1
999
13
-
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/22/117/SPW526_SHANE.jpg
dc4274691977b7cb3730510898e7496d
Omeka Image File
The metadata element set that was included in the `files_images` table in previous versions of Omeka. These elements are common to all image files.
Bit Depth
8
Channels
3
Height
539
IPTC Array
a:1:{s:12:"date_created";s:10:"28.11.2012";}
IPTC String
date_created:28.11.2012
Width
800
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/22/117/SPW526_SHANE_A.wav.mp3
c6611cb51eee16cebe71a227e6876b82
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/22/117/SPW526_SHANE_B.wav.mp3
5924fc8b4d79bade6680480dfe329c45
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
Buffalo Women's Oral History Project, 1978-1990
Description
An account of the resource
Part-ethnography and part-history, Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold by Madeline Davis and Elizabeth Kennedy is an intimate history of a lesbian community in Buffalo, New York. It combines the ethnographic method of a rigorous study of a single community’s culture and identity, along with the historian’s urge to analyze the specific forces that shape these communities over time. In terms of primary sources, this historical analysis relied on the Buffalo Women’s Oral History Project. This extensive oral history project began in 1978 and extended through the next 13 years. Interview subjects were working-class lesbian women from Buffalo, New York who described their experiences during the period from the mid-1930s to the early 1960s.
These recordings of interviews with working-class lesbians are rich with wisdom, insight and emotion. Interviews discuss a wide range of topics including butch/femme roles, gendered sexuality, relationships, family dynamics, the bar scene, religion, realization of homosexuality, coming out, lesbian mothers, oppression, police brutality, race, gay rights movements, women in the military, youth, and identity. They offer dynamic first-person perspectives of the place and time before the emergence of the gay and lesbian liberation movements. From these stories surface the personal struggles and triumphs of the lesbian community during an intensely oppressive time.
These interviews were donated to the archives by Madeline Davis and Elizabeth Kennedy and were subsequently digitized by students from the Pratt Institute, Projects in Digital Archives class, LIS-665.
Sound
A resource whose content is primarily intended to be rendered as audio.
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
Shane, undated (Tape 1)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Breaking the law, Family, Gay bars, Hustlers (Prostitutes), Lesbian bars, Lesbian high school students, Lesbian teenagers, Lesbians--Italian American, Lesbians--New York (State)--Buffalo--History--20th century, Pittsburgh (Pa.), Secrets--Family
Description
An account of the resource
Shane talks about getting into trouble during her teenage years and how her father kept sending her to all-girls schools thinking it would straighten her out. She speaks about gay bars in Buffalo and Pittsburgh. She tells a story about running away from home to pursue a relationship, ending up involved with hustlers and begging her father to help her stay out of jail. She talks about moving back to Buffalo, getting a job, and how things have changed.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Shane (Interviewee)
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
SPW526_SHANE_A
SPW526_SHANE_B
Date Modified
Date on which the resource was changed.
Digitized 2012, September
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="/omeka/rights-statement" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> See the LHA Copyright Statement </a>
Relation
A related resource
Tape 1 of a 3 tape series. Followed by SPW527 and SPW528..
Is Referenced By
A related resource that references, cites, or otherwise points to the described resource.
Kennedy, E. L. & Davis, M. D. (1993). Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community. New York: Routledge
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Original= Cassette Tape
WAV
MP3
Extent
The size or duration of the resource.
Side A = 30:21 minutes
Side B = 20:31minutes
Medium
The material or physical carrier of the resource.
Digital reproduction of audio cassette.
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
Oral History Interview
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SPW526
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Buffalo, NY, Pittsburgh, PA, New Orleans, LA
Rights Holder
A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.
Lesbian Herstory Archives, Contact Designation: Maxine Wolfe, Contact Address: 484 14th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215, Phone Number: 718-768-3953
Atheism
Bars
Education
Families
Fathers
Friendship
Lesbians
Mothers
Oral History
Parents
Relationships
Religion
Sex Work & Sex Workers
Work
-
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/22/173/SPW511_Andy.JPG
9596e58737218d464165a701811357dd
Omeka Image File
The metadata element set that was included in the `files_images` table in previous versions of Omeka. These elements are common to all image files.
Bit Depth
8
Channels
3
Height
378
IPTC Array
a:1:{s:12:"date_created";s:10:"04.06.2013";}
IPTC String
date_created:04.06.2013
Width
504
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/22/173/SPW511_Andy_A.wav.mp3
117de2cf95c8e76a7cfb894ad87d4aef
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
Buffalo Women's Oral History Project, 1978-1990
Description
An account of the resource
Part-ethnography and part-history, Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold by Madeline Davis and Elizabeth Kennedy is an intimate history of a lesbian community in Buffalo, New York. It combines the ethnographic method of a rigorous study of a single community’s culture and identity, along with the historian’s urge to analyze the specific forces that shape these communities over time. In terms of primary sources, this historical analysis relied on the Buffalo Women’s Oral History Project. This extensive oral history project began in 1978 and extended through the next 13 years. Interview subjects were working-class lesbian women from Buffalo, New York who described their experiences during the period from the mid-1930s to the early 1960s.
These recordings of interviews with working-class lesbians are rich with wisdom, insight and emotion. Interviews discuss a wide range of topics including butch/femme roles, gendered sexuality, relationships, family dynamics, the bar scene, religion, realization of homosexuality, coming out, lesbian mothers, oppression, police brutality, race, gay rights movements, women in the military, youth, and identity. They offer dynamic first-person perspectives of the place and time before the emergence of the gay and lesbian liberation movements. From these stories surface the personal struggles and triumphs of the lesbian community during an intensely oppressive time.
These interviews were donated to the archives by Madeline Davis and Elizabeth Kennedy and were subsequently digitized by students from the Pratt Institute, Projects in Digital Archives class, LIS-665.
Sound
A resource whose content is primarily intended to be rendered as audio.
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
Andy, April 28, 1982 (Tape 4)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbianism
Lesbian Herstory Archives
Lesbian and gay experience
Lesbians--United States--Interviews
Description
An account of the resource
At the start of the interview, Andy talks about the first time someone asked her about sex. She talks about her experience going with hookers. She discusses butches and femmes and argues that femmes aren't "true" lesbians.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Andy (Interviewee)
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Lesbian Herstory Archives
Date Created
Date of creation of the resource.
1982, April 28
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Pratt Institute, School of Information and Library Science, LIS 665 Projects in Digital Archives students
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="/omeka/rights-statement" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> See the LHA Copyright Statement </a>
Is Format Of
A related resource that is substantially the same as the described resource, but in another format.
tape cassette "SPW511 Andy_A"
Is Referenced By
A related resource that references, cites, or otherwise points to the described resource.
Kennedy, E. L. & Davis, M. D. (1993). Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community. New York: Routledge
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Original= Cassette Tape
Extent
The size or duration of the resource.
Side A=13:56 min.
Medium
The material or physical carrier of the resource.
MPEG
WAV
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
Physical Object
Oral History Interview
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SPW511
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Buffalo, NY
Rights Holder
A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.
Lesbian Herstory Archives, Contact Designation: Maxine Wolfe, Contact Address: 484 14th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215, Phone Number: 718-768-3953
Butch and Femme
Lesbians
Love
Sex
Sex Work & Sex Workers
Sexuality
-
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/22/174/SPW518_Lou_Jane.JPG
6cd0673c945bf7757f426bfc632b9570
Omeka Image File
The metadata element set that was included in the `files_images` table in previous versions of Omeka. These elements are common to all image files.
Bit Depth
8
Channels
3
Height
378
IPTC Array
a:1:{s:12:"date_created";s:10:"04.06.2013";}
IPTC String
date_created:04.06.2013
Width
504
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/22/174/SPW518_Lou_Jane_A.wav.mp3
b587b66b0fe70fcc015ea8b97a92485e
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/22/174/SPW518_Lou_Jane_B_Partial.wav.mp3
4211a898a9a42ddb251d4b219fd1a3f5
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
Buffalo Women's Oral History Project, 1978-1990
Description
An account of the resource
Part-ethnography and part-history, Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold by Madeline Davis and Elizabeth Kennedy is an intimate history of a lesbian community in Buffalo, New York. It combines the ethnographic method of a rigorous study of a single community’s culture and identity, along with the historian’s urge to analyze the specific forces that shape these communities over time. In terms of primary sources, this historical analysis relied on the Buffalo Women’s Oral History Project. This extensive oral history project began in 1978 and extended through the next 13 years. Interview subjects were working-class lesbian women from Buffalo, New York who described their experiences during the period from the mid-1930s to the early 1960s.
These recordings of interviews with working-class lesbians are rich with wisdom, insight and emotion. Interviews discuss a wide range of topics including butch/femme roles, gendered sexuality, relationships, family dynamics, the bar scene, religion, realization of homosexuality, coming out, lesbian mothers, oppression, police brutality, race, gay rights movements, women in the military, youth, and identity. They offer dynamic first-person perspectives of the place and time before the emergence of the gay and lesbian liberation movements. From these stories surface the personal struggles and triumphs of the lesbian community during an intensely oppressive time.
These interviews were donated to the archives by Madeline Davis and Elizabeth Kennedy and were subsequently digitized by students from the Pratt Institute, Projects in Digital Archives class, LIS-665.
Sound
A resource whose content is primarily intended to be rendered as audio.
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
Lou and Jane, November 8, 1981 (Tape 3)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbians
Sex change
Lesbians--United States--Social conditions
Lesbians--United States--Interviews
Sexualtiy
Description
An account of the resource
The interviewee discusses the time she considered getting a sex change. She talks about religion. At the end she talks about getting respect. There is significant distortion at the end of the tape.
Lou and Jane discuss their sexual relationship and further aspects of female sexuality.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Lou (Interviewee)
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Lesbian Herstory Archives
Date Created
Date of creation of the resource.
1981, Nov. 8
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Pratt Institute, School of Information and Library Science, LIS 665 Projects in Digital Archives students
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="/omeka/rights-statement" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> See the LHA Copyright Statement </a>
Is Format Of
A related resource that is substantially the same as the described resource, but in another format.
tape cassette "SPW518 Lou and Jane_A" and "SPW518_Lou+Jane_B_Partial"
Is Referenced By
A related resource that references, cites, or otherwise points to the described resource.
Kennedy, E. L. & Davis, M. D. (1993). Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community. New York: Routledge
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Original= cassette tape
Extent
The size or duration of the resource.
Side A= 6:37 min.
Side B= 40:20 min. (note: digitization was terminated prematurely due to the physical condition of the tape)
Medium
The material or physical carrier of the resource.
MPEG
WAV
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
Physical Object
Oral History Interview
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SPW518
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Buffalo, NY
Butch and Femme
Femininity & Masculinity
Lesbians
Marriage
Relationships
Religion
Sex
Sexuality
-
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/22/177/SPW521_Cheryl.JPG
28f09a390b7cd58fe2b4f51e4744ac44
Omeka Image File
The metadata element set that was included in the `files_images` table in previous versions of Omeka. These elements are common to all image files.
Bit Depth
8
Channels
3
Height
378
IPTC Array
a:1:{s:12:"date_created";s:10:"04.06.2013";}
IPTC String
date_created:04.06.2013
Width
504
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/22/177/SPW521_Cheryl_A.wav.mp3
145374c764549bbbc57b26f709232795
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/22/177/SPW521_Cheryl_B.wav.mp3
f28971ae075ae051fc517920125aa828
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
Buffalo Women's Oral History Project, 1978-1990
Description
An account of the resource
Part-ethnography and part-history, Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold by Madeline Davis and Elizabeth Kennedy is an intimate history of a lesbian community in Buffalo, New York. It combines the ethnographic method of a rigorous study of a single community’s culture and identity, along with the historian’s urge to analyze the specific forces that shape these communities over time. In terms of primary sources, this historical analysis relied on the Buffalo Women’s Oral History Project. This extensive oral history project began in 1978 and extended through the next 13 years. Interview subjects were working-class lesbian women from Buffalo, New York who described their experiences during the period from the mid-1930s to the early 1960s.
These recordings of interviews with working-class lesbians are rich with wisdom, insight and emotion. Interviews discuss a wide range of topics including butch/femme roles, gendered sexuality, relationships, family dynamics, the bar scene, religion, realization of homosexuality, coming out, lesbian mothers, oppression, police brutality, race, gay rights movements, women in the military, youth, and identity. They offer dynamic first-person perspectives of the place and time before the emergence of the gay and lesbian liberation movements. From these stories surface the personal struggles and triumphs of the lesbian community during an intensely oppressive time.
These interviews were donated to the archives by Madeline Davis and Elizabeth Kennedy and were subsequently digitized by students from the Pratt Institute, Projects in Digital Archives class, LIS-665.
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
Cheryl, October 4, 1978 (Tape 1)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Education, higher, Stereotypes (Social psychology), Coming out (Sexual orientation)--United States, Adultery, Monogamous relationships, Non-monogamous relationships
Description
An account of the resource
Side A: Cheryl discusses her experiences and the stereotypes that were associated with lesbians in college when she first first came out.
Side B: Cheryl discusses her relationships, including sexual relationships and partnerships. She shares her experiences and opinions about affairs, and monogamous and non-monogamous relationships. Generational differences within the lesbian community are also discussed.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Interviewee: Cheryl
Interviewer: Madeline Davis
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Lesbian Herstory Archives
Date Created
Date of creation of the resource.
1978-10-04
Date Modified
Date on which the resource was changed.
2013-06
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Pratt Institute, School of Information and Library Science, LIS 665 Projects in Digital Archives students
Is Referenced By
A related resource that references, cites, or otherwise points to the described resource.
Kennedy, E. L. & Davis, M. D. (1993). Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community. New York: Routledge
Extent
The size or duration of the resource.
Side A= 18:26 min.
Side B= 43:25 min.
Medium
The material or physical carrier of the resource.
Wav
Mp3
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
PhysicalObject
Oral History Interview
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SPW #521
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Buffalo, NY
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
1950's
Rights Holder
A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.
Lesbian Herstory Archives, Contact Designation: Maxine Wolfe, Contact Address: 484 14th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215, Phone Number: 718-768-3953
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="/omeka/rights-statement" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> See the LHA Copyright Statement </a>
Colleges and Universities
Coming Out
Intergenerational Relationships
Lesbians
Madeline Davis
-
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/22/178/SPW497_Debra.jpg
d740104a1b292062746f7d0ebe4cf82b
Omeka Image File
The metadata element set that was included in the `files_images` table in previous versions of Omeka. These elements are common to all image files.
Bit Depth
8
Channels
3
Height
2448
Width
3264
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/22/178/SPW497_Debra_A.wav.mp3
cd4748342fbbe9bab9ed54dcb1a9d956
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/22/178/SPW497_Debra_B.wav.mp3
88c27752f04b6859ff53d63598288602
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
Buffalo Women's Oral History Project, 1978-1990
Description
An account of the resource
Part-ethnography and part-history, Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold by Madeline Davis and Elizabeth Kennedy is an intimate history of a lesbian community in Buffalo, New York. It combines the ethnographic method of a rigorous study of a single community’s culture and identity, along with the historian’s urge to analyze the specific forces that shape these communities over time. In terms of primary sources, this historical analysis relied on the Buffalo Women’s Oral History Project. This extensive oral history project began in 1978 and extended through the next 13 years. Interview subjects were working-class lesbian women from Buffalo, New York who described their experiences during the period from the mid-1930s to the early 1960s.
These recordings of interviews with working-class lesbians are rich with wisdom, insight and emotion. Interviews discuss a wide range of topics including butch/femme roles, gendered sexuality, relationships, family dynamics, the bar scene, religion, realization of homosexuality, coming out, lesbian mothers, oppression, police brutality, race, gay rights movements, women in the military, youth, and identity. They offer dynamic first-person perspectives of the place and time before the emergence of the gay and lesbian liberation movements. From these stories surface the personal struggles and triumphs of the lesbian community during an intensely oppressive time.
These interviews were donated to the archives by Madeline Davis and Elizabeth Kennedy and were subsequently digitized by students from the Pratt Institute, Projects in Digital Archives class, LIS-665.
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
Debra, February 20, 1980 (Tape 1)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbians
Lesbians Conduct of Life
Lesbians--Employment
Lesbians--Family Relationships
Lesbians--Social Life and Customs
Lesbians--United States--Interviews
Lesbians--United States--Identity
Lesbians--United States--Social conditions
Lesbians--New York (State)--Buffalo--History--20th Century
Lesbians--New York (State)--Buffalo--Social Conditions
Lesbianism--United States
Lesbianism--Social Aspects
Lesbianism--United States-- History
Roles--Butch and Femme
Lesbian and Gay Experience
Gay Bars
Discrimination
Religion
Lesbians--Romantic Relationships
Interracial Couples
Lesbians of Color
Gay Men
Hair
Fashion
Description
An account of the resource
Debra discusses her experiences as a lesbian. She talks about her first lesbian relationship when she was 12, how she was married for one day, how her mother knew something was different about her, and how her sister figured out she was a lesbian because she was only married for one day.
She talks about her relationships with women, how she never openly acknowledged that she was gay but if she was asked she wouldn’t deny it.
They discuss monogamy, she was mostly faithful, but she also talks about jealous partners and how when one is accused of things, one might as well and go ahead and do it.
She doesn’t believe that a lesbian relationship is any different than a straight relationship.
They discuss bars and areas in Buffalo that she would frequent: Moon Glow bar, Pearls bar, Ralph Martins, Ryan’s Hotel, Little Harlem. They also discuss dating rituals, fashion, and relationship/ courting roles.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Debra (Interviewee)
Madeline Davis (Interviewer)
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
SPW497_Debra_A
SPW497_Debra_B
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Lesbian Herstory Archives
Date Created
Date of creation of the resource.
1980, February 20
Date Modified
Date on which the resource was changed.
Digitized 2013, May 20
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="/omeka/rights-statement" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> See the LHA Copyright Statement </a>
Relation
A related resource
Tape one of a two tape series recorded in 1980. Succeeded by SPW498.
Is Referenced By
A related resource that references, cites, or otherwise points to the described resource.
Kennedy, E. L. & Davis, M. D. (1993). Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community. New York: Routledge
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Original = Cassette Tape
MP3
WAV
Extent
The size or duration of the resource.
Side A = 29:46 minutes
Side B = 29:38 minutes
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
PhysicalObject
Oral History Interview
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SPW497
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Buffalo, NY
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
20th Century
Rights Holder
A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.
Lesbian Herstory Archives, Contact Designation: Maxine Wolfe, Contact Address: 484 14th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215, Phone Number: 718-768-3953
Butch and Femme
Discrimination
Employment
Fashion
Gay Bars
Lesbians
Madeline Davis
Relationships
-
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/22/186/Andy_1982_April_20.jpg
a320f9bdc95822a75f02593f1aef08fa
Omeka Image File
The metadata element set that was included in the `files_images` table in previous versions of Omeka. These elements are common to all image files.
Width
200
Height
200
Bit Depth
8
Channels
3
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/22/186/SPW499_Andy_A.wav.mp3
78e143db911166c1300c5749eb0039eb
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/22/186/SPW499_Andy_B.wav.mp3
c8c12a11ed8334a9ff18cbd5f6231710
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
Buffalo Women's Oral History Project, 1978-1990
Description
An account of the resource
Part-ethnography and part-history, Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold by Madeline Davis and Elizabeth Kennedy is an intimate history of a lesbian community in Buffalo, New York. It combines the ethnographic method of a rigorous study of a single community’s culture and identity, along with the historian’s urge to analyze the specific forces that shape these communities over time. In terms of primary sources, this historical analysis relied on the Buffalo Women’s Oral History Project. This extensive oral history project began in 1978 and extended through the next 13 years. Interview subjects were working-class lesbian women from Buffalo, New York who described their experiences during the period from the mid-1930s to the early 1960s.
These recordings of interviews with working-class lesbians are rich with wisdom, insight and emotion. Interviews discuss a wide range of topics including butch/femme roles, gendered sexuality, relationships, family dynamics, the bar scene, religion, realization of homosexuality, coming out, lesbian mothers, oppression, police brutality, race, gay rights movements, women in the military, youth, and identity. They offer dynamic first-person perspectives of the place and time before the emergence of the gay and lesbian liberation movements. From these stories surface the personal struggles and triumphs of the lesbian community during an intensely oppressive time.
These interviews were donated to the archives by Madeline Davis and Elizabeth Kennedy and were subsequently digitized by students from the Pratt Institute, Projects in Digital Archives class, LIS-665.
Moving Image
A series of visual representations that, when shown in succession, impart an impression of motion.
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
Andy, April 20, 1982 (Tape 2)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbian and Gay Experience
Lesbian Community--New York (State)--New York
Lesbian Herstory Archives
Lesbianism
Lesbianism--History
Lesbians--United States--History
Lesbians--United States--Identity
Lesbians--United States--Interviews
Lesbian bars
Butch and femme (Lesbian culture)
Description
An account of the resource
Andy further discusses how she came to construct her butch image. She recalls getting into fights with men and having to give up good jobs because she refused to give up her queer image and identity. She discusses her clash with a teacher when she was in school in the 1950s. She describes her relationship with a prostitute and other close relationships. On side B she talks about breaking into the butch scene and coming out. Andy talks about gay bars and places queer women were welcome or not. She discusses fashion and explains why they wore their t-shirts backward.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Andy (Interviewee)
Madeline Davis (Interviewer)
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Lesbian Herstory Archives
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1982-04-20
Date Created
Date of creation of the resource.
1982, April 20
Date Modified
Date on which the resource was changed.
Digitized 2013, May 20-22
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Pratt Institute, School of Information and Library Science, LIS 665 Projects in Digital Archives students
Is Referenced By
A related resource that references, cites, or otherwise points to the described resource.
Kennedy, E. L. & Davis, M. D. (1993). Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community. New York: Routledge
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Original= Cassette Tape
WAV
MP3
Extent
The size or duration of the resource.
Side A = 22:49
Side B = 22:41
Medium
The material or physical carrier of the resource.
Digital reproduction of audio cassette.
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
PhysicalObject
Oral History Interview
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SPW 499
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Buffalo, NY
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
20th Century
Rights Holder
A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.
Lesbian Herstory Archives, Contact Designation: Maxine Wolfe, Contact Address: 484 14th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215, Phone Number: 718-768-3953
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="/omeka/rights-statement" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> See the LHA Copyright Statement </a>
Bars
Butch and Femme
Childhood
Coming Out
Communities
Lesbians
Madeline Davis
Relationships
Sex Work & Sex Workers
-
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/22/189/SPW517_Lou.jpg
77881782b251da6fa101c709966ef1f7
Omeka Image File
The metadata element set that was included in the `files_images` table in previous versions of Omeka. These elements are common to all image files.
Bit Depth
8
Channels
3
Height
2448
Width
3264
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/22/189/SPW517_Lou_A.wav.mp3
faf0ab9876b9876be56ab73ac5e538df
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/22/189/SPW517_Lou_B.wav.mp3
0d8d0633315aaf0a28e696aacf26bbce
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
Buffalo Women's Oral History Project, 1978-1990
Description
An account of the resource
Part-ethnography and part-history, Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold by Madeline Davis and Elizabeth Kennedy is an intimate history of a lesbian community in Buffalo, New York. It combines the ethnographic method of a rigorous study of a single community’s culture and identity, along with the historian’s urge to analyze the specific forces that shape these communities over time. In terms of primary sources, this historical analysis relied on the Buffalo Women’s Oral History Project. This extensive oral history project began in 1978 and extended through the next 13 years. Interview subjects were working-class lesbian women from Buffalo, New York who described their experiences during the period from the mid-1930s to the early 1960s.
These recordings of interviews with working-class lesbians are rich with wisdom, insight and emotion. Interviews discuss a wide range of topics including butch/femme roles, gendered sexuality, relationships, family dynamics, the bar scene, religion, realization of homosexuality, coming out, lesbian mothers, oppression, police brutality, race, gay rights movements, women in the military, youth, and identity. They offer dynamic first-person perspectives of the place and time before the emergence of the gay and lesbian liberation movements. From these stories surface the personal struggles and triumphs of the lesbian community during an intensely oppressive time.
These interviews were donated to the archives by Madeline Davis and Elizabeth Kennedy and were subsequently digitized by students from the Pratt Institute, Projects in Digital Archives class, LIS-665.
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
Lou, October 21, 1981 (Tape 2)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbians
Families
Lesbians & Motherhood
Lesbians of Color
Police Harassment
Songs
Music
Description
An account of the resource
Lou discusses her experience raising children as a lesbian woman, discussing at length her love of children, and wanting them to have a better life then she did. She also discusses her experience with police harassment as both a black women, and a lesbian.
Side B includes songs about lesbians, their lives and realities, and their relationships with children and their families.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Interviewee: Lou
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Lesbian Herstory Archives
Date Created
Date of creation of the resource.
1981- 10- 21
Date Modified
Date on which the resource was changed.
2013-6-10
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Pratt Institute, School of Information and Library Science, LIS 665 Projects in Digital Archives students
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="/omeka/rights-statement" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> See the LHA Copyright Statement </a>
Is Format Of
A related resource that is substantially the same as the described resource, but in another format.
tape cassette “SPW517 Lou”
Is Referenced By
A related resource that references, cites, or otherwise points to the described resource.
Kennedy, E. L. & Davis, M. D. (1993). Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community. New York: Routledge
Extent
The size or duration of the resource.
Side A 14:21
Side B 18:01
Medium
The material or physical carrier of the resource.
mpeg
.wav
Language
A language of the resource
eng (http://www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/php/code_list.php)
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
Physical Object
Oral History Interview
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SPW517
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Buffalo, NY
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
20th Century
Rights Holder
A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.
Lesbian Herstory Archives, Contact Designation: Maxine Wolfe, Contact Address: 484 14th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215, Phone Number: 718-768-3953
Children
Families
Lesbians
Lesbians of Color
Mothers
Music
Police Harassment
Songs
-
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/39/219/EdithEyde.jpg
e5cb5c9b2d31b99b848c88d79f0d3266
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/39/219/video.mp4
e06a7e3b64a47b3ff26c1cccabd86ad8
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
LHA Daughters of Bilitis Video Project: Edith Eyde (Lisa Ben), 1988
Description
An account of the resource
Edith Eyde (pseudonym Lisa Ben) was born November 7, 1921 in San Francisco. She grew up in Los Altos, CA on an apricrot ranch. She created Vice Versa, often considered the first lesbian publication, in 1947. Eyde contributed many articles to The Ladder. In addition to being a writer, Eyde was a musician. She performs several songs during her interview.
-From Gallo, M. (2006). Different daughters: A history of the Daughers of Bilitis and the rise of the lesbian rights movement. New York: Carroll & Graf.
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Manuela Soares
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Edith Eyde
Original Format
If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
VHS Tape
Duration
Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.)
1:57:32
Bit Rate/Frequency
Rate at which bits are transferred (i.e. 96 kbit/s would be FM quality audio)
"16 bit/32 kHz
"
Digital Format
State the type of digital format.
mp4 file with H264 Codec [access file]
Digital Master
File name of master
Edith Eyde (10-25-88) tape 1 of 2.avi
Frame Rate
29.97 fps
Resolution
avi: 720 x 480; mp4: 320 x 240
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
LHA Daughters of Bilitis Video Project: Edith Eyde, Tape 1 of 2, October 25, 1988
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbians, Coming Out, Music, Bars
Description
An account of the resource
Edith Eyde talks about her life growing up in rural southern California, moving to Los Angelos and discovering the lesbian culture there. She discusses publishing Vice Versa, one of the first lesbian magazines, and her music career.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Manuela Soares
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
http://devherstories.prattsils.org/omeka/archive/files/e048cc3f783344484ece25c5d20ed8c7.mp4
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Lesbian Herstory Archives
Date Created
Date of creation of the resource.
October 25, 1988
Date Issued
Date of formal issuance (e.g., publication) of the resource.
September 8, 2013
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
edited by Morgan Gwenwald, Manuela Soares, Sara Yaeger
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="/omeka/rights-statement" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> See the LHA Copyright Statement </a>
Medium
The material or physical carrier of the resource.
Digital reproduction of video cassette
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Video; Oral history
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
MV-54
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
California, US
Rights Holder
A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.
Lesbian Herstory Archives, Contact Designation: Maxine Wolfe, Contact Address: 484 14th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215, Phone Number: 718-768-3953
Bars
Coming Out
Edith Eyde
Lesbians
Manuela Soares
Music
-
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/39/234/EdithEdye2Final.jpg
b531afdb6d6e8c82deb10e13424fb2ca
Omeka Image File
The metadata element set that was included in the `files_images` table in previous versions of Omeka. These elements are common to all image files.
Bit Depth
8
Channels
3
Height
268
Width
359
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/39/234/Eyde_Tape2of2_25oct1988_access.mp4
4692ca90a19060ee13eeebac76670fef
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
LHA Daughters of Bilitis Video Project: Edith Eyde (Lisa Ben), 1988
Description
An account of the resource
Edith Eyde (pseudonym Lisa Ben) was born November 7, 1921 in San Francisco. She grew up in Los Altos, CA on an apricrot ranch. She created Vice Versa, often considered the first lesbian publication, in 1947. Eyde contributed many articles to The Ladder. In addition to being a writer, Eyde was a musician. She performs several songs during her interview.
-From Gallo, M. (2006). Different daughters: A history of the Daughers of Bilitis and the rise of the lesbian rights movement. New York: Carroll & Graf.
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Manuela Soares
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Edith Eyde
Original Format
If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
VHS Tape
Duration
Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.)
01:06:51
Bit Rate/Frequency
Rate at which bits are transferred (i.e. 96 kbit/s would be FM quality audio)
16 bit/32 kHz
Digital Format
State the type of digital format.
avi file with DV Codec [digital master]
mp4 file with H264 Codec [access file]
Digital Master
File name of master
Edith Eyde (10-25-88) tape 2 of 2.avi
Frame Rate
29.97 fps
Resolution
avi: 720 x 480; mp4: 320 x 240
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
LHA Daughters of Bilitis Video Project: Edith Eyde, Tape 2 of 2, October 25, 1988
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbians, Music, Literature
Description
An account of the resource
Edith Eyde continues to discuss her experiences in California, interacting with others who were vested in the same interests surrounding lesbian culture, and being proactive in literature and the arts.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Manuela Soares
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
http://devherstories.prattsils.org/omeka/archive/files/cfb744947a1c8fce1a096d30720f2ba5.mp4
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Lesbian Herstory Archives
Date Created
Date of creation of the resource.
October 25, 1988
Date Issued
Date of formal issuance (e.g., publication) of the resource.
September 8, 2013
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
edited by Morgan Gwenwald, Manuela Soares, Sara Yaeger
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="/omeka/rights-statement" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> See the LHA Copyright Statement </a>
Medium
The material or physical carrier of the resource.
Digital reproduction of video cassette
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Video; Oral history
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
MV-55
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
California, US
Rights Holder
A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.
Lesbian Herstory Archives, Contact Designation: Maxine Wolfe, Contact Address: 484 14th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215, Phone Number: 718-768-3953
Edith Eyde
Lesbians
Literature
Manuela Soares
Music
-
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/37/248/KaiserFinal.jpg
bba1809a5bcdb6eaa376be5fcbb5157a
Omeka Image File
The metadata element set that was included in the `files_images` table in previous versions of Omeka. These elements are common to all image files.
Bit Depth
8
Channels
3
Height
270
Width
356
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/37/248/Martin_Lyon_Kaiser_tape4of4_1987may12_access.mp4
29d5bf5bceb0faa4478e383b8f465a44
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
LHA Daughters of Bilitis Video Project: Del Martin & Phyllis Lyon, 1987
Description
An account of the resource
<strong>Del Martin</strong> <br />Del Martin (Dorothy Erma Corn) was born on May 5, 1921 in San Francisco. After studying journalism, Martin met Phyllis Lyon on a reporting job in Seattle in 1950 and moved in together in San Francisco in February of 1953. In September 1955, a woman named Rose Bamberger approached Del and Phyllis to inquire about starting a club for lesbians—it would be the first of its kind in the U.S.—a social and political club for lesbians. The founders agreed to name it after “Song of Bilitis,” the collective title for Pierre Louys’s poems about lesbian sexuality. Martin was its first president in 1955, national president from 1957-1960, and editor of DOB’s publication, The Ladder, from 1960-1962. She and Lyon started the first DOB national convention in 1960. As Martin stated, the Daughters of Bilitis were "fighting the church, the couch, and the courts.” She and Lyon pushed for legislation reform at a time when homosexuals were criminalized. In 1964, they created the Council on Religion and the Homosexual (CRH). One of Martin’s most famous writings in The Ladder was “If That’s All There Is,” a 1970 piece against sexism in the gay rights movement. Members of the National Organization for Women since 1967, Martin and Lyon worked to combat homophobia within NOW in 1971 and 1973. Martin was elected to NOW’s board of directors as the first out lesbian. DOB folded in 1970, but two years later, Lyon and Martin published their famous Lesbian/Woman. They also started the Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club in 1972, “the first gay political club in the United States.” Martin’s hard work over the years resulted in the American Psychiatric Association’s 1973 decision that homosexuality was not an illness. She attacked domestic violence in Battered Wives in 1976 and catalyzed a movement and the creation of several organizations combatting domestic violence. She was also chair of the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women from 1976-1979. She and Lyon were lifelong members of the American Civil Liberties Union. They were members of numerous other organizations including in 1989 Old Lesbians Organizing for Change. In 1987, Del received a Doctorate from the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality. A documentary about Martin and Lyon was released in 2003. After their 2004 marriage was declared null, they married again in May 2008. Del Martin died on August 27, 2008 in San Francisco. <br /><br /><strong>Phyllis Lyon</strong> <br />Phyllis Lyon was born on November 10, 1924 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She earned a B.A. in journalism at the University of California at Berkeley. She was the secretary in the newly formed Daughters of Bilitis in 1955, and she edited The Ladder from 1956 to 1960. In 1957, Lyon famously did away with her pen name, Ann Ferguson, editing the magazine under her real name. Lyon worked at the Glide Foundation and the National Sex and Drug Forum (1968), where she did workshops and wrote and distributed lesbian-positive sex education materials. She helped found the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality in 1976. She fought against the banning of gay and lesbian teachers in 1978. She engaged in numerous other activities with her partner, Del Martin. <br /><br />Citations:<br /><br />Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Del_Martin_and_Phyllis_Lyon. <br /><br />Gallo, M.M. (2006). Different Daughters—A History of the Daughters of Bilitis and the Rise of the Lesbian Movement. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers An Imprint of Avalon Publishing Group, Inc. <br /><br />Gordon, R. (2008, June 17). Couple of 55 years tie the knot—again. SFGate. Retrieved from http://www.sfgate.com. <br /><br />Gordon, R. (2008, August 28). Lesbian rights pioneer Del Martin dies at 87. SFGate. Retrieved from http://www.sfgate.com. <br /><br />Graff, E.J. (2012, April 25). The Queer List, Part 1: Del Martin and Phyllis Lyons. The Queer List. Retrieved from http://prospect.org/article/queer-list-part-1-del-martin-and-phyllis-lyons. <br /><br />Health Services Lyon Martin. Remembering Del Martin. Retrieved from http://lyon-martin.org/about-us/the-lyon-martin-story/remembering-del-martin/. Lgbt history month. <br /><br />Del Martin & Phyllis Lyon. Retrieved from http://lgbthistorymonth.com/del-martin-phyllis-lyon?tab=biography. Lyon, P. (2009, May 26). <br /><br />Same-Sex Marriage: An Oral History: ‘It never was much of an issue for us.’ Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com. May, M. (2010, February 11). <br /><br />Same-sex-marriage trailblazer Phyllis Lyon. SFGate. Retrieved from http://www.sfgate.com. <br /><br />National Organization for Women. Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin Make History Again. Retrieved from http://www.now.org/issues/lgbi/021304lyon-martin.html. <br /><br />Religious Archives Network. Profile: Del Martin & Phyllis Lyon. Retrieved from http://www.lgbtran.org/Profile.aspx?ID=124. <br />
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Sara Yager
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Del Martin, Phyllis Lyon and Nina Kaiser
Original Format
If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
VHS Tape
Bit Rate/Frequency
Rate at which bits are transferred (i.e. 96 kbit/s would be FM quality audio)
16 bit/32 kHz
Digital Format
State the type of digital format.
Preservation: .avi; Access: .mp4
avi file with DV Codec [digital master]
mp4 file with H264 Codec [access file]
Digital Master
File name of master
MV-7
Frame Rate
29.97 fps
Resolution
avi: 720 x 480; mp4: 320 x 240
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
LHA Daughters of Bilitis Video Project: Del Martin, Phyllis Lyon, and Nina Kaiser, Tape 4 of 4, May 12, 1987
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbians, Lesbians-Identity
Description
An account of the resource
Both Del Martin and Nina Kaiser discuss the end of DOB in 1970. Del also touches upon her name and Nina Kaiser touches upon her first lesbian relationship at 19, her involvement with the Navy and her involvement with the National Organization for Women. They are interviewed by Sara Yager.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Manuela Soares
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
http://devherstories.prattsils.org/omeka/archive/files/a569559896ea63f364efdbf96fa5231d.mp4
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Lesbian Herstory Archives
Date Created
Date of creation of the resource.
(November 6, 2013)
Date Issued
Date of formal issuance (e.g., publication) of the resource.
(May 12, 1987)
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
edited by Morgan Gwenwald, Manuela Soares, Sara Yager
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="/omeka/rights-statement" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> See the LHA Copyright Statement </a>
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Video; Oral History
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
MV-7
Rights Holder
A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.
Lesbian Herstory Archives, Contact Designation: Maxine Wolfe, Contact Address: 484 14th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215, Phone Number: 718-768-3953
Del Martin
Lesbian-Identity
Lesbians
Manuela Soares
Nina Kaiser
Sara Yager
-
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/54/275/SPW540_LesbianHistProjPic.jpg
c81efad3a63b4da9fb8ab02649250188
Omeka Image File
The metadata element set that was included in the `files_images` table in previous versions of Omeka. These elements are common to all image files.
Bit Depth
8
Channels
3
Height
750
Width
1194
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/54/275/SPW540_SF_Lesbian_Project_A.wav.mp3
55fa3e922860b9c3c8e8ff2416a289bd
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/54/275/SPW540_SF_Lesbian_Project_B.wav.mp3
42035b036961aea9c74689ff58f8dd94
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
Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: Related Audio Recordings, 1977-1990
Description
An account of the resource
<em>Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gol</em>d by Madeline Davis and Elizabeth Kennedy is an intimate history of a lesbian community in Buffalo, New York. Ranging from the mid-1930s through the early 1960s, this ethnography of lesbian society is narrated with the backdrop of an average American city. The project is the result of 13 years of research, including an extensive oral history project. The "Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: Related Audio Recordings" collection contains supplementary audio materials related to the research and production of <em>Boots of Leather</em>. <br /><br />These recordings range from conference proceedings to panel discussions to phone messages from book publishers. In each case, these related materials form an important element of the research, enriching and contextualizing the interviews conducted as part of the Buffalo Women’s Oral History Project. They discuss topics such as the publishing process and initial responses to the draft manuscript, the work of lesbian archives in researching and documenting the emergence of lesbian communities and lesbian consciousness across America, and how the research conducted into a small lesbian community in Buffalo, NY fits into a wider social narrative of establishing gay and lesbian identity and the development of gay and lesbian liberation movements. <br /><br />These recordings were donated to the archives by Madeline Davis and Elizabeth Kennedy, and were subsequently digitized by students from the Pratt Institute, Projects in Digital Archives class, LIS-665.
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
San Francisco Lesbian History Project discusses Buffalo lesbian bars in the 1950's, 1981 February 24
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lesbians--United States--History
Lesbian and Gay Experience
Lesbians--United States--Identity
Description
An account of the resource
Side A:
Discussion on the social issues in the Lesbian communinity bar and nightlife scene in Buffalo, NY during the 1950s.
Side B:
Continuation of side A. Only 2 minutes of side B used in original recording.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Lesbian Herstory Archives
Date Created
Date of creation of the resource.
1981-02-24
Date Modified
Date on which the resource was changed.
2013-11
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Pratt Institute, School of Information and Library Science, LIS 665 Projects in Digital Archives students
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="/omeka/rights-statement" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> See the LHA Copyright Statement </a>
Is Referenced By
A related resource that references, cites, or otherwise points to the described resource.
Kennedy, E. L. & Davis, M. D. (1993). Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community. New York: Routledge
Extent
The size or duration of the resource.
Side A = 30:56 minutes
Side B = 1:32 minutes
Medium
The material or physical carrier of the resource.
mpeg
wav
Language
A language of the resource
eng
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
PhysicalObject
Oral History Interview
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SPW 540
Spatial Coverage
Spatial characteristics of the resource.
Buffalo, NY
Temporal Coverage
Temporal characteristics of the resource.
20th Century
Rights Holder
A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.
Lesbian Herstory Archives, Contact Designation: Maxine Wolfe, Contact Address: 484 14th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215, Phone Number: 718-768-3953
Butch and Femme
Lesbians
-
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/246b3841ada65edfd64515d21d25440e.pdf
c9440db6a16c50d540e6277980c28eff
PDF Text
Text
Alaina Zulli
Okay, this is an interview with Maria Maria Gorkhover. On May 30 2007,
interviewed by Alaina Zulli, we are in Bobst Library at NYU, in New York City.
Okay, Maria, let's start with your background where you grew up your age and
a little bit about your family.
Maria Gorkhover
So I grew up in Uzbekistan, which is one of the former Soviet republics. Now it's
an independent country. And I lived there until I was 10 years old. My family,
standard Jewish family, meaning, you know, everybody's Jewish into the nth
generation, like pure read. I have one brother, who is 17. And I have another
brother, who is for my, when my parents came here, like in about three years
after they got here, they divorced. I was like, 13 at the time. And then my mom
was married to a guy who was not Jewish, and they had a baby. And that
baby is my, is my second brother, who is right now four. My dad, he also
remarried, but there's no kids from that marriage. And then they got divorced.
And right now he's not married, but you know, he is in a relationship. And I,
when we came, I lived with both parents, obviously. Then, after my parents
were divorced, I lived with my mom for many, many years. And then about, I
think two years ago, something like that. I moved with my dad because he
lives in Brooklyn, and it's closer for me to commute to school much closer. And
I also like living with him better. So let's see. Anything else?
AZ
What did your parents do?
MG
My parents are both computer programmers. My dad, well, my dad used to
be a computer programmer, but in America, he had a bit of difficulty in that
department. And right now he's trying to be a teacher, like a teacher of high
school mathematics. He's finishing his master's program, so you can be
�certified. My mom continued to be a computer programmer. And she works
right now at Duane Reade. Like, you know, in the corporate office and stuff.
AZ
Okay. So, let's jump ahead to your sexuality. Tell me about how you knew you
were lesbian, when you came out, the whole story?
MG
Okay, the question presents itself, how graphic do we need to get? So I always
knew that I liked girls. And I never, so how did I know that I liked them?
Because I had really graphic fantasies about them. And that is before I you
know, I saw any kind of pornography or anything of the sort before we had
internet and before I you know, had Cinemax or anything of the sort, like I had
really kind of graphic fantasies. Nothing like that towards guys. Like, really
nothing. So from, I'd say, well, I'd say age eleven. I started having these
fantasies, and then like, then I didn't know what the hell what that meant,
actually. And by somehow around age fifteen. And I was like, well, let's see, it's
pretty clear that I like girls like a lot. But I actually don't mind guys, because I
didn't find them distasteful or anything like that. So I was like, You know what, I
am bi, because I didn't want to say that I'm lesbian and, you know, cut out the
potential of marriage and men and pleasing my parents and as important
out of my life altogether. So I thought that, well, I thought in my mind that I
was bi until actually recently, it's about a year – no, a year ago, about six
months ago, a little bit more, when I figured out through, like, I guess, recent,
through sexual experiences that I had at that time that No, I was not, in fact, bi
I mean, not minding guys actually doesn't mean that you are attracted to
them. So I mean, I mean, if that's your definition of bi, it's not mine. Right, so. So
then I like identified myself as basically gay as such, although between that
time when I was 23, and the time when I was 15. I always knew that I like girls
like far, far more than guys. So I thought that I was bi, just really more much
more towards girls. But now it's like it's, you know, like, there's no point of me
�being with guys because if, I am just like not attracted to them. I can take it,
but why bother? Let's see. Let's see. Let's see. Anything else?
AZ
Well, um coming out how was it for you with your family?
MG
Oh, that's that's a drama story and of itself rather. So the first time that I came
out was to my mom when I was 15 years old. And it was this big. Like hysteric
scene, like I was crying and I had like, hysterics and such and hyperventilating
and stuff. Uh. Why I was coming out at that specific time? Because there was
this girl that I loved or I thought I loved and I wanted to be in a relationship
with her.
And even though the smart thing to do would have been to, you know, keep
hush hush about it, and save everybody the trouble, being the excruciatingly
honest person that I am meaning I can't keep any secrets from my parents,
right? I- You know, I, I went to confessional with my mom and the priest. And
she was like, Oh, it's a phase, you know, you shouldn't do this. And basically,
she told me that, if I do start a relationship with a girl, she'll be very
disappointed with me. She will withdraw from me, and she doesn't know what
kind of parent- daughter relationship we'll be able to have. Which was kind of
like a death sentence. So, I mean, because my mom was basically like, my
God at that time, like her approval was my main goal in life and my main
cause of happiness in life, and lack thereof, my main cause of misery in life.
So, I was like, That's it. Like, I like, I, even though I - No, I did love this girl, I didn't
want to be with her. I simply could not do it, even behind my mom's back.
Because I would be, let's say, like, you know, making out with her. And then
with that going on, you'd be like, What would my mom think of me? If she
knew I was doing this? Right. So at that time, I was like, I really, really wanted to
�make myself straight. How did I do that? I kind of I started going out with guys
basically. Right. Any, like random guys. Like, you know what, I don't mind them,
so let's stick to that. Right. And I tried to like force myself to not look at girls –
tried being the operative word, obviously.
So and, like, a few days later. Like, I just could not stand the thought of my
mom being disappointed in me and ashamed of me, basically. And
withdrawing from me. I told her mom, you are right, this is a phase and I am in
fact straight and so on and so on. Okay, so I thought, you know, the situation
was taken care of, so I will make myself straight. Or rather, I will just ignore girls
altogether, you know. Cause seeing as I was like well I can just go with guys
for the rest of my life, why should that be a problem? You know.
So fast forward to let's see, I think it was about 19 years old? Right. Then, was it
19 years old? No, it was not 19 years old. It was well, 20, it was actually 21 years
old. Right. I actually, like began a relationship with this girl, like in secrecy at
age eighteen, because I don't know I've calmed down or something. And I was
like, You know what? I mean, like, I'm not going to kill myself over it. But like, I'm
not going to tell my mom because I just could not live with her
disappointmented, like, presence, right?
But at like by age 21, it really begin to kind of weigh down upon me that I could
not really, you know, be with girls and have her know about it. And, like,
basically, there was this conflict with this girl. Okay, you know, we actually, we
had a very strange on again, off again, open relationship where we're
basically best friends and occasionally had sex. So it was not a relationship
like as such, like not in the sense that most people understand that. Right. And
I always knew that I would have like other relationships, other romantic
relationships besides her. And she also knew that that she was like, cool with
it. Right? We were just kind of each other's support system. Up until the time
when we were both I don't know, ready to go find somebody else or
�something like that. Basically, best friends who just turned out to be gay both
so you know, why not have sex?
So by age 21, there was this conflict in me. On the one hand, I couldn't I was
like, okay, um, well, I'm bi, so I can be with guys all the time, but that would
mean that I'm gonna be continuously suppressing my urge towards girls,
which was very strong, and it was growing stronger, like every day. On the
other hand, I could not tell my mom any of this because either she'll be
disappointed in me. She'll be like, okay, Maria continue to suppress it or
something like that. Or she'll be like, "No, Maria, you're already 21 years old.
You're an adult. You can go do whatever you want. You can go sleep with
girls," but inside she'll be very, very disappointed and ashamed. She'll just not
say it, but she'll think that and she'll feel it. And I didn't want that.
So the question was, like, suppress myself, for the sake of my mom's approval,
not suppress myself, face her disappointment. Either way, not a pleasant
solution. So, after a lot of, you know, mental anguish that we Jews are known
for. True, right? So, I, I took my mom, I made an appointment with a shrink in
the city, an American shrink, right? And I went to the shrink with my mom, like, I
dragged her to it, because I was like, "Mom I need to tell you something." And
after, and, it was like this big, big dramatic thing once again, in that shrinks
office, right? Because, like, I started crying again, and hyperventilating and
stuff like that. And I even had to go outside to like, calm myself down and
whatever. And then I came back, and I was like, Mama, I love you. And I don't
want to disappoint you, like your approval means everything to me. But I like
girls, and I can't fight it anymore. You know, add all the tears and all that and
all that stuff.
And I wanted to do it in front of a shrink, who has a PHD. So the shrink can
immediately tell my mom, no, it's not a phase. And no, you know, it's not like an
abnormal thing, or whatever it is. So we can have the professional opinion in
�the consultation, like right there. Right? So if I tell my mom, it's not a phase, it's
like who the hell am I? I'm no doctor? But if this PhD of psychology tells her? It's
an entirely different thing. She took it like much calmer, actually. Right? And so
you know, and I asked the shrink, like, is this a phase? Like, can you tell my
mom, is it a phase or not? She's like, "No, it's not a phase." And I'm like, "Mom,
I'm 21 years old. It's like, how can it be a phase by now if I've been experiencing
this since 11, 12, something like that." Right?
She took it. And she, at that time, she kind of, she calmed down about it. And
she believed me fully. Like she believed that, you know, that is indeed the
situation. There's nothing you can do about it really, and right and stuff. And I
guess, it also helps the fact that I told her I was bi, because I thought I was bi
at the time. So she's like, well, she likes girls. Let her experiment with girls, sleep
around, but you know, she's still gonna get married to a guy. And actually I
told her as much I'm like, "Yeah, I'm gonna sleep around with girls, party. And
then I'm gonna get married to a guy because I want to have a family," and so
on and so on. She's like, okay, you know, that's, that's not a problem. I mean, it's
unfortunate. That's not the best situation, but you know, we can deal with it.
She's still gonna give me grandkids. Yeah.
So then, it was like, Okay, this you know, this is a much better situation for me
nice and calm. But then it was pressing upon me to confess to my dad, which
I did. After you know, a little bit of Dutch courage.
AZ
Some drinking?
MG
Yes. So, because I was like, You know what, I'm not gonna hyperventilate, I'm
not gonna cry. And I'm not gonna go into hysterics again. I'll be calm, even if
it's chemically induced. So, like, yeah, that was, that was really interesting. Like,
�he's sitting on the couch. Right. Watching soccer. I'm like, Papa, I want to talk
to you. Like, okay, talk to me. I'm like, Papa turn off the tv. I'm gonna talk to you.
He muted the soccer. Papa, look at me, I want to talk to you. It's important. He's
like, I'm listening. I'm listening. Like, okay. So I'm like, Papa, like girls. He's like, I
know. Like, what? How do you know this? Like, your mom told me when you
were 15? Yeah, my mom actually, like, as soon as I told her, way back when,
she called up my dad and she told him. And it's amazing that he's actually
very calm about it. Like, it's not like he doesn't think it's a big source of bother.
Especially seeing as at that time, I thought I was bi and my mom thought I
was bi. So my mom was like, yeah, she likes girls, but she also likes guys. So
my dad is like, okay, that's fine. You know, you know, as long as she likes, guys,
it's not a problem. Right?
So but, at the present moment, my mom has, you know, gotten used to it like
it's not like a big deal for her really. And it's my dad, he was, he was actually a
lot less, a lot less having problems with than my mom, like very much so. I-like
he was like, he doesn't really care, like, who do I sleep with or something like
that. As long as I make a family and stuff. So it was fine. Like it became like
very calm and stuff. But then I realized about, basically in November of 2006,
after having like sexual experiences with both girls and guys, like one after the
other pretty soon, you know, like concentrated. Like that, you know what, guys
don't do anything for me, not really. And, you know, it's girls that do. So I guess
I must be gay then, like, fully, you know, which was not such a big switch
because, like, I don't know, 80% towards girls and 100% towards girls? So not
such a big switch. So right now, I do identify as gay, because my, because you
know, of my experiences. And my, how do I say this? Like, pretty, pretty kind of
concrete definition. Sorry, concrete evidence that I don't like guys. And I do like
girls. Yeah, and I'm not going to say what because that would, that would be,
you know, the graphic part. So, let's see. That's about it. So I mean, did I cover
everything that you want me to?
�AZ
Yeah. Right. Okay, so, let's go back to let's, let's go back to when you first
started thinking about girls. Did, did you think that about gender, about
yourself in any gender or how you dressed?
MG
Well, I always, I never thought of myself as a guy. Like, I always knew I was
female. But I always dressed in very loose clothing and either unisex or even
guys clothing. But it was not because like I wanted to be butch, it's because I
thought I was kind of fat. Like I had, like a, like relatively big stomach. And I
wanted to hide that fat. And I was really like, uncomfortable with my body, like
a lot of body issues. And because of that, right? It's just that I suppose if other
girls are uncomfortable with their bodies, and they wear loose clothing, they
will usually be wearing feminine loose clothing, whereas I wore just like T shirts
and sweatshirts and something that a guy would wear with no problem.
Right? Why? Because I just felt more comfortable in those kind of clothing. So
that has been my style since basically, day one, like loose clothing that, that is
either unisex or when guys pants and guys, not guys shirts but like sweatshirts,
right and T shirts.
And that style it was how do I say this? It was not, it was not determined by my
orientation. But at the same time, if I were straight, like as such, and I wanted
to attract the attention of guys, then I probably would be wearing more
feminine clothes and tighter clothes, even on my stomach because I would
be like you know, you know, why not? That's like show something, instead of
showing nothing. But seeing as I was really into girls and I didn't care much
about guys, I was not interested in attracting their attention. So it was not
important for me to wear tight clothes that would attract their attention and
for me to like appear on their radar as potential you know, dating candidates
you know?
�AZ
Yeah, so as your self conception as a lesbian as it evolved, did your let's see,
how can I say this. Did your style change at all? Did you feel?
MG
Yes. Okay. My style like in high school was influenced by several factors. First
of all the fact that my parents didn't have a lot of money and I also didn't
want to take a lot of their money so I bought crap basically, like cheap crap
that looked bad. Brand name was something that happens for other people.
So cheap jeans from Kmart, guys jeans, like cheap sweatshirts for like five
bucks, things like that. So I look like a badly dressed guy basically. Right so, so
that, and I mean I could have bought cheap women, cheap girls clothes, you
know from things like pretty girl or you know, any, you know, like really cheap,
cheap, like, what's it called, even Kmart, cheap girls clothes. But I didn't feel
comfortable like showing my body.
So my style in high school was that cheap unisex clothes. Then when I went to
college, I started working and I started making some money. And I started
dressing a little bit better. Like also unisex clothes because I was just used to
that style and then because I still thought of myself as kind of always not
attractive, and unattractive. But more stylish mens clothes, like men's jeans
from Express for example, as opposed to Kmart or Old Navy, like more brand
name, you know, like nicer shirts instead of just crap. Right? Still kind of loose
and still something that a guy could wear also, but just nicer, nicer looking
and better fitting. Right. Ah, and that style continued to about. Well, basically,
up until now, and as I continued throughout college, I worked more, you know,
as I made more money. And I started just asking my mom for money to buy
more brand new things, like nicer things, but I still stuck to unisex slash male
clothes mostly, or at least kind of loose female clothes. Right, like nothing tight,
nothing that shows up anything. If you look at me in regular clothes, it would
be like, okay, the only way you can tell I'm female is you know, possibly boobs
�and above the neck, you know. And you know, the shirt could be female, but it
would be loose female. The pants, you know, male pants.
So the quality of my clothes improved, and the fit and the style improved. But
the overall, overall kind of approach has remained the same. And right now, I
have lost some weight recently. So now I feel like I could wear like tight
feminine clothes and look appropriate in them and stuff, appropriate means
good. But I just don't choose to because first of all, I'm so used to wearing
loose clothes, that I'm just comfortable in things that are losing and not tight
fitting. And second of all, I don't feel like having my ass for display, you know,
to all and sundry, it's just I don't know, like, I prefer this kind of approach,
especially the school that I go to, which is City College. It's a, it's mostly there's
a lot of like Hispanics and blacks, there. And the neighborhood itself is
Spanish. And for a white girl tall, white girl, tall, skinny white girl in tight clothes
to be walking around in Spanish Harlem, late at night, in tight clothes. Ahhh,
no, not happening. So like, like, I don't want to attract that kind of attention,
because they are, in that neighborhood, and that setting in my college
specifically, it's very easy for me, like, you know, just by virtue of being exotic
for them, to attract that kind of attention and I don't want that.
Also, I feel like I get more respect, if I wear nice clothes, clothes that are like
brand new, and you see they fit nice and stuff, but they're loose. Because in
our society, women are evaluated on their appearance first and everything
else second. So if my appearance, you know, my shape is taken out of the
equation, then it ceases to be a components available of evaluation for me.
And when people, when I meet new people, they see me, okay, female, but
they don't check out you know, the assets and so on. And they don't make
their judgment based on that, they make their judgment based on their
actual interaction with me in whatever capacity that occurs. So, in that mirror,
I feel like, I could represent myself not as a set of, you know, the stuff but as
�like a whole person, and males would be evaluating me as a whole person,
which is what I want.
And females also because girls also judge other girls by their appearance, not
in the sense oh, I want to like do her, but in the sense, you know, comparing to
themselves, I guess. So, in that- So I think that I'm definitely going to stick to
this like loose but now brand name and nice looking stuff. Because for me, it
was also in my chosen profession of engineer, there's not a lot of women. And
obviously. So and I feel like if you don't know, if you present yourself like in any
sexual manner to guys, then they will immediately see you like a something of
an object more or less, not entirely but to some degree, yes. And I don't want
to be seen as an object. Like at all, even like 1%. That's just not, at least not let's
say by just some random guys. You know, I mean, obviously, I want my
girlfriend to want me but not just some random guy in the street.
AZ
So do, you said that that you dress, or that you don't dress to please the male
gaze? Is there any sense in your clothing or how you dress and pleasing the
female gaze?
MG
I have no idea what pleases the female gaze. Well, I mean, okay, I know what
pleases me, but that's the same thing that pleases guys. So it's not, so it's not
like anything different, but I don't really know. I mean, my objective is not to
impress somebody with you know the beauty of my abs. But, like, you know, to
look presentable, clean cut, matching, like wearing quality clothes instead of
junk. It's like somebody, you know, that seems like smart and worthy of
respect. And I, and I think that, you know, my general clothes, they accomplish
that. And also like, lately, it's clothing has ceased to have very much
importance for me honestly, I do have feminine clothes, and I do wear them
when I go out and stuff. Like when I go into a club, I dress appropriately. Of
�course, like short skirts, tight shit, the whole nine yards. But that's because the
setting demands it. You know, when you go to a restaurant, you know, I would
also wear like a dress and stuff like that.
But in general, in general, like I don't think I dress to please the female gaze. I
don't try to please, the female gaze means you're like looking for a girlfriend,
which I'm not because I have one. And when I didn't have one, I don't know.
Like, it didn't occur to me that if I dress like sexy, I would attract girls as well as
guys, so it just doesn't work. I don't know if that's the case. So no, not really, I
don't think so. I dress to please me most importantly, and in a manner that is
in accordance with the setting that I'm in. Meaning business casual, when it's
necessary, to college, I can wear whatever I wants, but you know, I wear like,
like nice, like, sort of brand name stuff. To a restaurant, I would wear
something appropriate, and so on and so on. So my objective in terms of
dressing is not to look sexy and not to look hot. And I mean, looking attractive,
yes, but attractiveness in the sense that, you know, I look put together. And my
appearance is fitting the setting, and it's considered normal and appropriate.
And it's like, yeah, that girl dresses nicely, like nothing special. But you know,
not that.
AZ
So this is maybe a little repetitive. But do you consciously use any signs in the
way you dress? Or maybe even the way you walk, or talk, to let other people
know that you're gay? Is that all important to you?
MG
Letting other people know is not important to me, per se. Because to me,
because that has never I mean, while that is a big part of my identity, I've
never been, let's say political about it. Like, you know, I've never been an
activist or anything of the sort. Like if people asked me, I would say girlfriend
and so on, but I don't but I don't you know, have like rainbow flags on my bed
�or something. But on the other hand, my attitude, meaning the way I walk the
way I talk, the way I sit, like on a subway. Like if somebody like in the family
looks at me, they'll be like, yeah, she's probably gay. Yeah, because I really
don't have act that feminine. Like really. So, but on the other hand, if
somebody who looks at me who is not really straight and who doesn't have
much experience with gay people, they will, they will not really think gay, they
will be like no no, ithat girl is kind of I don't know nerdy or she's like kind of
eccentric or something like that. But they will not think gay, the reason they
will not think gay is because my hair is long. If my hair was short everybody
will think I'm a total dyke obviously because, for short when I say I don't mean
short as yours, I mean really really short because yours as you know still. Yes.
No, no, no, no short as in boy short Yeah, like that. Yes, I did have that
experience. I used to have like here like this long. This long. I'm showing like
two inches.
AZ
And um, did it, did people perceive and?
MG
Yeah like people mistook me for a guy like so. But actually, when I had my hair
that short, I dress really feminine to compensate so nobody would mistake
me for a guy because if I dress like the way I usually did with that short hair it
would be Sir, Sir, Sir all the time. But yeah, like, like one of my friends. She, she,
she figured out I was gay like, long before I told her because like, she knows a
lot of gay people and stuff like that. And if you want to know in any, any sort of
way, either you're friends with gay people, or you are yourself gay. You
definitely suspect like as soon as you look at me.
AZ
Right. So I'm interested in that you, you bought men's clothing, since you were
very young you said. Did you ever have the sense that that was transgressive?
�MG
Because for me it was not. It was not like clothing was not really divided into,
like allowed women's clothes and disallowed mens clothes, it was like, Okay,
I'm not going to wear men's women's pants for the only reason that they are
too tight for my fat ass. And what is like, what jeans would be fitting for me,
meaning what jeans would be loose enough that they would like not show
anything men's jeans, if there was a line of women's clothes that was, well, first
of all, cheap, and second of all loose, I will get those, that will not be a
problem. In fact, I would prefer them because, you know, made for women,
they would fit better. And with mens schools, there were a lot of issues with
comfort and the crotch being too low with that and stuff like that, like because
of the cut. And it's been, what's my objective was not to, to present myself as
gay or to present myself as Butch or to I don't know, rebel or anything like that.
It was simply that is that was the only option of loose pants available to me, or
just who that is available to women period, that women's pants are tight, like
straight up, or at least in my estimation, that is the style currently. And that
was the style when I was younger. And if I don't like the style, then what else
must they turn to? I guess I was turning to I don't know, straight leg men's
pants or something like that. Which is what I did.
AZ
Okay let’s see. Um, just looking around, you’re in New York city, so you see
women all the time and do you, you probably evaluate them and try to guess,
that’s one of my favorite games. Um, is there a style that seems lesbian to
you? Like an iconic style?
MG
Well, if a woman looks really butch, then very likely she is lesbian right. And
you know, well not only looking butch because you can have like, like some 45
year old lady with really short hair from the midwest who is you know, maybe
�kind of fat, so she’s wearing mens clothes because that’s the only thing that
will fit. And she’s married with three kids. I don’t mean like that. I mean, I mean,
like looks butch and acts butch and like kind of young and stuff. Obviously,
then that would be to me, not an iconic lesbian style because butches are I
think a minority if we take the lesbian population as a whole, they’re like one
minority of many other subdivisions. But, that is a distinguishably lesbian.
Because, any other style is like straight women wear it also. So it’s not like you
can be like, that is uniquely gay, besides the butch.
AZ
Okay….I guess that’s it, that’s all I have. Is there anything else you want to,
anything else you want to bring up?
MG
Hm, I’m probably not like the best interview subject, because my experiences
are not shaped by my orientation as much as a bunch of other things like
body issues and self esteem and socialization and blah blah blah. Uh, so, hm,
hopefully, I mean, ui don’t know if I’ll be a very accurate, how do I say this, like,
representative of the general population as a whole. Add to it the fact that I
like, am an immigrant with an immigrant mentality. So it’s, so you know, so, I
hope that you can find some American born lesbians who would like, with
normal social development and normal friendships and normal everything.
Whose clothing experiences were in fact shaped a lot by their orientation.
AZ
This is actually one of my questions, is how much really do lesbians care how
visible they are?
MG
Uh, well I cannot speak for all of them. And, okay, it’s like, it works the same
way as straight people. There’s a spectrum, obviously. On the one hand you
�have the activists, you know, who march in the Dyke March and rainbow flags
all over the place and so on. Obviously they care very much about visibility.
On the other hand, you have just regular people who don’t really care very
much. Right, or, who cannot be very open about it because of their job or
something like that. Right and obviously you have people who are entirely in
the closet. So, I don’t know if you can say as whole. Obviously, all lesbians
would like to see more lesbians being visible, like on TV or something like that.
Like, that’s what’s up. But, themselves being visible? Mmm, I think that uh, only
a minority is actively concerned with being visible I guess, like the ones with a
more activist mentality. Uh, I don’t have that activist mentality. I don’t mind it,
but I’m not going to go around Spanish Harlem with like a rainbow flag
because that’s just asking for trouble. My friend got into trouble like, doing
that, even though she keeps doing that. Yeah, so, you know what? I can add
one more thing. I can, if you, if you don’t mind. I can tell you what I think about
the way lesbians dress as compared to the way straight women dress?
AZ
Please.
MG
Right. Uh, well, for lesbians’ appearance, like their physical appearance. Is
definitely less important in my opinion than it is for straight women. Because
straight women are ought to get men, who are very visual and for whom the
physical, visual appearance is the make it or break it point, at least initially. So
they’re like, you know, we need to look nice, we need to bring everything to the
table and so on and so on. Uh, for lesbians, seeing as they’re trying to get
women, and women are not so visual, it’s more of a like, they make their
choice like in partner and fuckbuddy and whatever it is, based on the
interaction they have with that person and so on. There, the appearance
becomes less important. So, lesbians, they would, they would probably wear,
probably looser clothing or uh, less mainstream clothing, like more punk style
�or something like that. Uh, or more, you know, just not be as tremendously
concerned about presenting their assets, continuously to the entire world.
Because of the, their kind of target market, as it were.
AZ
And just the innate, uh… the innate way that women…
MG
Yeah, like that’s why gay guys are so appearance oriented, right, because
their target market it guys who are appearance oriented. So, you know, if you
wanna, if you want to like market yourself successfully to them, then you have
to uh, look good. And probably that's why straight guys are, can let
themselves go, you know and wear crap and have beer bellies and so on,
because they know women will not be evaluating them based on whether
they have a six pack or not, but based on what they say and what they do
and how much money they make, and so on and so on.
AZ
Okay, very good. Thank you.
�
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/7f879f599dd03334b803bab3f53fc842.mp3
b8cf5f5e1e6219bd650262988ab32ff1
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
History of New York Lesbian Style Oral History Project, 2007
Description
An account of the resource
The History of New York Lesbian Style oral history collection is an oral history project created by Alaina Zulli in 2007. Zulli was in graduate school for fashion history at NYU at the time and was working with the oral history collection as a student employee at Tamiment Library, which motivated her to document the changes in the lesbian experience in New York as expressed in fashion through the personal accounts of women who identify as a lesbian and who live in New York City.
This collection includes four audio recordings of interviews conducted by Alaina Zulli in 2007, which have been digitized from CD-R by students at Pratt Institute’s Library and Information Science Program. The original materials are held in off-site storage by the Lesbian Herstory Archives.
Transcriptions of the interviews are available, thanks to Amelia Leventhal, Marissa Moxley, and Sophia Santaniello .
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2007
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The information available on this site, including any text, data, artwork, video, audio, images or graphics may be protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. Entities other than the Lesbian Herstory Archive may own copyright of the material. Material from the website may be used for non-profit or educational purposes. However, if copies are printed or displayed, copyright notice must be included. Except as provided above, you may not reproduce, republish, post, transmit or distribute any material from this website in any physical or digital form without the permission of the copyright owner.
For information regarding any further use of the materials contained on this site, please contact the Lesbian Herstory Archives:
LHEF, Inc. 484 14th Street Brooklyn, New York 11215
Telephone: 718-768-DYKE
Email: lesbianherstoryarchives@gmail.com
Sound
A resource whose content is primarily intended to be rendered as audio.
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/.
Alternative Title
An alternative name for the resource. The distinction between titles and alternative titles is application-specific.
HNYLS_Gorkhover.wav
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
History of New York Lesbian Style
Title
A name given to the resource
Lesbian Style Project: Mariya Gorkhover
Description
An account of the resource
Alaina Zulli interviews Mariya Gorkhover. They discuss her family, coming out to her parents, how her style has evolved with her sexuality, how she believes she is perceived, and how she would like to be perceived (based upon her looks).
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/rights-statement">Please see the Lesbian Herstory Archive's Rights Statement and the donor agreement form.</a>
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
5/30/07
Extent
The size or duration of the resource.
PT37M27S
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
audio/mpeg
Medium
The material or physical carrier of the resource.
CD-R
PBCore
PBCore is a metadata standard for audiovisual media developed by the public broadcasting community. See http://www.pbcore.org/documentation/
Interviewer
The person(s) conducting the interview. (For personal names use "LastName, FirstName MiddleName, Suffix").
Alaina Zulli
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed. (For personal names use "LastName, FirstName MiddleName, Suffix").
Maria Gorkhover
Coming Out
Fashion
Lesbian youth
Lesbians
Maria Gorkhover
Sexuality
-
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/3b6e2934aa2c29a6787f08f9f1cf4c98.png
470d68a0cb42c9a70bc231301c941a6f
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/06cfb10da23458fb4e986341dc873cb3.mp4
59b69a05a38b18f23b0e0e1e4c67f18b
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
Digitized VHS
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/c41bfb6019df00245fe5e5b83d1a0cbf.mp4
b102dd7af9e45b5b0fe1d9476ad3800a
http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/files/original/451bd858e19f143b64af9cf92ac2d47d.mp4
b77b68f8299485b197ee71d186824ffa
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
Stand-Alone Videos
Description
An account of the resource
This collection holds unique, stand-alone videos that do not fall under specific collections in the digital archive. These can vary from performance art, documentaries, and other related videos.
Moving Image
A series of visual representations that, when shown in succession, impart an impression of motion.
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/.
Alternative Title
An alternative name for the resource. The distinction between titles and alternative titles is application-specific.
LHA_box1_hermedia
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
Heramedia #1 City Council Hearing Gay Rights Bill
Title
A name given to the resource
Gay Rights Bill Council Hearings
Description
An account of the resource
This is a gay rights hearing with speakers arguing both in favor and opposed to the proposed bill. Those in favor urged the council to allow the parliamentary process to move forward so the bill could be debated and voted on. They argued for equality under the law and the importance of respecting the process. Those opposed expressed concerns about the bill extending homosexual rights beyond government employment, potentially affecting private schools and rentals, and equating homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle. They maintained that homosexuality is not morally or socially equal to heterosexuality. Several speakers share personal life experiences. Eleanor Cooper is featured identifying herself as a spokesperson for Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights and a member of Lesbian Feminist Liberation.
U-Matic tapes note that the recordings include the following speakers:
Harrison Goldin
Feather Keane
David Dinkins
Eleanor Cooper
Abraham Modowitz
female doctor
Gay cop
MOS audience
Interview with Pat Bond
Rabbi Dennis M
Eugenia Lee Hancock
Robert Selden (cut-off after 1 sentence)
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1983 February 22
Extent
The size or duration of the resource.
PT40M32S
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
video/mp4
Medium
The material or physical carrier of the resource.
2 U-Matic tapes and 1 VHS derivative
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/rights-statement">See the LHA Copyright Statement</a>
Domestic Abuse
Homosexuality
law
Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights
Lesbians
Police
Police Harrassment
Violence