Baltimore Queer Oral History Collection

Permanent URI for this collection

https://jscholarship.library.jhu.edu/handle/1774.2/66949

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Now showing 1 - 20 of 34

Oral History of Brother Merrick Moses
(Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries, 2022-07-09) Merrick, Brother Merrick
Brother Merrick Moses talks about growing up in New York City and the confluence of factors that caused him to go to college at Morgan State University in Baltimore, where he has now established his life and career. He reflects on his personal journeys with Buddhism and Catholicism, and on the intersections of Blackness, religion and spirituality, and LGBTQIA+ identities. He describes the ups and downs of the advocacy work he has done, particularly related to marriage equality and anti-hate and discrimination legislation. He talks about the history of anti-trans violence and other quality-of-life issues faced by trans people in Baltimore, and he describes the related legal and activist work he has done in his role as a victim advocate for the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office.
Oral History of Ken Jiretsu
(Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries, 2022-07-13) Jiretsu, Ken
Ken Jiretsu talks about growing up in Baltimore and struggling to find and express his true self as a child before transitioning to his identity as a man when he was in his 40s. He explains how he found out about Hearts and Ears, the LGBTQIA+ wellness and recovery center of which he is now the executive director, and how he first came to them as a member of their peer support group while he was transitioning and then started volunteering and working with them and other LGBTQIA+ community organizations. He describes his memories of the Baltimore Uprising and the early days of the Baltimore Trans Alliance, which he helped Bryanna Jenkins and Monica Stevens to found. He talks about the importance of trans men like himself having a voice in advocacy work, and about how difficult it has been for that identity to be seen and understood by others. He reflects on the delicate balance one must have between community work and their own well-being and personal life, and how he has struggled but ultimately started to gain that balance
Oral History of Icon Enrique Allure St. Laurent
(Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries, 2022-03-08) St. Laurent, Icon Enrique Allure
Icon Enrique Allure St. Laurent is a black, gay man born and raised in Baltimore. He discusses how his relationship with his mother, an Icon in the House of Ebony, enabled him to embrace his gay identity and his current role as an active member and leader in the ballroom community. This oral history was conducted by undergraduate students enrolled in Dr. Joseph Plaster’s Queer Oral History course, which was taught at Johns Hopkins University in spring 2022.
Oral History of Icon Monique West
(Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries, 2019-02-13) West, Icon Monique; Carter, Monique
Icon Monique West explains what it’s like to be a parental figure and leader in the ballroom community. She talks about the challenges of being a trans woman in ballroom and about finding a sense of family and belonging in Baltimore’s ballroom scene. This oral history was recorded as part of the Peabody Ballroom Experience, a public humanities collaboration between Johns Hopkins University and the performance-based culture known as ballroom.
Oral History of Sandy Dior'e
(Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries, 2019-01-29) Dior'e, Sandy
Sandy Dior’e talks about coming into the ballroom scene and walking fem queen realness as a teenager in Brooklyn, the ways in which ballroom affirmed and celebrated her identity as a woman, and how the scene helps people build strength, resilience, and other important life skills. She talks about leaving New York, forming her own house in Baltimore, and reinvigorating the city’s ballroom scene. She expresses her deep love for Baltimore and its talent, and for ballroom as an art form and place of refuge for people of a variety of marginalized identities. This oral history was recorded as part of the Peabody Ballroom Experience, a public humanities collaboration between Johns Hopkins University and the performance-based culture known as ballroom.
Oral History of Jamie Grace Alexander
(Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries, 2022-04-29) Alexander, Jamie Grace
Jamie Grace Alexander is a Baltimore-based activist whose work spans the art world, museums, cultural institutions, direct action, queer archives, and community spaces. In this interview, she shares her thoughts about queer culture, liminal spaces, and a “soft power” that is specifically femme. She talks about how she identifies with queerness and transness in the context of Baltimore and how queerness grows horizontally as a culture. This oral history was conducted by undergraduate students enrolled in Dr. Joseph Plaster’s Queer Oral History course, which was taught at Johns Hopkins University in spring 2022.
Oral History of Keyanna Monae Devoreaux -Vorhees
(Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries, 2022-03-04) Devoreaux-Vorhees, Keyanna Monae
Keyanna Monae Devoreaux -Vorhees is a trans activist and advocate in Baltimore and the surrounding DC/Maryland/Virginia (DMV) area. In this interview, Keyanna speaks about her experiences with foster care, sex work, and the ballroom scene. She talks about the intergenerational ties and support networks in LGBTQ and trans communities, and the ways they have shaped her life. She discusses her experiences being diagnosed with HIV as a teenager, moving to the Baltimore, her current activism, and her hopes for the future. This oral history was conducted by undergraduate students enrolled in Dr. Joseph Plaster’s Queer Oral History course, which was taught at Johns Hopkins University in spring 2022.
Oral History of Tyler Vile
(Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries, 2022-03-06) Vile, Tyler
Tyler Vile is a Baltimore-based activist and organizer. In this oral history, Vile shares her personal history living in Baltimore and how it awakened her sense of social and political justice. She talks about how she experienced the 2015 Baltimore Uprising and describes her work with the Baltimore Transgender Alliance, which was formed in the aftermath of the Uprising, and explains how her trans, Jewish, and disabled identities have shaped her activism. This oral history was conducted by undergraduate students enrolled in Dr. Joseph Plaster’s Queer Oral History course, which was taught at Johns Hopkins University in spring 2022.
Oral History of Lilian Amaya
(Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries, 2022-04-08) Amaya, Lilian
Lilian Elizabeth Amaya is a first-generation American who identifies as a lesbian and currently lives in Baltimore City. Lilian is the Coordinator of Community Health and Outreach for Healthcare for the Homeless, an organization that provides comprehensive health care services and supportive services to people experiencing homelessness. Lilian has worked in the service/non-profit field for over 13 years and has also participated in grassroots activism for the LGBTQ+ community. In this interview, Lilian talks about these experiences in depth, with a focus on her position as a co-founder of IRIS Baltimore, a Latino LGBTQ+ support group in Baltimore City. Additionally, she discusses the physical and mental health resources that are available in Baltimore to help its underserved communities, and how she believes Baltimore could support its Latino community, especially those who are first-generation immigrants and/or identify as queer. This oral history was conducted by undergraduate students enrolled in Dr. Joseph Plaster’s Queer Oral History course, which was taught at Johns Hopkins University in spring 2022.
Oral History of Legacy Forté
(Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries, 2022-04-14) Forté, Legacy
Legacy Forté is a black queer native Baltimorean and the founder of Youth Against Oppression, the organizer of the first youth pride in Baltimore, and the founder of BMORE BLXCK. In this interview, they detail the various homes they have inhabited and the family dynamics that carried them through transitional moments. They discuss their experiences in the Baltimore City Public School system and the teachers that served as their mentors. Finally, they reflect on what makes it meaningful to work with youth, who they endearingly refer to as their children. This oral history was conducted by undergraduate students enrolled in Dr. Joseph Plaster’s Queer Oral History course, which was taught at Johns Hopkins University in spring 2022.
Oral History of Danielle Kepeden
(Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries, 2022-04-04) Kependen, Danielle
Danielle Kepeden de Fotsing is a queer community organizer from Cameroon and a member of the Queer Crisis Response Unit. She speaks about her experience finding community in African and queer spaces in the United States, her relationship to her family, her approach to abolition and mutual aid, the struggles of burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic, and her current work providing training for crisis de-escalation as a queer alternative to policing. This oral history was conducted by undergraduate students enrolled in Dr. Joseph Plaster’s Queer Oral History course, which was taught at Johns Hopkins University in spring 2022.
Oral History of Bryanna Jenkins
(Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries, 2022-04-12) Jenkins, Bryanna A.
Bryanna A. Jenkins discusses her rich experience as an activist and a lawyer working for trans rights in Baltimore. She centers her story around the 2015 Baltimore Uprising, discussing the uprising itself and its impact on black queer and trans communities in Baltimore. She ends on a note of hope for a joyful and just future. This oral history was conducted by undergraduate students enrolled in Dr. Joseph Plaster’s Queer Oral History course, which was taught at Johns Hopkins University in spring 2022.
Oral History of Taylor Cormon Foster
(Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries, 2022-04-10) Cormon Foster, Taylor
Taylor Cormon Foster is a black, genderqueer and non-binary Baltimore native. In this interview, Taylor shares stories about meaningful relationships, spaces, and organizations in Baltimore that have empowered them to live authentically. They discuss how drag has become a central aspect of their life. Taylor also discusses their activism via social media platforms. This oral history was conducted by undergraduate students enrolled in Dr. Joseph Plaster’s Queer Oral History course, which was taught at Johns Hopkins University in spring 2022.
Oral History of Cheryl Parham
(Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries, 2022-04-09) Parham, Cheryl
Cheryl Parham is a lesbian and Baltimore native who served as the president for the Baltimore Gay Community Center in the 1980s. Cheryl speaks about her experiences growing up gay in Baltimore, serving in the military, her community outreach work, and the importance of LGBTQ spaces. She reflects on her experiences as a black lesbian in an organization, the Gay Community Center, made up primarily of white gay men, her relationship to Christianity, and how LGBTQ spaces such as gay bars have shaped and supported her. This oral history was conducted by undergraduate students enrolled in Dr. Joseph Plaster’s Queer Oral History course, which was taught at Johns Hopkins University in spring 2022.
Oral History of Andre Powell
(Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries, 2022-03-14) Powell, Andre
Born in Baltimore County, Andre Powell is a long-time Baltimore activist. In this interview, he shares the ways in which he found community as a black gay youth in the 70s and 80s, his struggles establishing the first gay student organizations at Essex County College and Towson University, and his long history with activism in and around Maryland. He details the friendships and close relationships he has fostered over the decades, his participation in an LGBTQ choir, and his current work helping a long-time-friend revive the band Lavender Country. This oral history was conducted by undergraduate students enrolled in Dr. Joseph Plaster’s Queer Oral History course, which was taught at Johns Hopkins University in spring 2022.
Oral History of David Donnell Marshall
(Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries, 2022-03-03) Marshall, David Donnell
David Marshall is a native Baltimorean, a trained opera singer, a father, and the founder of Journey to Josiah, an organization that helps parents navigate adoption. In this interview, he shares his experience growing up in the Baltimore area and talks about his family, particularly his brother, parents, and grandfather. He discusses his Christian faith and experience as a budding musician in his church. He speaks about learning to accept his gay identity in the context of faith and family, the joys and the challenges of parenthood, and his thoughts about adoption. This oral history was conducted by undergraduate students enrolled in Dr. Joseph Plaster’s Queer Oral History course, which was taught at Johns Hopkins University in spring 2022.
Oral History of Paula Neira
(Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries, 2022-03-04) Neira, Paula
Dr. Paula M. Neira discusses her experience in the navy and her work as a nurse and lawyer. After graduating with distinction from the United States Naval Academy in 1985, Paula was a regular and reserve surface warfare officer. After leaving the Navy, Paula began her career as a registered nurse. In November 2016, she was named as the interim clinical program director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Transgender Health. At the time of this interview, she was program director of LGBTQ health and education, where she advocates for sexual and gender minorities. Paula discusses her relationship with her family and her experiences growing up in New Jersey, her gender transition, and her experience coming out as a transgender woman to her mother. Additionally, she discusses the homophobia and discrimination of queer and trans individuals in the US military and her role in repealing the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. She talks about the physical and mental health resources for LGBTQ+ individuals in Baltimore and discusses how Baltimore can better support the LGBTQ+ community. This oral history was conducted by undergraduate students enrolled in Dr. Joseph Plaster’s Queer Oral History course, which was taught at Johns Hopkins University in spring 2022.
Oral History of Jamie Washington
(Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries, 2022-03-11) Washington, Jamie
Dr. Jamie Washington talks about being born into a working-class family in Philadelphia, spending his formative years in South Carolina, and developing a love for music at a young age. He discusses his struggle, as a teenager, between his faith and his gay identity. He talks about moving to Baltimore after receiving his graduate degree and enjoyed the affirming presence of black queer communities and black churches. He talks about his experience becoming a preacher when he felt God calling him to serve as an openly gay man, and the ways in which his queer, black, and Christian identities shape his sense of justice and ethics. This oral history was conducted by undergraduate students enrolled in Dr. Joseph Plaster’s Queer Oral History course, which was taught at Johns Hopkins University in spring 2022.
Oral History of Lisa Jones
(Johns Hopkins University Sheridan Libraries, 2022-03-03) Jones, Lisa
Lisa Jones, aka Freedom Jones, is a queer, black, and nonbinary activist, artist, and community leader living in the Baltimore area. In this interview, Freedom talks about their introduction to reform and activism, their name change, their rejection of the gender binary, the concept of “transformation,” their queerness, and their understanding of the politics of love. They also discuss their participation in Baltimore’s violence prevention initiatives. This oral history was conducted by undergraduate students enrolled in Dr. Joseph Plaster’s Queer Oral History course, which was taught at Johns Hopkins University in spring 2022.
Oral History of Louis Hughes
(2022-03-06) Hughes, Louis
Louis Hughes Jr. talks about growing up in the post-World War Two era, witnessing the racial integration of his school district, and participating in both the civil rights movement and gay rights movement in Baltimore. This oral history was conducted by undergraduate students enrolled in Dr. Joseph Plaster’s Queer Oral History course, which was taught at Johns Hopkins University in spring 2022.