018oh532_lgbtq035_overbeck_ohm.xml https://oralhistory.uky.edu/catalog/xt70gb1xgm7q Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Mead Overbeck Description An account of the resource Mead Overbeck shares her journey as a lesbian. Overbeck discusses her passion for teaching, the environment, and women-identified spaces and groups. Overbeck details her path to identifying as a lesbian over the course of marriage and parenthood. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2018oh532_lgbtq035 Subject The topic of the resource Closeted gays. Coming out (Sexual orientation) Homosexuality--Social aspects. Lesbianism. Lesbians Lesbians--Identity. Lesbians--Family relationships. Lesbians--United States--Social conditions. Sexual minorities' families. Sexual minorities. Sexual minorities--Identity. Sexual orientation. Universities and colleges. Marriage Wayne County (Ky.) Child rearing Lexington (Ky.). Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://nunncenter.net/outsouth/files/original/af829f871927444e6d2f7cc0d05dd47e.PNG 2447be244b1bb8a36ea98bd92e56a9b5 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Adriana Sisko Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Jack L. Coffman OHMS Object https://nunncenter.net/ohms-spokedb/render.php?cachefile=2018oh545_lgbtq038_ohm.xml Interview Keyword Childhood South Bend (Ind.) School discipline Discipline of children Education African Americans--Segregation Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Public opinion Lungs--Cancer. Health. Care of the sick. Same-sex marriage Interpersonal relations Friendship. Physicians--Kentucky Gays--Violence against OHMS Object Text 5.2 2018oh545_lgbtq038 Interview with Jack L. Coffman, September 10, 2018 2018oh545_lgbtq038 lgbtq001 Outsouth: LGBTQ+ Oral History Project Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries Families. Religion Closeted gays. Gay men. Gay men--Identity. Gay men--Sexual behavior. Homosexuality. Sexual minorities. Sexual minorities--Identity. College environment College students--Attitudes. College students--Conduct of life. College students--Social conditions Universities and colleges. Indiana University Gay couples. Lexington (Ky.). Gay men--Legal status, laws, etc. Homosexuality--Law and legislation. Coming out (Sexual orientation) University of Kentucky Childhood South Bend (Ind.) School discipline Discipline of children Education African Americans--Segregation Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Public opinion Lungs--Cancer. Health. Care of the sick. Same-sex marriage Interpersonal relations Friendship. Physicians--Kentucky Gays--Violence against Jack L. Coffman Adriana Sisko 0 Vimeo video &lt ; iframe src=&quot ; https://player.vimeo.com/video/290276268&quot ; width=&quot ; 640&quot ; height=&quot ; 360&quot ; frameborder=&quot ; 0&quot ; allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; 0 Introduction My name is Adriana Sisko and the date is August 10th. Jack L. Coffman is introduced. He gives a brief overview of his life. 1960s ; Gay men ; Information technology (IT) ; Partners ; Retired ; South Bend (Ind.) ; University of Kentucky Gay men--Identity. 17 97 Childhood and early schooling So what city or town were you born in? Coffman talks about his childhood in South Bend, Indiana. He talks about attending a parochial school connected to St. Mary's College and the difficulties he experienced there from both the nuns and his classmates. He talks about somehow feeling different from his peers, but says that he was accepted by the African American community. He talks about the role of Catholicism in his life during his childhood and how that changed after the death of his partner of fifty years, Teddy. Acceptance ; African Americans ; Attendance ; Beliefs ; Bus fare ; Catholic Church ; Catholicism ; Churches ; Dating ; Death ; Different ; Dyslexia ; Elementary schools ; Grade schools ; High schools ; Loss ; Mass ; Notre Dame University ; Nuns ; Parents ; Parochial schools ; Partners ; Picked last ; Punishment ; Sports ; St. Mary's College ; Sundays ; Supervision ; Teddy Childhood ; Discipline of children ; Education ; Families. ; Religion ; School discipline ; South Bend (Ind.) 17 620 Dating and self-awareness of being a gay man You mentioned that for a period you dated women, even though obviously at some point you realized you were gay. Coffman talks about dating women during his adolescence. He talks about his attraction to men and his awareness of being gay and how it was affected by his religion. He talks about his awareness of LGBTQ people and terminology during his youth. Awareness ; Babysitters ; Bus drivers ; Colleges ; Dates ; Dating ; Different ; Emotional turmoil ; Expectations ; Family ; Lesbians ; Parents ; Partners ; Relationships ; Sexuality ; Social life ; Teddy Richardson ; Teenagers ; Women Childhood ; Closeted gays. ; Families. ; Gay men--Identity. ; Gay men--Sexual behavior. ; Gay men. ; Homosexuality. ; Religion ; Sexual minorities--Identity. ; Sexual minorities. ; South Bend (Ind.) 17 1041 High school Um, give me a general sense of high school. Coffman talks about his negative experiences in high school. Attention-deficit disorder (ADD) ; Catholic ; Classes ; Difficult ; Dyslexia ; Fights ; Grades ; Graduation ; High schools ; Reading ; Sports Childhood ; Discipline of children ; Education ; Religion ; School discipline ; South Bend (Ind.) 17 1225 College at Indiana University And so after you graduated from high school, what was the next step in your life? Coffman talks about why he enjoyed his college experience at Indiana University much more than high school. He talks about how he discovered his love for Information Technology (IT). He tells stories about being a rebel in college, including lying about his age on his ID card to buy alcohol and forging signatures for his class registration. He talks about his social life in college and the curfews imposed by the college on women students. 1960s ; Acceptance ; Age ; Bars ; Careers ; Class registration ; Class schedules ; Classes ; College majors ; Curfews ; Dates ; Dating ; Degrees ; Dormitories ; Dorms ; Friendships ; Fun ; Gay ; ID cards ; Information technology (IT) ; Instructors ; Men ; Rebellion ; Roommates ; Social life ; Women College environment ; College students--Alcohol use ; College students--Attitudes. ; College students--Conduct of life. ; College students--Social conditions ; Indiana University ; Universities and colleges. 17 1773 Meeting his partner Teddy And so, what were you doing in your life once you hit twenty? Coffman tells the story of how he met his partner of fifty years, Teddy, during college at Indiana University in 1966. 1966 ; Crying ; Dormitories ; Dorms ; Lonely ; Meeting ; Relationships ; Student centers ; Student unions ; Talking ; Teddy Richardson College environment ; College students--Attitudes. ; College students--Conduct of life. ; College students--Social conditions ; Indiana University ; Universities and colleges. 17 2096 Relationship with his partner Teddy And so when you graduated you and Teddy are still together at this point? Coffman talks about being in a motorcycle accident during college. He talks about the labels he and Teddy used for their relationship since it began in 1966, when gay relationships were not accepted in society. He talks about moving into an apartment with Teddy during college and how they kept in touch during the one summer they spent apart. 'Gay lovers' ; Apartments ; Audio tapes ; Careful ; Cautious ; Codes ; Couples ; Doctors ; Friends ; Graduation ; Hiding ; Labels ; Motorcycle accidents ; Relationships ; Singing ; Songs ; Surgery ; Teddy Richardson ; Visiting Closeted gays. ; College environment ; College students--Attitudes. ; College students--Conduct of life. ; College students--Social conditions ; Gay couples. ; Gay men--Identity. ; Gay men. ; Homosexuality. ; Indiana University ; Sexual minorities--Identity. ; Sexual minorities. ; Universities and colleges. 17 2684 Moving to Lexington, Kentucky Walk me through what happens in your life once you're moved in together and you're--also that period... Coffman talks about visiting Lexington when Teddy came for a job interview at Lexington Clinic in 1968. He talks about Teddy's career and accomplishments as an optometrist. He talks about being hired as a systems engineer at National Cash Register. Apartments ; Computers ; Contact lenses ; December 8, 1968 ; Doctors ; Information technology (IT) ; Job interviews ; Jobs ; Lexington Clinic ; Moving in ; Names ; National Cash Register ; National news ; Optometrists ; Roads ; Systems engineers ; Teddy Richardson ; University of Kentucky Employment--Kentucky ; Gay couples. ; Gay men. ; Homosexuality. ; Lexington (Ky.). ; Physicians--Kentucky ; Sexual minorities. 17 3044 Major events around 1969 I want to, I want to hear more about that. Coffman talks about issues of gender in the IT field in the 1960s. He tells a story about being unaware of issues relating to segregation in Kentucky until an African American coworker was not allowed to join them for lunch at a certain restaurant. He talks about the riots at the University of Kentucky, which were spurred by the Vietnam War and the Kent State shooting, and discusses his feelings on the Vietnam War. He mentions the Stonewall riots, Woodstock, and the moon landing. Awareness ; Computers ; Different ; Eastern Kentucky University ; Fires ; Good Samaritan Hospital ; Graduating class ; High schools ; Hiring ; Indiana University ; Jobs ; Moon landings ; News ; North ; Riots ; Stonewall riots ; Technology ; University of Kentucky ; Women ; Woodstock African Americans--Segregation ; African Americans--Social conditions. ; Danville (Ky.) ; Kent State Shootings, Kent, Ohio, 1970 ; Lexington (Ky.). ; Race discrimination. ; Race relations--Kentucky ; Racism ; Vietnam War, 1961-1975 ; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Protest movements ; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Public opinion 17 3555 Social life and gay scene in Lexington And so when you started your life here in Lexington in '69 and in the years following, did you and Teddy make, um-- Coffman talks about his social life and friends in Lexington during the 1960s and 1970s. He describes the gay bar, The Bar, during his early days in Lexington. He talks about how drag queens and gay people could be arrested at this time. Arrested ; Burnt down ; Conservative ; Dancing ; Drag queens ; Drag shows ; Fires ; Friends ; Gay bars ; Gilded Cage ; Going out ; Hiding ; Reopened ; Social life ; The Bar ; The Living Room Closeted gays. ; Gay couples. ; Gay men--Identity. ; Gay men--Legal status, laws, etc. ; Gay men. ; Homosexuality--Law and legislation. ; Homosexuality. ; Lexington (Ky.). ; Sexual minorities--Identity. ; Sexual minorities. 17 3926 Teddy's illness Teddy got sick with cancer nine and a half years before he passed away. Coffman talks about the difficulty for himself and his partner Teddy during Teddy's nine year battle with lung cancer. 50 years ; Caregivers ; Fifty years ; Grocery stores ; Husbands ; Illnesses ; Lung cancer ; Partners ; Relationships ; Surgery ; Teddy Richardson Care of the sick. ; Gay couples. ; Health. ; Lungs--Cancer. 17 4079 Marriage ceremony You mentioned that you all were married. Coffman describes his marriage ceremony to Teddy in Massachusetts in 2008. Ceremonies ; Friends ; Marriage license ; Married ; Massachusetts ; Straight people ; Trustees Gay couples. ; Gay men--Identity. ; Gay men--Legal status, laws, etc. ; Gay men. ; Homosexuality--Law and legislation. ; Homosexuality. ; Marriage ; Same-sex marriage ; Sexual minorities--Identity. ; Sexual minorities. 17 4240 Teddy being outed as gay And so I have a question that's--it's somewhat backtracking but it's also-- Coffman talks about how his partner Teddy had to hide being gay due to being a doctor. He talks about when Teddy was nominated to be the president of a state association for physicians but was outed as gay and asked to step down. He talks about how he and Teddy danced together at the next association event since they had already been outed anyway. He talks about the reactions to their dancing. 1980s ; Dancing ; Doctors ; Events ; Hiding ; Optometrists ; Outing ; Presidents ; Public ; Reactions ; Sound Bar ; State associations ; State representatives ; Stepping down ; Technical advisors ; Teddy Richardson Closeted gays. ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Gay couples. ; Gay men--Identity. ; Gay men. ; Homosexuality. ; Lexington (Ky.). ; Physicians--Kentucky ; Sexual minorities--Identity. ; Sexual minorities. 17 4578 Career at the University of Kentucky Were you open in other ways following your public dancing? Coffman talks about his career in IT at UK. He talks about coming out at work, his relationships with bosses and coworkers, and why he eventually retired from UK after over twenty years. 1987-2013 ; Awareness ; Bosses ; Careers ; Changes ; Department of Finance ; Drinking ; Early ; Events ; Frankfort (Ky.) ; Friends ; Hiding ; Hours ; Information technology (IT) ; Jobs ; Lying ; Open ; Out ; Retirement ; Timesheets ; Vice presidents Closeted gays. ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Employment--Kentucky ; Gay men--Identity. ; Gay men. ; Homosexuality. ; Lexington (Ky.). ; Sexual minorities. ; University of Kentucky 17 5087 Changes in Lexington / Hobbies and interests How about Lexington in general? Coffman talks about how Lexington has changed from a small country town in the 1960s. He talks about how everything was closed on Sundays in those days. He talks about his interest in technology which led to him owning the first Betamax player and lazer disc player in Lexington. He talks about the attitudes toward LGBTQ people in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida which led to he and Teddy owning a condominium there. He talks about their interest in live theater and movies. 1960s ; 1982 ; Atlanta (Ga.) ; bars ; Betamax players ; Blue laws ; Broadway Opera House ; Changes ; Closing time ; Condominiums ; Country towns ; Early adopters ; Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) ; Interests ; LaserDisc players ; Movies ; New York ; Older people ; Plays ; Satellite dishes ; Season ticket holders ; Size ; Snowbirds ; Sundays ; Technology ; Television channels ; Theater Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) ; Gay couples. ; Gay men. ; Hobbies. ; Homosexuality. ; Lexington (Ky.). ; Sexual minorities. 17 5778 Changes in public acceptance of LGBTQ people I have another big question. Coffman talks about how public opinions regarding LGBTQ people have changed since the 1960s when people could be arrested for merely being suspected of being gay. He describes the risks of being gay during college at Indiana University. He talks about the court case in Kentucky which led to the law against homosexuality being removed from the books. &quot ; Runners&quot ; ; 1964 ; 1990s ; Accepting ; Afraid ; Arrested ; Arrests ; Bloomington (Ind.) ; Careers ; Changes ; Court cases ; Ernesto Scorsone ; Expelled ; Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) ; Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) ; Gay bars ; Harassment ; Indiana University ; Indianapolis (Ind.) ; Jobs ; Kentucky ; Kentucky Theater ; Police ; Public opinions ; Repercussions ; Risks ; Safe spaces ; Student orientation ; Taunting ; Teddy Richardson Closeted gays. ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Gay couples. ; Gay men--Identity. ; Gay men--Legal status, laws, etc. ; Gay men. ; Gays--Violence against ; Homosexuality--Law and legislation. ; Homosexuality. ; Lexington (Ky.). ; Sexual minorities--Identity. ; Sexual minorities. 17 6292 Family's awareness of him being a gay man Oh, and I just thought of a question I wanted to ask earlier, actually. Coffman talks about his family's awareness of him being gay without ever explicitly telling them. He talks about the acceptance he and Teddy received from his brother's family. He talks about how his sister found out he was gay and told his mother. Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) ; Awareness ; Babysitting ; Brothers ; Children ; Family ; Gay bars ; Human immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV) ; Misconceptions ; Mothers ; Naive ; Parents ; Seafood ; Sisters ; Teddy Richardson Closeted gays. ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Families. ; Gay couples. ; Gay men--Family relationships--United States. ; Gay men--Identity. ; Gay men. ; Gays--Family relationships. ; Homosexuality. ; Sexual minorities' families. ; Sexual minorities--Identity. ; Sexual minorities. 17 6567 AIDS crisis Tell me more about that period of the AIDS crisis. Coffman talks about losing many friends during the AIDS crisis and how it was made worse by Ronald Reagan's actions. Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) ; Death ; Florida ; Friends ; Human immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV) ; Loss ; News ; Pat Robertson ; Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) ; Research ; Ronald Reagan AIDS (Disease) ; Gay couples. ; Gay men. ; HIV infections ; HIV-positive gay men ; Sexual minorities. 17 6803 Teddy becoming an ordained Baptist minister There's another thing I need to tell you. Coffman talks about Teddy earning a divinity degree and becoming ordained in the Baptist Church. He talks about why Teddy left his job at the Lexington Clinic in 1980. He talks about Teddy's ministry to prisoners at Blackburn Correctional Facility. 1980 ; Baptist Church ; Baptists ; Blackburn Correctional Facility ; Catholic Church ; Churches ; Competition ; Cults ; Divinity degrees ; Doctors ; Lexington Clinic ; Loss ; Ministry ; Morehead (Ky.) ; Ordained ministers ; Prisoners ; Private practice ; Studying ; Teddy Richardson Gay couples. ; Gay men. ; Lexington (Ky.). ; Physicians--Kentucky ; Religion ; Sexual minorities. 17 7075 Lessons his parents instilled in him Earlier you mentioned that there was another story you wanted to tell about-- Coffman talks about the current molestation scandals in the Catholic Church and how his parents taught him that he did not have to do anything he did not want to. He talks about their other lessons regarding the importance of attending college and not doing drugs. He talks about how these lessons affect him today. Colleges ; Drug use ; Drugs ; Family ; Graduation ; Lessons ; Mental blocks ; Molestation ; Parents ; Prescription drugs ; Prescriptions ; Priests ; Teaching Catholic Church ; Catholicism ; Childhood ; Drug abuse ; Education ; Families. ; Religion 17 7355 Trump administration Um, I have about two more questions-- Coffman talks about his feelings on the current political administration. Checks and balances ; Congress ; Dictators ; Donald Trump ; North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) ; Political administrations ; Presidents ; Trade negotiations Politicians ; Politics and government 17 7456 Current social life And my next question is who do you surround yourself with now in terms of your social circles, in terms of your friends? Coffman talks about his current social life and friendships. He talks about meeting new people at the Pride Center. Coworkers ; Dinners ; Friends ; Lesbians ; Pitch in meals ; Pride Community Services Organization ; Senior nights ; Social circles ; Social life ; Straight people ; Transgender people ; Women Friendship. ; Gay men--Identity. ; Gay men. ; Homosexuality. ; Interpersonal relations ; Lexington (Ky.). ; Sexual minorities--Identity. ; Sexual minorities. 17 7847 Going on dates Um, I'm coming up on my last question but I wanted to give you the chance in case there are any stories going around in your head... Coffman describes some of the dates he has been on since the death of his partner Teddy and how he is navigating those relationships. Age differences ; Break ups ; Friends ; Hookups ; Joe Bologna's ; Loss ; Lunches ; Relationships ; Teddy Richardson ; Young people Dates (Social engagements) ; Dating (Social customs) ; Gay men--Identity. ; Gay men. ; Homosexuality. ; Interpersonal relations ; Lexington (Ky.). ; Sexual minorities--Identity. ; Sexual minorities. 17 8396 Current friendships and the grieving process You had another last question? Coffman talks more about his current friendships, his lack of interest in movies since losing Teddy, and how his friends have been helping him through the grieving process. The interview is concluded. Bonds ; Break ups ; Costa Rica ; Depression ; Dinners ; Facebook ; Friends ; Grandsons ; Grieving ; Happiness ; Hobbies ; Hope ; Loss ; Mentors ; Movies ; Partners ; Pride Week ; Relationships ; Roles ; Self ; Teddy Richardson ; Wives ; Women Friendship. ; Gay men. ; Homosexuality. ; Interpersonal relations ; Lexington (Ky.). ; Sexual minorities. 17 interview Jack L. Coffman shares his experiences being gay during the 1960s, 1970s, and beyond. Coffman talks about the love of his life, Teddy, as well as about working in IT at the University of Kentucky for a number of years, his friendships, and life in Lexington over the decades. No transcript. All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries. video Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries. 0 https://oralhistory.uky.edu/oh/render.php?cachefile=2018oh545_lgbtq038_coffman_ohm.xml 2018oh545_lgbtq038_coffman_ohm.xml https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt70gb1xgm7q Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Jack L. Coffman Description An account of the resource Jack L. Coffman shares his experiences being gay during the 1960s, 1970s, and beyond. Coffman talks about the love of his life, Teddy, as well as about working in IT at the University of Kentucky for a number of years, his friendships, and life in Lexington over the decades. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2018oh545_lgbtq038 Subject The topic of the resource Families. Religion Closeted gays. Gay men. Gay men--Identity. Gay men--Sexual behavior. Homosexuality. Sexual minorities. Sexual minorities--Identity. College environment College students--Attitudes. College students--Conduct of life. College students--Social conditions Universities and colleges. Indiana University Gay couples. Lexington (Ky.). Gay men--Legal status, laws, etc. Homosexuality--Law and legislation. Coming out (Sexual orientation) University of Kentucky Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://nunncenter.net/outsouth/files/original/99089e95bb44e5e2deccbb084621ff5e.PNG b1acc06e9a173ad1a44460caed28cfd2 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Adriana Sisko Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Sam Dorr OHMS Object https://nunncenter.net/ohms-spokedb/render.php?cachefile=2018oh546_lgbtq039_ohm.xml Interview Keyword Alcoholism Childhood Compulsory heterosexuality Gay marriage Marriage equality Gay culture Gay bars Legal issues Lawsuits Children of gay parents Christianity. Religion University of Kentucky Gay youth First National Bank of Louisville (Ky.) OHMS Object Text 5.2 2018oh546_lgbtq039 Interview with Sam Dorr, September 12, 2018 2018oh546_lgbtq039 lgbtq001 Outsouth: LGBTQ+ Oral History Project Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries Louisville (Ky.) Coming out (Sexual orientation) Homophobia. Gay high school students Closeted gays. Gay men. Sexual orientation. Divorce. Gays--United States--Social conditions. Gay men--Relations with heterosexual women Gay men--Sexual behavior. Gays--Identity. Gays--Legal status, laws, etc.--United States. Gay couples--Legal status, laws, etc.--United States. Gay men--Identity. Homosexuality. Homosexuality in the workplace. Gays--Employment--Law and legislation Alcoholism Childhood Compulsory heterosexuality Gay marriage Marriage equality Gay culture Gay bars Legal issues Lawsuits Children of gay parents Christianity. Religion University of Kentucky Gay youth First National Bank of Louisville (Ky.) Sam Dorr Adriana Sisko 0 Vimeo video &lt ; iframe src=&quot ; https://player.vimeo.com/video/290277906&quot ; width=&quot ; 640&quot ; height=&quot ; 360&quot ; frameborder=&quot ; 0&quot ; allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; 0 Introduction and growing up in Louisville, Kentucky My name is Adriana Sisko and the date is September 12th, 2018. Sam Dorr introduces himself and elaborates on how he grew up in Louisville, dealing with his alcoholic father, and what it's like to grow up &quot ; different.&quot ; Alcoholism ; Banks ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Gay rights ; Half siblings ; Louisville (Ky.) ; Moving ; University of Kentucky Alcoholism. ; Culture. ; Education ; Families. ; Gay youth ; Lexington (Ky.). 17 106 Growing up in Louisville, Kentucky Alright, and as we go through the interview, we'll go through each of those stages. Dorr discusses what it was like growing up in Louisville, the alcoholism he dealt with in his family, constantly moving, and the effects this had on his relationships. Alcoholism ; Banks ; Childhood ; Half brothers ; Louisville (Ky.) ; Moving Alcoholism. ; Brothers ; Gay youth ; Kinship. ; Rural families ; Siblings 17 337 School life and growing up And how about school when you were a child? Dorr discusses his experience in grade school, his fears of homophobia, escaping a hectic home life, and his experiences with theater as a way of coping with what was going on in his life. Abuse ; Acting ; Alcoholism ; Christianity ; Elementary schools ; Grade schools ; High schools ; Middle schools ; Pornography ; Religion ; Theater Alcoholism ; Closeted gays. ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Gay high school students ; Gay men. ; Homophobia. ; Homosexuality--Religious aspects. 17 808 Post-high school life and experiences at the University of Kentucky And so you graduate from high school. What happens next in your life? Dorr discusses his post-high school life, attending the University of Kentucky for a short time, and moving on to beginning his work in the banking system. He also discusses his heterosexual relationship and his relationship with his child. Alcoholism ; Bank managers ; Banks ; Children ; Compulsory heterosexuality ; First National Bank ; Homosexuality ; Marriage ; University of Kentucky Alcoholism. ; Bank accounts ; Closeted gays. ; First National Bank of Louisville (Ky.) ; Gay parents. ; Heterosexuality. ; Marriage. 17 1525 First marriage and issues with sexuality And when it came to your marriage, um, in the years that you all were together, were you having any thoughts regarding your sexual identity? Dorr discusses his crumbling marriage with his wife and his eventual coming out. He talks about his early experiences with gay culture, going to bathhouses, and the self-discovery of coming out. Adult bookstores ; Bathhouses ; Divorce ; Gay culture ; Gays ; Marriage ; Performative heterosexuality ; Sex Closeted gays. ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Divorce. ; Gay culture. ; Gay men--Relations with heterosexual women ; Gays--United States--Social conditions. ; Sexual orientation. 17 1831 Gay culture in the 1960s And so slight backtracking like follow up questions on this. Dorr discusses gay culture in the 1960s, and experiencing gay bars in their prime. He talks about the police raids at gay bars at the time due to the illegality of homosexuality. Breakups ; Civil rights ; Drag queens ; Drag shows ; Ethel Waters ; Gay bars ; Police ; Police raids ; Religion ; Religion and homosexuality ; Spirituality Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Drag shows ; Gay bars ; Gay culture. ; Gay men--Sexual behavior. ; Gays--Identity. ; Gays--Legal status, laws, etc.--United States. ; Homosexuality--Religious aspects. ; Homosexuality--Social aspects. 17 2330 Post breakup feelings and new relationships And so at that point, what happens next in your life once you finally managed to extricate yourself from him, you get to keep the dog, what happens next in your life? Dorr discusses his breakup with his partner and moving on. He talks about his mental health after the breakup and moving onto new relationships. Alcoholism ; Bathhouses ; Depression ; Gay culture ; Gay marriage ; Love ; Marriage equality ; Mental health ; Psychiatry ; Relationships Alcoholism. ; Cruising (Sexual behavior) ; Gay couples--Legal status, laws, etc.--United States. ; Gay couples. ; Gay culture. ; Gay men--Identity. ; Gay men--Mental health. ; Gay men. ; Homosexuality. 17 2789 Coming out, being fired, and the lawsuit So what year was it when your time at First National Bank ended? Dorr discusses coming out at his job, being fired, and the ensuing lawsuit. First National Bank ; Gay rights ; Homophobia ; Lawsuits ; Legal issues ; Ministry ; Promiscuity ; Religious discrimination ; Sexuality Closeted gays. ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; First National Bank of Louisville (Ky.) ; Gays--Employment--Law and legislation ; Gays--Legal status, laws, etc.--United States. ; Homophobia. ; Homosexuality in the workplace. ; Homosexuality--Religious aspects. 17 3378 Being out and family issues Um, so you were out very publicly. Dorr discusses his relationship with his family after he came out to them. He speaks about their reactions insofar that they were accepting of him, but not his sexuality. Children ; Children of gay parents ; Families ; Family ; Gay parents ; Support Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Gay men--Family relationships--United States. ; Gay men--Relations with heterosexuals ; Gay parents. ; Gays--Family relationships. ; Homosexuality--Religious aspects. ; Sexual minority parents. 17 3612 Work with the religious-based institution Integrity, and his faith And tell me more about Integrity, 'cause that's come up a few times. Dorr discusses his work with the religious-based institution Integrity and his relationship to God as a gay man. Christianity ; Churches ; Civil rights ; Faith ; Integrity ; Marriage equality ; Ministries ; Ministry ; Ministry work ; Religion ; Religions ; Religious discrimination Christianity. ; Gay men--Relations with heterosexuals ; Gays--United States--Social conditions. ; Homosexuality in the workplace. ; Homosexuality--Religious aspects. ; Homosexuality. 17 4016 Marriage, social circle, and other jobs And you had other--a couple other career stops. Dorr discusses the odds jobs he's had over the years, his growing gay social circle, and his marriage. AIDS ; Discrimination ; Facebook ; Gay couples ; Gay marriage ; HIV ; Husbands ; Marriage equality ; Weddings AIDS (Disease) ; Facebook (Electronic resource) ; Gay couples--Legal status, laws, etc.--United States. ; Gays--Legal status, laws, etc.--United States. ; Homosexuality--Law and legislation--United States. ; Sexual minority community. 17 4510 Changes in the LGBTQ+ community and in Louisville, Kentucky And, um, over the years--I have some big picture sort of questions to ask you. Dorr discusses changes he has seen as an older gay man in the LGBTQ+ community and in the Louisville community. AIDS ; Civil rights ; Gay politicians ; HIV ; HIV/AIDS ; Homophobia ; Pride parades ; Unsafe sex ; Voting rights ; Working class Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Gay Pride Day ; Gay pride parades ; Gay rights movement ; Gays--Identity. ; HIV infections ; HIV-positive gay men ; Homophobia. ; Homosexuality--Law and legislation. ; Lesbian and gay experience ; Louisville (Ky.) ; Masculinity 17 4975 The Trump administration and the future And so speaking of political climate, um--and I've asked all the interviewees this so far, um, how do you feel and what do you think existing under the current presidential administration? Dorr discusses existing under the Trump administration and looking forward to what the future holds for him. Civil rights ; Confederate flags ; Democrats ; Donald Trump ; Free love ; Impeachment ; Presidents ; Republicans Civil rights. ; Gay men--Legal status, laws, etc. 17 interview Sam Dorr shares his life and career in Louisville, Kentucky. Dorr describes being fired from his job for being gay in 1981, the ensuing legal struggle, and publicly coming out as gay during that period. Dorr also shares his passion for the Episcopal Church, and talks about his husband Charles, whom he legally married in 2009. No transcript. All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries. video Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries. 0 https://oralhistory.uky.edu/oh/render.php?cachefile=2018oh546_lgbtq039_dorr_ohm.xml 2018oh546_lgbtq039_dorr_ohm.xml https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt70gb1xgm7q Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sam Dorr Description An account of the resource Sam Dorr shares his life and career in Louisville, Kentucky. Dorr describes being fired from his job for being gay in 1981, the ensuing legal struggle, and publicly coming out as gay during that period. Dorr also shares his passion for the Episcopal Church, and talks about his husband Charles, whom he legally married in 2009. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2018oh546_lgbtq039 Subject The topic of the resource Louisville (Ky.) Coming out (Sexual orientation) Homophobia. Gay high school students Closeted gays. Gay men. Sexual orientation. Divorce. Gays--United States--Social conditions. Gay men--Relations with heterosexual women Gay men--Sexual behavior. Gays--Identity. Gays--Legal status, laws, etc.--United States. Gay couples--Legal status, laws, etc.--United States. Gay men--Identity. Homosexuality. Homosexuality in the workplace. Gays--Employment--Law and legislation Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://nunncenter.net/outsouth/files/original/dbd527ad997d16addc6a141f76e15065.PNG 095d9f08b40443d61adc85c91a6e4c28 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Adriana Sisko Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Ross Ewing OHMS Object https://nunncenter.net/ohms-spokedb/render.php?cachefile=2018oh548_lgbtq040_ohm.xml Interview Keyword Activism Allies Acceptance Role models LGBTQ community Alcoholics--Rehabilitation. OHMS Object Text 5.2 2018oh548_lgbtq040 Interview with Ross Ewing, September 13, 2018 2018oh548_lgbtq040 lgbtq001 Outsouth: LGBTQ+ Oral History Project Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries Gay men. Lexington (Ky.) Law schools. Lawyers. Same sex-marriage Coming out (Sexual orientation) Sexual minority college students Sexual minority youth Closeted gays. University of Kentucky Gays--Employment--Law and legislation Family law Law firms. Activism Allies Acceptance Role models LGBTQ community Alcoholics--Rehabilitation. Ross Ewing Adriana Sisko 0 Vimeo video &lt ; iframe src=&quot ; https://player.vimeo.com/video/290274925&quot ; width=&quot ; 640&quot ; height=&quot ; 360&quot ; frameborder=&quot ; 0&quot ; allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; 0 Introduction My name is Adriana Sisko and the date is September 13th. Ross Ewing introduces himself. Family. ; Gay men. ; Law. ; Same sex-marriage. ; University of Kentucky 17 35 Childhood in Owensboro, Kentucky / Middle school and realizing his attraction to other men Um, so let's start early on. Ewing shares his upbringing in Owensboro, Kentucky. He describes his early childhood as well as his elementary school experience in positive terms. He also talks about how the authority figures at the Catholic school he attended as a young teenager were always supportive, appropriate, and kind toward him. However, Ewing also talks about a shift that took place in his life beginning during middle school, when he realized he was interested in other boys in a way that he didn't experience toward girls. Ewing details the inner turmoil that this caused him. Boyfriends ; Childhood ; Dating ; Elementary schools ; Fathers ; Gay adolescents ; Girlfriends ; Growing up ; Happiness ; Love ; Mothers ; Siblings ; Sisters Catholic schools. ; Catholicism ; Gay youth ; Owensboro (Ky.) ; Puberty. ; Questioning (Sexual orientation) ; Religion. ; Sexual minority youth 17 560 High school experience And let's move to high school. Ewing summarizes his high school experience. He talks about switching from Catholic school to public school, being in love with his heterosexual best friend, and the presence of other gay youth at his public school who were, at least not initially, out. Ewing also discusses his concept, at the time, of his budding sexuality and how other children who called him gay were likely aware of his sexuality before he was. Derogatory slurs ; Derogatory words ; Emotional connection ; Friendships ; High schools ; Love ; Mothers ; Romance ; School bands ; Slurs ; Teenagers ; Unrequited love Closeted ; Closeted gays. ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Gay high school students ; Gay youth ; Sexual minority youth 17 799 Lack of knowing other LGBTQ people during childhood / Embracing the word 'gay' / First coming out experiences And growing up, who was the--was there anyone you knew of that identified or was known as being gay? Outside of movies, Ewing says, he did not know of anybody who identified as or was known for actually being LGBTQ during his childhood. He also discusses an eye-opening realization regarding his sexuality that he experienced through an episode of the &quot ; Star Trek: Deep Space Nine&quot ; television series. Boyfriends ; Ellen DeGeneres ; Friendships ; Girlfriends ; Heaven ; Love ; Popularity ; Romance ; Star Trek Deep Space Nine Catholicism ; Gay high school students ; Lesbians ; Religion. ; Star trek. 17 1038 Experience coming out to friends and family And was there any point, and actually I think you mentioned this, was there any point during middle school or high school where you told anyone about these thoughts and feelings? Ewing discusses the extent to which he divulged his sexual identity to friends and family during his late teenage years. Ewing details the range of reactions he received from friends. He also talks about how his parents reacted when they discovered his sexuality. Acceptance ; Being outed ; Fathers ; Friendships ; High schools ; Internet ; Mothers ; Outing ; Sons ; Teenagers Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Gay high school students ; Gay youth 17 1249 Graduating from high school / Transition into college and experience being out at the University of Kentucky So, when you graduated high school, how did you feel about graduating high school? Ewing talks about his feelings when he graduated from high school and his transition from high school to college. Ewing shares why he chose to attend the University of Kentucky and his first semester experience there. Ewing talks about meeting other LGBTQ people at the University of Kentucky, particularly once he joined the undergraduate LGBTQ group, then called UK Lambda. Ewing discusses meeting other out gay people for the first time and the fear and anxiety he initially experienced being more broadly out himself. Ewing remarks that the murder of Matthew Shepherd weighed on himself and other LGBTQ-identified people. Academics ; Acceptance ; Anxiety ; College work ; Community ; Fear ; Friendships ; Governor's Scholars ; Graduating ; High schools ; Life changes ; Matthew Shepherd ; Outness ; Transitions ; UK Lambda Gay men. ; Homophobia ; Sexual minority college students ; Undergraduate students ; University of Kentucky 17 1647 Majors during undergrad and passion for music Um, what were your majors in undergrad? Ewing shares his academic interests during undergrad. He also shares his passion for music, which originated in his childhood. Ewing describes music as an important emotional outlet. Academics ; Majors ; Minors ; Scholarships Sexual minority college students ; Undergraduate students ; University of Kentucky 17 1756 The importance of college friendships in coming out and self-acceptance Walk me through the rest of college. Ewing discusses how important the friends he met during college were in his coming out process. He details how the support of his friends was helpful in his journey toward self-acceptance. Ewing says that his friends' acceptance made him feel more free to be out and open regarding his sexual identity and gay topics more generally. Ewing describes how he wasn't able to fully deal with his coming out internally at the time, so he externalized it as a political venture. Acceptance ; Activism ; Being out ; Coming out day ; Friendships ; Greek mythology ; LGBT studies ; LGBTQ studies ; Outness ; UK Lambda ; Undergraduate activism ; Undergraduate thesis Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Gay men. ; Sexual minority college students ; Undergraduate students ; University of Kentucky 17 2092 Experiences dating during college / Last year of college And before we get to your last year in undergrad, um, I want to ask, how was dating going at this point in your life? Ewing discusses his dating life during the latter years of undergrad. He discusses how, by this point in time, he was able to imagine a future for himself in which a happy same-sex relationship was possible. Ewing also shares about a difficult period in his life when a man he had dated and loved disclosed his HIV positive status, and one member of UK Lambda committed suicide and another attempted suicide twice. Ewing talks about how he relied on alcohol during this difficult period, and how his drinking impacted his academic performance and general happiness. Activism ; Aids Volunteers, Inc. ; Alcoholics in recovery ; Dates ; Dating ; Depression ; Drinking ; Emotional energy ; Emotions ; LGBTQ activism ; Pain ; Romance ; UK Lambda AIDS (Disease) ; AIDS activists ; Alcoholics--Rehabilitation. ; Alcoholics. ; Alcoholism. ; Gay men. ; Homophobia. ; Sexual minority college students ; Suicide. ; Undergraduate students ; University of Kentucky 17 2462 Law school / LGBTQ activism Why did you choose law school? Why did you choose to apply to law schools? Ewing talks about his decision to enroll in law school at the University of Kentucky. He also discusses his increasing commitment to LGBTQ activism during this time. Ewing was a board member of the Fairness Campaign and helped to found UK OUTlaw, an LGBTQ group for law students. He also wrote letters to the University of Kentucky administration that eventually resulted in the committee that created the OUTsource, a student LGBTQ center. During this period, Ewing connected strongly with the Episcopal Church and joined a church board. LGBT jobs ; LGBTQ jobs ; The OUTsource ; Undergraduate activism ; University of Kentucky College of Law Episcopal Church. ; Gay men. ; Gays--Employment--Law and legislation ; Law schools. ; Lawyers. ; Religion. ; Sexual minority college students ; Suicide. ; University of Kentucky 17 2681 Meeting his now-husband and introducing him to his parents So you mentioned that you and your now-husband met through Fairness somehow? Ewing talks about meeting his now husband, David, through his involvement with the Fairness Campaign. He also discusses the importance of a model of a happy, monogamous same-sex relationship for the first time. Ewing tells the story of his parents meeting his future husband, which Ewing now terms his third and final coming out. &quot ; Professionally gay&quot ; ; Acceptance ; Dating ; Fairness Campaign ; Husbands ; LGBT activism ; LGBTQ activism ; Love ; Parents ; Partners ; Student representative Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Gay men. ; LGBTQ business enterprises 17 2937 Seeking a job in law / Working in family law / Opening his own law firm So, you finish law school up. What happens next in your life? Like, what's sort of the next step that happens? Ewing describes his job search toward the end of law school, and how he felt concerned that he may be discounted for jobs on the basis of his resume, which was laden with various LGBTQ-related legal efforts and activism. Larger corporate law firms did not demonstrate an interest in hiring him at that time, Ewing recalls. Ewing talks about the first job offer he accepted as a law clerk for Judge Jo Ann Wise, who worked in family law. Ewing reflects positively on this experience and remarks that he has worked in family law ever since. Ewing briefly summarizes the rest of his job history after working with Judge Wise. Additionally, Ewing talks about his experience working for one particular unnamed law firm in which he had a bad experience as a result of judgment of his sexual identity. Ewing discusses how, at the time of this interview, he finally works at his own law firm as a family law attorney. He shares his most rewarding experiences working for himself thus far. Accusations ; Clients ; Discrimination ; Employment ; Job experience ; Judges ; Law clerks ; Law employment ; LGBT activism ; LGBTQ activism Family law ; Gay men--Relations with heterosexuals ; Gay men. ; Gays--Employment--Law and legislation ; Homophobia. ; Law firms. ; Lesbian adoption ; LGBTQ-related legislation 17 3328 Marriage to his husband And, when did you and your husband get married? Ewing talks about marrying his husband. During 2009, Ewing says, he and his husband participated in a commitment ceremony at an Episcopal church. Years later, Ewing and his husband became legally married in a New York City church. Ewing describes his family's reception of their marriage. Acceptance ; Affirmation ; Churches ; Commitment ceremony ; Community ; Episcopal Church ; Faith traditions ; Family ; Husbands ; Integrity USA ; Support Gay men. ; Marriage. ; Same sex-marriage. 17 3497 Current social circles / Changes in the LGBTQ community over the years I'm gonna move into a couple more big picture-- Ewing describes his social circles. He also discusses how he thinks the LGBTQ community has changed over the years. Ewing emphasizes the importance of allyship to the community, and the allies that have been particularly important to himself and Kentucky more generally. He elaborates on the cost that those early allies paid in terms of employment and reputation. Alcoholics in recovery ; Allies ; Allyship ; Allyship politics ; Corporations ; Derogatory slurs ; False allies ; Friends ; Friendships ; Gay slurs ; LGBT slurs ; LGBTQ slurs ; LGBTQ-related legislation ; Money ; Social circles Alcoholics--Rehabilitation. ; Alcoholics. ; Alcoholism. ; Gay men. ; Politicians. 17 3868 Current presidential administration / How Lexington, Kentucky has changed Um, what do you think of, or how do you feel, existing under the current presidential administration? Ewing shares his thoughts and feelings regarding the Trump administration. He again emphasizes the importance of allyship, and also discusses how he does not believe that social and political progress is always linear. Ewing also shares his thoughts about Lexington, Kentucky and how he feels the city has changed over the years. Allies ; Allyship ; Allyship politics ; Changes ; Donald Trump ; LGBTQ-related legislation ; Linear progress ; National politics ; Nonlinear progress ; Ordinances ; Progress ; State politics ; Tammy Baldwin Domestic partner benefits ; Gay men. ; Gays--Legal status, laws, etc.--United States. ; Gays--United States--Social conditions. ; Lexington (Ky.) ; Louisville (Ky.) ; Presidents. ; State politics and government ; Transgender people--Legal status, laws, etc. 17 4118 What gives him hope for the future So, I think my last question is, um, what are some things that give you hope for the future? Ewing explains that the number of out LGBTQ people gives him hope for the future. He hopes that so many people being out will give hope to closeted or questioning children. Acceptance ; Anxiety ; Being out ; Critical mass ; Future ; Hope ; LGBT community ; LGBTQ community ; Looking forward ; Outness Closeted ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Gay men. ; Role models. 17 interview Ross Ewing, a family law attorney at his own law firm, discusses growing up gay with an absence of gay role models, the importance of ally-ship, and the support the Episcopal Church has given him and his husband. Ewing also shares about his time as an undergraduate and law student at the University of Kentucky, his legal and activist efforts in benefit of the LGBTQ community particularly in Kentucky, and meeting his husband through working with the Fairness Campaign. No transcript. All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries. video Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries. 0 https://oralhistory.uky.edu/oh/render.php?cachefile=2018oh548_lgbtq040_ewing_ohm.xml 2018oh548_lgbtq040_ewing_ohm.xml https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt70gb1xgm7q Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Ross Ewing Description An account of the resource Ross Ewing, a family law attorney at his own law firm, discusses growing up gay with an absence of gay role models, the importance of ally-ship, and the support the Episcopal Church has given him and his husband. Ewing also shares about his time as an undergraduate and law student at the University of Kentucky, his legal and activist efforts in benefit of the LGBTQ community particularly in Kentucky, and meeting his husband through working with the Fairness Campaign. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2018oh548_lgbtq040 Subject The topic of the resource Gay men. Lexington (Ky.) Law schools. Lawyers. Same sex-marriage Coming out (Sexual orientation) Sexual minority college students Sexual minority youth Closeted gays. University of Kentucky Gays--Employment--Law and legislation Family law Law firms. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video https://nunncenter.net/outsouth/files/original/64b8e7a51c1cd30663b87df22740695d.PNG 72476336517de9f8ed333ba2bd4bb0a3 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Adriana Sisko Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Morgan W. Fry OHMS Object https://nunncenter.net/ohms-spokedb/render.php?cachefile=2018oh557_lgbtq042_ohm.xml Interview Keyword Kansas Oklahoma Childhood Universities and colleges. HIV-positive gay men Religion Volunteering Gay men--Relations with heterosexual women Gay men--Relations with heterosexuals Housing Triads OHMS Object Text 5.2 2018oh557_lgbtq042 Interview with Morgan W. Fry, September 18, 2018 2018oh557_lgbtq042 lgbtq001 Outsouth: LGBTQ+ Oral History Project Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries Couples. Interpersonal relations Dating (Social customs) Military service, Voluntary--United States. Closeted gays. Gay men--Identity. Homosexuality in the workplace. Homosexuality. Sexual minorities. California Coming out (Sexual orientation) Gay community Gay couples. Lexington (Ky.) Gay men--United States--Social conditions. Gays--United States--Social conditions. Homosexuality--Social aspects. Kansas Oklahoma Childhood Universities and colleges. HIV-positive gay men Religion Volunteering Gay men--Relations with heterosexual women Gay men--Relations with heterosexuals Housing Triads Morgan W. Fry Adriana Sisko 0 Vimeo video &lt ; iframe src=&quot ; https://player.vimeo.com/video/292127450&quot ; width=&quot ; 640&quot ; height=&quot ; 480&quot ; frameborder=&quot ; 0&quot ; webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen&gt ; &lt ; /iframe&gt ; 1 Early upbringing My name is Adriana Sisko and the date is September 18th. Morgan Fry remembers what it was like growing up on a farm in Kansas. It was a ghost town, population 65, one post office and not much socialization with kids his age. In elementary and middle school, reading helped Fry understand himself and the world. Farms ; Kansas ; Midwest ; Oklahoma Childhood ; Kansas ; Oklahoma ; Reading 17 276 High school and moving to California And so how were things once you get to high school? At this point, school was a stop on the way to the farm. Morgan Fry's mother had begun her first relationship with a woman, and later the family moved to Los Angeles, California where he experienced a physical assault for his attire. California ; Culture shock ; Farms ; Gay ; Kansas ; Lesbians ; Queer California ; Kansas 17 824 California Um, so first, um, how old were you when you moved to L.A.? Fry talks about moving to California, the culture shock, and the difficult relationship with his mother. The first year in Los Angeles, he isolated himself and adjusted to being in a big city. At age 16, he decided to move out alone to Sacramento where he found himself homeless for 3 weeks at a county fair. California ; Carnivals ; Homelessness ; Los Angeles (Calif.) ; Orange County (Calif.) ; Sacramento (Calif.) Carnival 17 1293 First relationship Alright, so first relationship. Tell me about that. Fry's first relationship was born from the vulnerability of wanting a home. Fry developed a German accent and revealed little of himself, resulting in distrust and leading to the end of the relationship. Carnivals ; County fairs ; Gay ; Homelessness ; Relationships Couples. ; Dating (Social customs) ; Interpersonal relations 17 1615 Graduating high school and beginning college So what happens once you graduate high school? After graduating high school, Fry entered college and moved in with his high school friends in an apartment. He went to college because of his family's expectations, however he learned more out in the world than at college. Apartments ; California ; Colleges ; Graduation ; High schools ; Living alone Universities and colleges. 17 1740 Military career Uh, I joined the military to get college money. Fry decided to join the military in order to earn college money. He committed for two years, and remained for three in the reserves. He always had a girlfriend for social and career protection. While stationed in Louisville, he earned enough money to live off base but later a horse fell on him, causing him to never finish college. Colleges ; Girlfriends ; Horses ; Louisville (Ky.) ; Military ; Money Closeted gays. ; Couples. ; Dating (Social customs) ; Gay men--Identity. ; Gay men--Relations with heterosexual women ; Gay men--Relations with heterosexuals ; Homosexuality in the workplace. ; Homosexuality. ; Interpersonal relations ; Military service, Voluntary--United States. ; Sexual minorities. 17 2456 Moving back to California and coming out And, uh, I moved to California, um, 'cause I had seen the wealth out there. Fry talks about what it was like to move back to California after the army and college. Moving from Los Angeles to San Francisco, and finally to Sacramento in order to help his sister with her kids. Fry came out and finally felt safe after joining the Gay Men's Chorus. California ; Coming out ; Finance ; Los Angeles (Calif.) ; Sacramento (Calif.) ; San Francisco (Calif.) Closeted gays. ; Coming out (Sexual orientation) ; Gay men--Identity. ; Gay men--Relations with heterosexuals ; Homosexuality. ; Sexual minorities. 17 3323 Atlanta: &quot ; The Wild Days&quot ; I had the ability to move to Atlanta, through a promotion, and I took it. Fry moved from Sacramento to Atlanta through a promotion, where he felt free enough to have fun. He worked in real estate, and while the nightlife in Atlanta was fun, the housing market crashed. Atlanta (Ga.) ; Georgia ; Market crashes ; Real estate ; Sacramento (Calif.) ; Sexual exploration Gay community ; Gay couples. ; Gay men--Identity. ; Homosexuality. ; Housing ; Sexual minorities. 17 3654 Moving to Lexington, Kentucky And by the way, um, by then Bryan had moved to Lexington. Fry talks about the decision to move to Lexington to be closer to his partner Bryan, and soon after they got married. Horses ; Kentucky Kentucky ; Lexington (Ky.) 17 3877 HIV Um, Bryan and I--Bryan had brought, uh, with him from California, he brought David with him. Fry talks about taking care of Bryan's former partner David during his final days of suffering from HIV and brain cancer. He talks about contracting HIV himself due to an accident with one of David's injections. After being tested and confirming he was HIV positive, Fry began to look outside of himself ; he wanted to leave an impact on the world. Hospice ; Human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) ; Needles ; Veteran's Administration Cancer ; Diagnosis ; HIV infections ; HIV-positive gay men 17 4237 Community involvement And I just thought to myself, &quot ; There's got to be a stronger connection to the world than, than this.&quot ; Fry began to be more involved with the community. He started a church, then became a trustee at Bluegrass United Church of Christ, volunteering, and working at 3-4 non-profit organizations. He talks about Lexington being a safe community for members of the LGBTQ community in comparison to Atlanta and other cities. Bluegrass ; Bowling ; Community ; Involvement ; Kentucky ; Kickball ; Non-profit organizations ; Rainbow ; Volunteering Churches ; Gay community ; Gay men--United States--Social conditions. ; Gays--United States--Social conditions. ; Homosexuality--Social aspects. ; Lexington (Ky.) ; Religion ; Sexual minorities. ; Volunteers 17 4808 Recent endeavors / Triad And so, um, I've some like more for like the final couple questions more like big picture kind of questions. Over the last few years, Fry has been focusing on building his career as a financial advisor, volunteering, and his relationship. He met Josh and Scott at a private event, which led to a triad relationship. Careers ; Finances ; Financial advisors ; Relationships Dating (Social customs) ; Finance ; Interpersonal relations 17 5102 LGBTQ+ community in Lexington So you've been in Lexington since 2008. Fry agrees that Lexington is a safe place for LGBTQ+ community members, and although there are still changes to be made, the city is making progress. Love gives him hope for the future. Future ; Grindr (Dating application) ; Kentucky ; Love Gay community ; Gay men--United States--Social conditions. ; Gays--United States--Social conditions. ; Homosexuality--Social aspects. ; Kentucky ; Lexington (Ky.) ; Love ; Sexual minorities. 17 interview Morgan Fry shares about his life from growing up on a farm to moving to various large cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Atlanta. Fry discusses how he always knew he was gay and the effort he had to make to conceal his sexuality during his military service. Fry also talks about the variety of careers he has succeeded in, his volunteer work with AVOL and the Rainbow League and other non-profits, and his happiness in his current relationship. No transcript. All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries. video Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries. 0 https://oralhistory.uky.edu/oh/render.php?cachefile=2018oh557_lgbtq042_fry_ohm.xml 2018oh557_lgbtq042_fry_ohm.xml https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt70gb1xgm7q Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Morgan W. Fry Description An account of the resource Morgan Fry shares about his life from growing up on a farm to moving to various large cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Atlanta. Fry discusses how he always knew he was gay and the effort he had to make to conceal his sexuality during his military service. Fry also talks about the variety of careers he has succeeded in, his volunteer work with AVOL and the Rainbow League and other non-profits, and his happiness in his current relationship. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context 2018oh557_lgbtq042 Subject The topic of the resource Couples. Interpersonal relations Dating (Social customs) Military service, Voluntary--United States. Closeted gays. Gay men--Identity. Homosexuality in the workplace. Homosexuality. Sexual minorities. California Coming out (Sexual orientation) Gay community Gay couples. Lexington (Ky.) Gay men--United States--Social conditions. Gays--United States--Social conditions. Homosexuality--Social aspects. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video