Lesbian Testimony Podcast

“I came out when I was 40. So a lot of the period that we were covering which is about 1970 to 99, I came out in 1990 so I missed a lot of it. And it was invisible to me, the whole lesbian culture, completely invisible to me. Turned out half my friends were lesbian and I didn’t know it.” - Rose Norman

For this bonus episode we talked to Rose Norman, the editor of the Southern Lesbian-Feminist Activist Herstory Project which puts on the annual Womonwrites conference to produce and collect Southern lesbian feminist activist writers’ stories. The project collective came out of the Women’s Movement of the 60’s and is in it’s 39th year of operation. Her academic research focused on American women’s autobiography and she is now a retired professor of English and women’s studies who grew up in rural Alabama and now lives in Huntsville, Alabama.

We talk about the history of the conference, Southern lesbian feminist activist representation, the exploratory process of collecting interviews to document these women’s stories, and lesbian culture in the South.

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“First I was a freak, then I was a queer, then I was a femme, then I was a lesbian feminist, I still am all these things, and then a queer femme lesbian feminist, I don't know if it's clear but maybe it's good that it's not clear. My primary definition is as a 50s femme.” - Joan Nestle

For episode 25 we talked to Joan Nestle, Lauren Hortie, Mary Woo Sims, Nadine Boulay and Selly Chiam about lesbian identification and identity formation surrounding the word lesbian. Then afterwards we had a discussion with the archives director Elise Chenier and our archivist Meghan Walley of the clips and our take on the question what does the word lesbian mean?

Thank you for a great year!

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“Cultures of dissemblance refers to a culture of practice within African American communities, specifically that black women practice. It’s about dissembling– hiding or shielding what your own interior feelings are, your own personal perspectives, when you are interacting specifically within a white atmosphere.” - Dalena Hunter

For episode 24 we talked to Dalena Hunter. a Librarian at UCLA Bunche Center for African American Studies who is currently working on her thesis which explores how archives capture Black lesbian experiences and how these materials are used by researchers. We discuss record keeping culture, the racial bias in archival silences, cultures of dissemblance, and the power of memory and history in community.

Look out for our next special episode where we ask our past guests “What does the term lesbian mean to you?”

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“To see her here now with us in this space of joy and laughter… It really worked for her life. It was exactly what she needed and she’s known that all along which I thought was so special. I don’t think you see that in many lives: people who have this core sense of truth and then can follow it through anything.” - Linds Tattersall

For episode 23 we talked to Azra Poe and Lindsay Tattersall about their interview with Gretchen, a trans woman living in Nelson. We discuss Gretchen's experience surrounding trans surgery, identity, the language surrounding queerness, and what it looks like to pursue inner truth.

Look out for our next episode where we talk to Dalena Hunter, a Librarian at UCLA Bunche Center for African American Studies who is currently working on her thesis which explores how archives capture Black lesbian experiences and how these materials are used by researchers. We discuss record keeping culture, cultures of dissemblance, and more!

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“Something broke down a few years ago and we moved to really hard and confusing times. We are still in the EU and we are still a democratic country but at some point everything started collapsing.” - Lena Bielska

For episode 22 we talked to Lena Bielska and Liliana Piskorska about their new project called Lesbian Herstory Project in Poland implemented by their Herstory Foundation. HerStory Foundation includes oral history projects, workshops, self-defense seminars, and publishing ventures. Lesbian Herstory Project in Poland is the name of their new project that they are trying to start, all about lesbian women from 1945-1989. We also discuss the current status of queer politics in Poland.

Look out for our next episode where we talk to Azra Poe and Lindsay Tattersall about their interview with Gretchen, a trans woman living in Nelson.

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“The only reason you would network is if you got in your car and drove to Kelowna. That was the networking, you had to show up. In that was a restriction, but also there was this wonderful freedom becase, wow, to be face to face with a couple of hundred people at all those dances and festivals was really fun. You really felt like you were a part of something.” - Shonna Hayes

For episode 21 we talked to Shonna Hayes, about her interview with Lil and her experience growing up as a lesbian, and we also discuss the changing queer culture in parrallel with the digital age.

Look out for our next episode where we talk to Lena Bielska and Liliana Piskorska about their Lesbian Herstory Project called Fundacja Herstory in Poland.

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“People are making films, people are doing photography projects. There’s a lot of celebratory things that are also happening here to say that the narrative around having an LGBT experience here on the continent isn’t always going to be suffering and isn’t always going to be violent.” - Selly Thiam

For episode 20 we talked to Selly Thiam, founder and executive-director of None on Record, a digital media organization that works with African LGBT communities across the African continent and the diaspora. We discuss the transformative work None on Record is doing to shift perspectives and foster a creative culture of expression for African LGBT people.

Look out for our next episode where we talk to Shonna Hayes, a Nelson resident who interviewed fellow community member Lil about the evolution of her lesbian experience.

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“Lesbians weren’t ok in the feminist movement. And then lesbians became ok in the feminist movement but then lesbian feminists didn’t want S&M lesbians or dykes to be apart of their feminist movement. So, we get accepted and then we discriminate against somebody else behind us.” - Sarah Humble

For episode 19 we talked to Sarah Humble, co-founder of the Women’s Leather History Program at the Leather Archives and Museum, about her interview with renowned leather community photographer Janet Ryan and her Differently Pleasured photography show of S&M culture. We also discuss the hanky system, feminist sex wars, and S&M lesbians in the lesbian feminist movement.

Look out for our next episode where we talk to Selly Thiam, founder and executive-director of None on Record, a digital media organization that works with African LGBT communities across the African continent and the diaspora.

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“We want to archive and collect stories on our own terms. A big part of documenting the history is documenting the history for us, by us. And that’s the big seed of everything, everything starts from the story. Everything starts from these interviews and relationships with these elders and the intergenerational connections.” - Indee Mitchell

For episode 18 we talked to Bonnie Gabel and Indee Mitchell about their project Last Call: New Orleans Dyke Bar History Project. This project creates a digital archive of queer oral history, hosts a podcast series and tutorials and puts on live performances and events in service of these projects.

Look out for our next episode where we talk to Sarah Humble about her interview with the queer photographer Janet Ryan that she submitted to The Leather Archives Museum.

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“Because I couldn’t define it in terms of sexuality, it’s like you would try to define it in terms of gender.” - Interview with Ann, Beth, and Susan facilitated by Michael Riordon

For episode 17 we talked to Michael Riordon about his experiences collecting interviews for his book Out Our Way: Gay and Lesbian Life in the Country. We discuss his interview with Ann, Beth, and Susan and how understanding the texture of queerness has had different implications over time. We also discuss the particularities of queer activism in rural areas.

Look out for our next episode where we talk to Bonnie Gabel and Indee Mitchell and their project Last Call: New Orleans Dyke Bar History Project. This project creates a digital archive of queer oral history, hosts a podcast series and tutorials, and puts on live performances and events in service of these projects.

Follow this channel for more great content! Please share, like, and send us feedback about the podcast.