Northampton, MA – The Sexual Minorities Archives, a national collection of LGBT literature, history, and art located in Northampton, Massachusetts, is launching two oral history projects this May expected to last for a period of one year. Trans Stories: Breaking the Silence will document the experiences of diverse transgender and gender non-conforming people, while LGBT Elders Speak Out will collect the life stories of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals ages 55 and older who live in Western Massachusetts.
“The lives of our LGBT people, our relationships and families, and our work with groups and organizations often go undocumented and unstudied,” said Bet Power, Executive Director of the Sexual Minorities Educational Foundation, Inc. and Director/Curator of the S3xual Minorities Archives (SMA). “Whether an LGBT person has been part of a major event or community organization or has stories to tell about everyday life, the mission of the SMA is to record, preserve, and make accessible the historical narratives of our lives. We can help shape a queer people’s history of information that is too often omitted from mainstream libraries and academic archives,” he said.
Hampshire College student interns Brittni Hayes and Samuel Belmonte will conduct the oral history interviews at the Sexual Minorities Archives in Northampton or in participants’ homes. Participants will receive a copy of their interview transcript and videotape, and may specify the level of privacy or accessibility they wish for their interview as it is added to the media collection at the SMA.
Everyone who is trans, gender non-conforming or LGB-identified is invited to participate. For more information about the 0ral history programs at the S3xual Minorities Archives, please email Brittni Hayes regarding Trans Stories: Breaking the Silence or Samuel Belmonte regarding LGBT Elders Speak Out at: sexualminorities.archives@yahoo.com or call Bet Power at 413- 584-7616.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For inquiries: sexualminorities.archives@yahoo.com or call Bet Power at 413- 584-7616
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