University of South Alabama - Bodies of evidence: the practice of queer oral history

Bodies of Evidence

The Practice of Queer Oral History

Edited by Nan Alamilla Boyd and Horacio N. Roque Ramrez

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bodies of evidence : the practice of queer oral history / edited by Nan Alamilla Boyd and Horacio N. Roque Ramrez.

p. cm. (Oxford oral history series)

Includes index.

ISBN 978-0-19-974273-8 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-19-989066-8 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. GaysUnited StatesHistory. 2. Oral historyUnited States. 3. GaysInterviews. I. Boyd, Nan Alamilla, 1963- II. Roque Ramrez, Horacio N.

HQ76.3.U5B63 2012

306.7660973dc23 2011031590

1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2

Printed in the United States of America

on acid-free paper

We dedicate this book to Elizabeth Lapovsky Kennedy.

Horacio N. Roque Ramrez and Nan Alamilla Boyd

Carrie Hamilton

Oral history by Carrie Hamilton with Laura, Havana, Cuba, 20052007

Karen Krahulik

Oral history by Karen Krahulik with Marguerite Beata Cook, Provincetown, Massachusetts, January 22, 1997

Daniel Rivers

Oral history by Daniel Rivers with Vera Clarice Martin, Apache Junction, Arizona, September 2, 2006

Jeff Friedman

Oral history by Jeff Friedman with Terry Sendgraff, San Francisco, California, November 12 and 28 and December 6, 1990

Nan Alamilla Boyd

Oral history by Nan Alamilla Boyd with Cheryl Gonzales, San Francisco, California, February 1, 1992; oral history by Nan Alamilla Boyd with Rikki Streicher, San Francisco, California, January 22, 1992

Jason Ruiz

Oral history by Jason Ruiz with Charles W. Paul Larsen, Columbia Heights, Minnesota, October 16, 2006

Kelly Anderson

Oral history by Kelly Anderson with Dorothy Allison and Carmen Vzquez, Guerneville, California, November 19, 2007

Michael David Franklin

Oral history by Michael David Franklin and Dorthe Troeften with Carol, Minneapolis, Minnesota, June 24, 2005

Daniel Marshall

Oral history by Daniel Marshall with Gary Jaynes and Graham Carbery, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, August 6, 2008

Horacio N. Roque Ramrez

Oral history by Horacio N. Roque Ramrez with Alberta Nevaeres (aka Teresita la Campesina), San Francisco, California, 1996

Marcia M. Gallo

Oral history by Marcia Gallo with Stella Rush, Los Angeles, California, March 15 and 19, May 2, May 21 and 22, November 17, 2002

Martin Meeker

Oral history by Martin Meeker with Quentin Kopp, San Mateo, California, April 16 and 17, 2007

Steve Estes

Oral history by Steve Estes with Brian Hughes, Washington D.C., January 25, 2005

Eric C. Wat

Oral history by Eric Wat with Ernest Wada, Los Angeles, California, December 4, 1997

John DEmilio

The idea behind this project began many years ago, while I was working with the GLBT Historical Societys oral history project. Everyone collecting oral histories seemed to have a favorite story about a particular narratora lesson learned that subsequently informed their style and method. These stories were sometimes funny but just as often poignant or sad. Then, in 2005, two things happened to bring this book into focus. I joined a panel on oral history methods at the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians, where Liz Kennedy and Ron Grele pushed me to expand my analysis of queer oral history methods. A few months later I attended a conference in Oregon, where I happened to be staying at the same middle-of-nowhere hotel as Horacio Roque Ramrez. We had dinner together and talked for hours about our mutual and overlapping projects. Later, we excitedly discussed co-editing a book on queer oral history that would include both oral histories and the sad, funny, poignant stories that oral historians swap with each other. I couldnt have found a better person to share this experience. Thank you Horacio!

Because this book has been years in the making there are too many people to thank, but I want to quickly mention a few: my wonderfully smart colleagues in the Women and Gender Studies Department at San Francisco State University, Deborah Cohler, Julietta Hua, AJ Jaimes-Guerrero, Kasturi Ray, and Jillian Sandell; my extraordinary friends at the GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco, Daniel Bao, Marjorie Bryer, Rebekah Kim, Terence Kissack, Martin Meeker, Don Romesburg, and Amy Sueyoshi; the dean of the College of Humanities at SFSU, Paul Sherwin, whose consistent support has made all the difference; and the folks at Oxford who believed in this project and ushered it through, Kathryn Nasstrom, Nancy Toff, and Sonia Tycko. I also want to thank the contributors to this volume whose remarkable patience is matched only by their genuine commitment to oral history. Finally, a big thank you to Max, who brings an irrepressible enthusiasm to all things, including his moms many projects.

Nan Alamilla Boyd

Over the course of nearly five years, this project has truly been a collective effort, and I want to thank all the contributors to the volume, and also those who submitted proposals for chapters that unfortunately we could not include. Queer oral history research has really taken off in the last decade or so, as this volume proves. I also want to express deep appreciation to my amazing co-editing colleague Nan Alamilla Boyd, whose leadership, camaraderie, and all-around wise and caring partnership made all the difference. Thanks, Nan!

A 20062007 Postdoctoral Visiting Scholar Fellowship at UCLA through the Institute of American Cultures, the Center for Oral History Research, and the Chicano Studies Research Center allowed me to concentrate for a year on oral history pedagogy, theory, and practice, which strengthened some of my ideas leading to this volumes Introduction and my own contribution. I want to thank my UCSB Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies former Chair Chela Sandoval and my Social Sciences Dean Melvin L. Oliver for allowing me to be away from my home campus for one year. A University of California Office of the President Postdoctoral Research Fund helped me hire undergraduate and graduate students to support the extensive procedure of processing dozens of oral history interviews.

Over the years Elizabeth Lapovsky Kennedy, Sherna Berger Gluck, Teresa Barnett, Alva Moore Stevenson, Ricardo A. Bracho, Luis Alberto Campos de la Garza, Karla E. Rosales, Evelyn Nakano Glenn, Julia E. Curry Rodrguez, Linda Shopes, Kathryn Nasstrom, Rina Benmayor, and Waldo E. Martin have been caring allies and friends who have nurtured my oral history work, some of which culminated in this project. I thank them all for being there for me. Finally, my family has remained steadfast with mein all our Latino immigrant queernesswith love and care, making all the difference for me to survive and thrive in what are too often treacherous academic moments. Gracias!