At the founding of the Southwest Virginia LGBTQ+ History Project in September 2015 we decided to focus on two core initiatives: Archives and Oral Histories. Recognizing that most LGBTQ history, especially here in Southwest Virginia, is not preserved within written documents, we decided that recording oral histories with a diverse cross-section of community members is an important methodology for saving our history before it is lost forever.
As of May 2022, we have recorded and transcribed hour-long interviews with 50 community members.
First, check out our Subject Index, a comprehensive guide to the oral history collection!
Then, you can view and listen to the Entire Collection here!
Here are some stats on the project (as of May 2022):
-over 1,000 pages of written transcripts
-Of the 50 narrators in our collection, 30 (60%) are women or non-binary; 15 (30%) are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color); and 12 (24%) are transgender.
-a 44-page subject index
-approximately 50 hours of audio
-over 200 people have participated in this project as narrators, interviewers, and transcribers. Thank you to all!