Lesbian Herstory Archives AudioVisual Collections

Browse Items (5 total)

  • SPW486_BUFF.jpg

    Buff discusses the impact of the Metropolitan Community church on her life and the gay-rights movement. Mentions activities in Tucson, AZ. She stresses that current lesbians should know that there is more to life than the bars, but that in her time in Buffalo she didn't feel there were places for community outside of them. Mentions her time in the army, realizing she was homosexual, and coming out. Discusses her time in the army, lesbians in the military, being in Seattle and Germany with the military just after the Korean war. She talks about the differences in gay identity and self identity in the past compared to now.
  • 460.jpg

    Side A: Mary briefly describes her childhood and family dynamics. Mary and the interviewer then discuss the first time Mary recognized being different and her thoughts on desiring women at a young age, yet not knowing about lesbianism as a concept or about the lesbian community. Mary then recalls the first time she encountered the word "lesbian" when she joined the U.S. Air Force and describes her experiences with women while in the service. Mary talks about being a lesbian in the military, the investigation into her conduct, and her dishonorable discharge. After Mary got another job, she started going to a bar in Buffalo, N.Y., and she talks about the other lesbians she met there. Mary then discovered other bars and talks about the scene as well as the role-playing of butch and femme.

    Constant whirring noise that stops about 10 minutes into the recording.

    Side B: Mary continues the discussion on butch and femme role-playing. She elaborates on fights, holding down jobs, and being "out." She also explains the relationships lesbians had with gay men in Buffalo, N.Y., and the bar scene dynamics of mixed, gay, or lesbian bars. Mary and the interviewer discuss gay activism and the difficulties of being involved in activism at that time. Mary also describes outings where there was a risk of being visible as a group, such as going on picnics or renting cottages. She elaborates on her experience with social dynamics like cliques and having heterosexual friends within the lesbian and gay community. Mary then expands upon the nature of her relationships with women as well as with black lesbians - racial prejudice and relationships are discussed.

    Constant whirring noise that stops about 5 minutes into the recording.
  • Rush_Stella_Sandoz_Hellen final.jpg

    Stella Rush and Helen Sandoz discuss personal experiences about living as a lesbian in the late 1930's and early 1940's, Sandoz choosing to remain off camera for the interview. Featuring anecdotes of when they realized they were lesbians, career choices, and the story of their relationship.
  • alma_routsong.jpg

    Alma Routsong is interviewed in New York in 1990. She discusses her early experiences of being a lesbian and coming out. She explains how lesbian literature of the time informed her about DOB and influenced her to leave her husband and move to New York with her lover. Alma also discusses her writing career and use of a pseudonym.
  • 053-03_clinton-nyc-police_a_c.mp4

    This video is documentation of a demonstration protesting Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. The protest occurred on September 23, 1993 outside a fundraiser for the then prospective mayor of New York David Dinkins in which Bill Clinton was speaking. This segment combines raw footage artifacts with more formal documentation of the chants, and informal interviews with the participants. The last portion of this video shows police attempting to forcibly remove demonstrators.
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