Browse Items (3 total)

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  Pat Turner Interview, December 31, 1987

  Pat Turner describes early experiences as a lesbian growing up in the south, conflicts with her enthusiasm for religion as a young person, and her family’s reaction to her sexual orientation. She talks about the relative lack of gay social life in Tennessee, despite the existence of certain bars in Nashville. Discusses how her first letter to The Ladder became an article, and the response from readers. Describes working on The Ladder, and later experiences after the Stonewall.

  Tags Catholic Lesbians, Catholic School, Childhood, Christianity, Coming Out, Daughters of Bilitis, Gay Bars, Identity, Interviews, Mailing Lists, Pat Turner, Poetry, Southern Lesbians, Stonewall, The Ladder
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  Judith Schwarz Interview, 1992

  Judith Schwarz discusses how grateful she is the DOB exists, the way that societal attitudes towards lesbianism has changed since the founding of DOB, how many women were afraid to have mail mailed to them or used pseudonyms or “bar names” to hide their identity.
  
  She discusses her first lesbian relationship, which happened shortly after she moved to San Franciso, and how this introduced her to lesbian culture, specifically survival literature. She talks about how she was at first intimidated by certain aspects of lesbian culture, like powerful butch lesbians, frequent drinking in the community, and lesbian literature.
  
  She talks about the impact of DOB, and how there was harassment from police as well as other lesbians or women. She also talks about sharing The Ladder around her workplace in secret, and shares the story about how The Ladder was “stolen” from the DOB San Franciso offices. She says that diversity was always lacking in the DOB, and talks about some reasons why.
  
  DOB meetings sometimes consisted of potluck dinners and Gab and Javas, sometimes taking place at Schwarz’s house. She talks about how lesbians dressed at the time.
  
  Finally she discusses the differences between the DOB and the Lesbian Herstory Archives and how they met different needs for lesbians, and finally some of the special collections in the archive. Joan Nestle jumps in at the end to discuss radical politics and the FBI surveillance of the DOB.

  Tags Bars, Butch and Femme, California, Communities, Daughters of Bilitis, Fashion, Interviews, Joan Nestle, Judith Schwarz, Mailing Lists, Non-Monogamy, Pseudonyms, Southern Lesbians, Working Class, Working-class Lesbians
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  Linda Lopez Interview, October 22, 1988

  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.
  
  On tape 2, she talks about the impact of the Dallas DOB in Dallas and beyond, how it inspired activism and other organizations. She talks about Rob [Shivers]' leadership and its role in DOB's strength. She discusses Dallas and the South in General - how lesbians were treated and how they lived. She talks about the need for job security, the roles and expectations of women.

  Tags Children, Class, Daughters of Bilitis, Discrimination, Gender Roles, Identity, Interviews, Job Discrimination, Linda Lopez, Marriage, Relationships, Republican Party, Southern Lesbians