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Lesbian Nation, April 2, 1974
This recording begins with announcements for upcoming poetry readings located throughout New York City. The next segment is a pre-recorded interview panel that offers insight into the gay professional led by a woman identified only as Shoshana. She discusses her own background and experiences in the workplace and then asks her panelists questions about their experiences and difficulties they face. The panelists go on to discuss their hesitancy and fears of what the repercussions of being out on the job would mean. Continuing on, the panelists discuss societal pressures and the vagaries of workplace policies and the paranoia it can lead to. As the discussion concludes, the focus and fear society has on the sexual aspect of being gay is explored. This broadcast concludes with Martha Shelley discussing her feelings of nostalgia on turning 30. -
Lesbian Nation, April 14, 1972
Martha Shelley hosts a poetry reading and interview with lesbian poets from the San Lorenzo Bay area. In between reading their poems, the women discuss power and equality dynamics, as well as relationships and trying to get works published in The Ladder. Trigger warning: racial slurs. -
Lesbian Nation, September 29, 1972
In this episode of Lesbian Nation, Martha Shelley and guests read original poetry. They cover love, relationships, and life as a lesbian in New York City. Mary Flowerpot opens the show with her trademark whimsical comedy segment. -
LHA Daughters of Bilitis Video Project: Barbara Grier, November 27, 1987 (Tape 7)
This video consists of a brief interview with Grier’s partner, Donna McBride, and then follows a discussion Grier leads on her book collection, favorite authors, and publishing experience. She and McBride talk about Naiad press and its successes over the years and the video shows their office workspace and the multitude of submissions they receive for publication. Donna McBride’s segment focuses on her awareness of being a lesbian, the aftermath of telling her parents, and her later involvement with women’s activist groups. -
Ruth Simpson and Ellen Povill, October 8, 1989 (Tape 2)
Ruth Simpson and Ellen Povill are interviewed in Woodstock, New York. They talk about various movements, including civil rights, feminism and gay and lesbian rights. They describe the day a group of feminists were arrested at a demonstration and the police brutality they experienced and later on, examples of FBI interception. Ruth discusses DOB and her leadership of the New York chapter and Ellen talks about her activities on the action committee. -
Linda Lopez, October 22, 1988 (Tape1)
Linda Lopez is interviewed in 1988. She talks about growing up in the South and how she fared as a lesbian living in a conservative community. She discusses the Dallas DOB and how the membership consisted of a number of women who had been married, divorced and had kids (including herself). She talks about the custody battle she had with her parents over her son and how many women faced similar battles but with their spouses. She also talks about how she and a number of women lost their jobs when it was discovered that they were lesbians. She discusses the Dallas DOB's events. -
Julie Lee, 1989
Julie Lee and her partner [Ginny] are interviewed in 1989. They discuss relationships, lesbian communities, activism and the civil rights movement. Julie talks about her role as secretary of the New York chapter of DOB and her roles in United Sisters, ACLU, etc. They both talk about police harassment and how 'out' lesbians lost their jobs. Julie also mentions her pseudonym. -
Anne MacKay, April 24, 1988
Anne MacKay is interviewed in Orient Point, New York in 1988. She discusses the early days of the DOB, lesbian conventions, coming out to her family, socializing, theatrical productions to help fund the Lesbian Herstory Archives, and relationships between lesbians. -
Alma Routsong, January 20, 1990 (Tape 2)
Alma Routsong is interviewed in New York in 1990. She discusses DOB groups and events, as well as the demise of DOB. -
![[2014SP]Memorial Service Helen J. Sandoz 7-19-87 (side B).mp3](/omeka/application/views/scripts/images/fallback-audio.png "[2014SP]Memorial Service Helen J. Sandoz 7-19-87 (side B).mp3")
Memorial Service Helen J. Sandoz, Side A, July 19, 1987
This tape is a recording from the memorial service for Helen Sandoz on July 19, 1987. The recording is of a religious service for Sandy with various readings from the Bible as well as religious music. After the religious ceremony, friends and loved ones told humorous and moving stories about Sandy. -
Morgan G, Side B, November 2, 1988
This is a continuation of a previous audio recording. The recording is taken in a car ride and it is a letter for Morgan. She discusses her daily routine. -
LHA Daughters of Bilitis Video Project: Lois Johnson and Sheri Barden, April 1, 1989 (Tape 1)
The interview begins with Lois Johnson, who discusses when she realized that she was a lesbian, which caused her to move out to California and take a job in journalism. It was there that she met a woman who eventually became her lover, and they used to play music together. Sheri Barden talks about her social life after she met Lois Johnson, though she did like to party with her landlord, who was also a lesbian, though these social affairs pretty much came to an end when her relationship began with Lois. -
LHA Daughters of Bilitis Video Project: Stella Rush and Helen Sandoz (aka Sten Russell and Helen Sanders), May 15, 1987 (Tape 1)
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. -
Bonnie, June 9, 1984 (Tape 2)
Bonnie discusses rules of conduct within the lesbian community, including domestic violence, beginning and ending relationships, identifying as butch or femme, and domestic roles. Other topics include prostitution with women and men, bisexuality, definitions of lesbianism, types of relationships, and her rules of attraction. -
Andy, April 20, 1982 (Tape 2)
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. -
Debra, February 20, 1980 (Tape 2)
Discusses her child, a son. He was the product of her one-day marriage. She kept him for about 8 months and then her brother and his wife took him and raised him. He would spend the summers with her until he was 12 and then he lived with her and spent the summers with her brother and his wife.
Believes lesbians make better mothers because they know more. She didn’t want her son to go into gay life because she felt it would be difficult for him, she doesn’t believe that gay men relationships last. She believes you can teach someone not to be gay.
They talk about gay men and lesbian relationships and social interactions. She would call upon her gay male friends to be her date to events that she needed a date, also sometimes family events. They talk about marriages between a gay man and gay woman. Debra says that she knew quite a few couples who had done that to put up a front, but that those relationships always worked out well. Debra also talks about marriage between two women. She never wanted to get married but knew women who did.
They also discuss alcoholism and drugs among the gay community.
On the second tape, Debra further discusses fights in the lesbian community. Madeline asks if she knew any lesbians who played sports in the 1940s and 1950s. Debra believes lesbians played sports but cannot definitely say so. -
Lou and Jane, November 8, 1981 (Tape 4)
Lou and Jane discuss what life is like as an interracial lesbian couple. They discuss how white "studs" feel threatened by black "studs", feeling they will steal their women. Alcoholism is briefly discussed. They also discuss having to tell lies to their family to prevent them from knowing about their sexuality.
On Side B- Jane begins with her experience as Fem lesbian, and her difficulty with what that means to her. She talks about her difficulty with coming "out", and then is interrupted by one of their children.
Lou discusses her relationship with her Fem partner (Jane), as someone who self-identifies as a Butch. She discusses her choices in life, and her commitment to her relationship, her partner, and her family. She also talks about her disillusionment with the future, and her lack of hope for change. Lou references Jane's feelings, and her hope for Jane to recognize what it means to be a Fem.
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DJ, January 6, 1980 (Tape 2)
DJ discusses her early experiences with women as a teenager, her feelings of being a tomboy, and her coming-out experience. She discusses her experiences in the bar scene in Buffalo in the 1950s, and describes ways in which women would interact with each other, but publicly and privately. DJ also discusses roles in relationships, particularly the butch and the femme. -
Judy, January 6, [year unknown]
Judy talks about her relationships with three different women and the role they each played in the relationship. She talks about gender identities and one relationship with a woman who wanted to be a man and had very mixed gender roles. She talks about not being able to talk about her relationships with her mother, yet comparing her relationship to that of her mother and father. She speaks about losing sexual interest in her partner and moving from an intimate relationship to just a friendship. -
Debra, February 20, 1980 (Tape 1)
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. -
DJ, January 6, 1980 (Tape 3)
Side A: DJ continues her interview from tape SPW513. She finishes discussing her romantic relationships then moves on to discuss gay literature, specifically The Well of Loneliness. The topic of workplace discrimination is mentioned. DJ discusses relationships in the community through the venue of gay and straight bars. Relationships between straight men, lesbians, and bisexual women are discussed as well as race relations. Side B: DJ covers the topic of prostitution in the lesbian community. She speaks about the choice some lesbians make to marry men and have kids. -
Andy, March 30, 1982 (Tape 1)
Andy discusses the history of gay rights in Buffalo, New York, and describes how it feels like to be open about her sexual identity. She shares some of her childhood and early adulthood experiences in the 1950s and 60s –her first relationships and confronting the risk of losing her job. Other topics discussed include the gay and lesbian bar scene, raids, prostitution, butch and femme roles, and Andy’s experience within the African American gay community. -
Lou and Jane, November 8, 1981 (Tape 3)
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. -
Windsor, July 17, 1980
Windsor talks about what it was like coming out and her relationships, the death of her partner and how that affected her. She also talks about the changes in gay community and what it was like being single or in love. -
Anita, undated (Tape 2)
Anita talks about being in an interracial relationship with a white woman, and the roles of butch and femme. -
Anita, November 16, 1978 (Tape 1)
Anita talks about her first encounters with a relationship with a woman. She then speaks about the difficulties of raising her child. She also talks about the roles of Butch and Femme. -
Shane, undated (Tape 1)
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. -
Bobbie, June 30, 1984 (Tape 2)
Bobbie speaks on the nature of her various relationships, including patterns of sex and cohabitation, being confused about her significant other identifying as a man in public, she addresses the existence of her children, using men after prison to live and make money, attending gay reorientation church, her sexual practices, and the subject of the "Untouchable". -
Bobbie, June 30, 1984 (Tape 1)
She thinks people have the wrong opinion of lesbians, she says she feels alone in the bars, role playing was important that someone should be the more aggressive person in a relationship, talks about how she needs a butch in a relationship, thought of herself as a femme although she didn't dress feminine, describes a "dyke person", bar atmosphere and how she went to a bar every night to hit on the bartender, how much she enjoyed the bar scenes, prostitution, story about how she was abducted and raped by 3 men, about how she was in an abusive relationship, spending time in a correctional facility, sexual relationships while in jail -
Carol, October 17, 1978
Bad sound quality. Discusses that she doesn't think of her community of a lesbian community, though she can contribute to the lesbian community. Says she now stays away from gay bar communities because she is a teacher. Discusses running into students at bars, relationships, family. -
Buff, September 23, 1979
Talks about dating a prostitute, lesbian prostitutes, lesbians and butches having sex with men, lesbian pregnancy, clothing styles, -
Mabel Hampton talks about Lillian and more, January, 1988 (Tape 1)
Mabel discusses meeting Lillian Foster, her wife, Lillian's childhood, and their life together in the community as well as various events they were a part of against the backdrop of World War II. -
Mabel Hampton Interview [1920s / World War II]
Side A: Mabel Hampton describes meeting other lesbians and associating with other women "in the life". Also discussed is her experience during the 1920s of being set up and sentenced to serve three years for a fabricated prostitution charge at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women. Side B: Mabel's WWII era activities, including being an Air Raid Warden in Harlem, and meeting married women who ""came out"" during their husband's absence due to the war." -
Mabel Hampton Life Stories, November 20, 1978 (Tape 1)
Mabel discusses the importance of lesbian writing and how she considers being a lesbian to be the most important aspect in shaping her life. She goes on to give a description of her childhood. She also describes the the girl with whom she had her first lesbian experience. -
Mabel Hampton Interview [Lillian Foster / Femininity]
Oral history interview of Mabel Hampton. Mabel talks about Lilian Foster, her partner, that she has never dated any man, and is a feminine type of lady who likes to dress up. -
Mabel Hampton, 1988 (Tape 1)
Mabel discusses her early life as a lesbian in the Village between the two world wars, including the rooming house where she lived and the parties she attended. She describes how women dressed, what they ate at the parties, what they did at the parties, including dancing, the records they listened to, and the general social life of these parties. She describes the interracial relations between white and black lesbians. She also discusses the language lesbians used to describe themselves at the time, including "bulldaggers", "lady lovers", and "butches". She also tells the story of a large lesbian marriage ceremony in Central Park West, officated by a gay minister named Rev. Monroe and how the couple managed to get an offical marriage certificate. She also discusses gay life in Harlem and the New York City drag balls. -
Mabel Hampton's Story, July, 1986 (Tape 4)
Mabel describes her life after being released from Bedford Hills, relationships with women in the early 20th century, economic and working situation, and more details about her family history (including the murder of her mother, the death of her father, Mabel's rape by her uncle). -
Mabel Hampton, 1981 (Tape 1)
Oral history interview of Mabel Hampton. Mabel discusses her relationships during her twenties, including how and why she chose her sexual partners and her relationships with married women. She relates a story about being caught with her partner's husband and hiding under the bed. -
Mabel Hampton Interview [Coney Island / Mildred]
Oral history interview of Mabel Hampton. Side A: Mabel discusses Coney Island, and her relationships with women, including Mildred Mitchell. -
Mabel Hampton Interview [The Twenties and Life With Lillian]
Oral history interview of Mabel Hampton. Mabel Hampton reminisces about her life in the early 1920s. Mabel talks about going to Coney Island, cabarets, and various parties around New York City where women could meet other women. She discusses her friends and relationships with particular emphasis on Lillian Foster. -
Mabel Hampton Singing and Talking
Oral history interview with Mabel Hampton. Side A: Mabel sings and talks about her life with Lillian Foster, and stories from her youth. Side B: She describes her life in Jersey City, Coney Island and the rape by her uncle. She also talks about the pitfalls of falling in love, and being a working woman at 80 years old. -
Mabel Hampton Interview [Coming out / Lillian]
Oral history interview of Mabel Hampton. Mabel talks about her childhood; coming out with a woman she met at Coney Island; her relationship with Lillian Foster; the LHA and her respect for Joan Nestle and Deborah Edel. -
Mabel Hampton Interview [Lillian Foster / Youth]
Oral history interview with Mabel Hampton. Mabel tells stories of different women she dated and how she met Lillian Foster, who would be her partner from 1932-1978. She also talks about friends and jobs she had in her youth. -
Mabel at 85 (Tape 1)
Interview of Mabel Hampton. Mabel discusses her life with Lillian Foster, the lesbian movement, and performing and singing. -
Mabel Hampton Interview [Marriage / Jealousy]
Oral history interview of Mabel Hampton. Mabel discusses lesbian marriage in the 1930s and 1940s, including stories of women getting married and where the ceremonies were. She tells stories about women she knew who had husbands and families, jealousy among women, and passion. She talks about her own experiences with passion and jealousy, including her crushes and relationships. She discusses her first relationship with a white woman, women she had crushes on, women she felt threatened by, her relationship with Lillian, and an experience at a "party house" in Bedford Hills. At the end of the tape there is a discussion about Lillian's tombstone and what to put on it. -
Mabel Hampton Interview [Stories of Performing / Singing]
Oral history interview of Mabel Hampton. Mabel discusses meeting her partner Lillian Foster in 1932, whom she was with for 40 years until her passing in 1979. Mabel also mentions highlights of her professional career including performing at the World's Fair (perhaps 1939 World's Fair in New York), Carnegie Hall and Coney Island. Mabel also recounts a story involving an incident with a classmate in her youth. The tape finishes with a rendition of "My Buddy", sung by an unidentified vocalist and pianist -
Mabel Hampton Interview [Married Women / Singing]
Oral history interview with Mabel Hampton. Side A: Mabel discusses relationships she had with married women. She also discusses what she wore when she was in her early 20s and about her feelings about the openness of lesbians today. Side B: Mabel sings two songs- "My Buddy" and "Come to Me". -
Mabel Hampton Interview [New Jersey / Singing]
Oral history interview of Mabel Hampton. Side A: Mabel tells the story of her arrival in New Jersey, and how she found the people who first took her there. Side B: Mabel sings the American popular song, "My Buddy", and also explains how she left her uncle in New York and went to New Jersey. She talks in detail about the first couple days that she spent in a home in Jersey City, and her reticence to discuss details about her origins with the people that took her in. Additional discussion includes a description of the first time she was kissed by a woman, and why she didn't pursue relationships with married women. -
Mabel Hampton, Lillian Foster, 1976 (Tape 1)
Audio cassette. Oral History Interview of Mabel Hampton. Mabel discusses her first girlfriend, a white woman she met while working at a girl's school. She also discusses her three year relationship with a married woman she worked for as a domestic worker, whom she considers her first love. In addition, she discusses her life as a dancer and her trips to a private lesbian club, frequented by notable women. She then relates how she was briefly abducted, attacked and robbed, and how she escaped and how her friends sought revenge on her attackers. -
Dorothy, October 26, 1981 (Tape 1)
Side A
Dorothy discusses lesbians in the military during World War II with regard to her friend Betty, a lesbian marine who feared her phone was tapped. She refers to it as a 'witch hunt'. Dorothy discusses lesbian bars in Buffalo in the 1940s -1950s, and talks about friendships and butch and femme roles.
Side B
Dorothy discusses her break up with her girlfriend of 13 years, Charlotte. She talks about their courtship, sexuality, home life, and their families, who were never formally told they were a couple. While talking about the break up she mentions the deed to a cottage they shared and losing personal property in the breakup. Dorothy mentions seeking help from a lawyer and a lesbian psychologist in the 1950s. Dorothy discusses that she once considered suicide after a breakup.
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Phil, January 9, 1980
Side 3: Phil begins the interview by discussing the dynamics of living with her lover and husband under the same roof, as well her lack of shame or guilt in being gay. She then talks about guilt among other lesbians she knew. Related to this, she discusses reasons people were not public about their lesbian identity, including work and family commitments. She spends the majority of this side of the tape talking about her long-term, intimate relationship with her best friend. She discusses the difference between butch and femme friends, as well as the distinct features of a close friend versus a lover. -
Judy T., 1978
Judy discusses butch and femme identities, social interactions, and role-play within relationships. She expresses relief over how these once rigid demarcations of identity have become more flexible within the lesbian community. Later, however, she notes "class" differences that continue to striate lesbians as a social group.
The social conditions, the acceptance of lesbians, and the "openness" of homosexuals are compared between New York, Florida, and Toronto. References are made to anti-gay activist Anita Bryant and others who put social pressure on lesbians to stay closeted.
Additionally, Judy touches upon negotiating workplace discrimination and "nosy" neighbors. She briefly mentions her relationship with her family and what it was like growing up in Buffalo.
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Phil, January 18, 1980
Phil talks about being in a relationship with another woman and how she provided for her. She also goes on to talk about how other butch femmes provided for their partners and what would happen when they would break up. Phil further goes on to talk about gay literature and her problems with it. She also discusses gay bars and the lack of support for them. -
Dorothy, October 26, 1981 (Tape 2)
Side A
Dorothy discusses how women met one another, sexuality, and her various relationships. Particular focus is on her 10 year relationship with her girlfriend during the mid 1950s to mid 1960s.
Side B
Dorothy discusses how she feels about children and the fact that she never any. She gives her opinion on two women raising a child, and talks about her friends who are now married to men who raised children. In addition, she continues her thoughts on sexuality and butch-femme roles.
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Dorothy, October 2, 1981 (Tape 2)
Dorothy talks generally of leisure activities, relationships, and sexual relations. She then talks at length about one long-term relationship with Harriette, mentioning their business, break up, life-long friendship, and Harriettes other relationships.
She talks first of weekend activities or leisure activities such as house parties, picnics, and going to bars. She talks in general about sexual relations, mentioning "daisy chain" sex, and attitudes towards sex and equality in love-making. She talks in general about long-term relationships and breaking up. She then answers questions and talks at length about her long-term relationship with Harriette, their break up and lasting friendship. She mentions their first car and the business they owned together. She talks of monogamy. She talks of Harriette's later marriage and other relationships. Dorothy talks of her opinion of bi-sexuality and of Harriette's marriage and relationships.
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Mary T., July 7, 1978 (Tape 1)
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. -
Linda, November 19, 1978 (Tape 2)
Linda discusses work and how her coworkers knew that she is a lesbian, which did not bother them. She recalls beginning to wear men's clothes to work in the 1970s when women began to wear pants. Linda discusses her relationship, and how her life centers around her lover. She believes that the younger generation is less monogamous than hers. Linda also discusses butch and femme dynamics in relationships.
The sound quality is poor in the beginning. The tape cuts off abruptly at the end. -
Joan, September 11, 1978 (Tape 2)
Joan discusses permanent relationships and other lesbians' relationships, dating process, how she and others approach lesbians they are interested in, and terminologies in dating (example: when do you start "going" with someone, and is it actually called "going"?). She identifies herself first as a lesbian, second as an African American. She talks about racism in the white lesbian community and the acceptance of black lesbians in black communities, which she says has to do with class. She talks about the black movement and gay/women's liberation in Buffalo. She describes how she's dressed. -
Pat G., May 21, [year unknown] (Tape 2)
Pat shows family photos. She says several of her family members were gay, including her mother and brother. She talks about bars, the 557 and 217, with racially mixed clientele. She describes violence when straight men tried to dance with gay women. She mentions other favorite bars from the 1950s: the Chesterfield, the KittyCat, Club Coco, the 469. Pat describes her relationships, many of which involved "messing around on and off" for many years. She describes coming out to her mother at age 13, and talks about the "white girls from Canada" (lesbians) who were her mother's friends. -
Dorothy, October 2, 1981 (Tape 1)
Side A: Dorothy discusses her personal life and how she came to discover that she was a lesbian. She talks about her marriage and separation. She discusses her relationships with women, all of which were long-term. Dorothy talks about her job in engineering as a tool designer and the fact that she performed a man's work for a man's salary. She discusses lesbian social life during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s and names several popular bars including Eddy's Tavern, Ralph Martin. She talks about her developing alcoholism and the prominence of this disease among lesbians in general, perhaps as a result of their uncertainty about life. Dorothy also talks about butch and femme roles in lesbianism, stating that she doesn't identify herself with either role despite the fact that the butches identified her as one of them.
Side B: Dorothy continues the discussion of roles in lesbianism and the division between the two groups in bars. She says that her "crowd" did not distinguish between these two groups and she ultimately stopped going to bars, partly as a result of the need for role division. She discusses in some depth her problem with alcohol and talks about her membership in Alcoholics Anonymous. She talks about how she decided that she was a lesbian and gives further details about her first relationship. She also speculates on whether or not other people knew she was a lesbian, including her mother and acquaintances such as her landlord. She says that she has never had any problems with people discriminating against her. Dorothy also continues to talk about the social dynamics of bars in Buffalo. -
Pat G., May 21, [year unknown] (Tape 1)
Side A: Pat discusses her experiences as an African American lesbian. She developed friendships and relationships with both white and black gay women in the 1950s. She denies there were any racial tension in the Buffalo lesbian community; Pat says her experience was very inclusive. She also discusses experiencing police harassment, but says that she longer experiences discrimination from law enforcement. Pat discusses her wardrobe in the 1950s, which was composed of mens' clothing, and where she used to shop.
Side B: Pat discusses her friendship and romantic relationship with Jerry Jones, a male impersonator, who was well known in the 1950s Buffalo lesbian community. Pat discusses her move to Albany, N.Y., in the late 1950s and the birth of her daughter in 1957. She also mentions her experiences at after-hour bars which were only open to African Americans. While she used to frequent them in her early years, she no longer goes. Pat identifies as a butch lesbian and discusses the differences between butches and femmes. When she was younger she did not allow her partner to touch her during sex, but is much more open to the idea now. According to Pat, many butch lesbians did not receive sexual contact from their partners. -
Paula, January 18, 1990 (Tape 2)
Paula describes the absence of love and romance in her relationships with women, but later in the interviews describes a relationship after her divorce. She mentions one-night stands and sexual experiences she had with friends, and the importance of these friendships to her. Paula mentions that she was married and had children, and would go out to bars at night with her friends or alone. -
Mary K., December 12, 1981
Side A: Mary discusses her experiences in the gay community in Buffalo in the 1950s. She discusses in detail the gay bar scene and describes the clientele at the Carousel, Bingo's, and the Chesterfield. The interviewee also describes the dynamic of the relationships she experienced and observed in terms of both race and gender identity. Mary also discusses prostitution in the Buffalo community during the 1950s. She describes some of her own sexual and relationship experiences.
Side B: Continuing the conversation from Side A, Mary discusses in more detail the types of people she observed in the various bars in Buffalo, as well as her family. She explains that she got along with her family, but never came out to them, in spite of which her father never questioned her about her relationships or pressured her to get married. She also discusses the socio-economic status of various gay communities throughout Buffalo. Both the interviewer and the interviewee discuss butch and femme identities within the larger context of the lesbian community in Buffalo. Mary speaks in more detail about her social experiences. -
Pat and DJ, November 11, 1986 (Tape 1)
Side A: Liz and Madeline ask Pat and DJ for feedback on a draft of "Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold." Pat claims the book paints too rosy a picture of lesbian life, underplaying the prejudice most lesbians encountered in the 1940s and '50s. Both talk about the Buffalo bar scene in the 1940s and '50s: mentioned are Carousel, Bingo's, the Chesterfield, Ralph Martin's, the Mardi Gras, and the Midtown. The discussion shifts to relationships, faithfulness, and prostitutes.
Recording has loud feedback sounds and squeaks at the beginning.
Side B: Pat and DJ discuss bar denizens vs. lesbians who did not frequent bars and the "class" distinction there, and also the way non-butch lesbians looked down on butches. DJ describes how her long-term relationships were analogous to marriage, where she was the breadwinner and her partners were housewives who perhaps worked but did not "provide." Both discuss the fact that in the 1940s and '50s butches had the freedom to have affairs whereas femmes were expected to be faithful. This created an atmosphere of mistrust in which monogamous long-term relationships became very difficult.
Recording has loud squeaks at the beginning, hisses throughout, and cuts off abruptly at the end.