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Smith, T. Love, Kassey Kreer Nov 2023

Smith, T. Love, Kassey Kreer

Querying the Past: LGBTQ Maine Oral History Project Collection

T Love Smith is a 46 year old born in Lincoln, ME, who identifies as non-binary and queer. After coming out to their mom at age 19, who had also come out as gay when T was 5, they were met with an unsupportive, negative response. Going through a tough childhood filled with alcohol abuse and no community for T to confide in about their gender/sexual identity, T found themselves in toxic relationships in their early adulthood. Eventually they were able to come to terms with their identity and came out as non-binary. T discussed their time in the military …


Burdin, Johannah, Samantha Rouillard Nov 2023

Burdin, Johannah, Samantha Rouillard

Querying the Past: LGBTQ Maine Oral History Project Collection

Johannah Burdin shares her story as a lesbian/queer woman experiencing southern Maine in the 1990s. Her story touches on topics involving coming out, relationships, a traumatic incident that left her disabled, activism, and much more. She was active in her youth in spreading awareness on the AIDS/HIV crisis, education on safe sex, and spent her evenings at popular Portland gay bars, like Sister’s Bar and Limelight/The Underground. Although she is not much into drinking, she recognized these were some of the few spots queer people could go to make community and relationships. Johannah also shares her story of becoming a …


Spadafore, Sampson, Benjamin Lachapelle Nov 2023

Spadafore, Sampson, Benjamin Lachapelle

Querying the Past: LGBTQ Maine Oral History Project Collection

Sampson Spadafore is a 27-year-old queer, transmasculine person who currently lives in Westbrook, Maine. They are originally from Syracuse, New York, and attended Nazareth College in Rochester, New York. They graduated with a degree in musical theater. Spadafore discusses shifts in their gender self-presentation and gender fluidity as well as media erasure of trans men. They then moved to Portland, Maine, to work for Maine Boys to Men and have also worked with Speak About It; Maine Renters United; and Democratic Socialists of America. A political current focus is using social media and art to raise awareness about Palestine. Writing …


Poulin-Burrage, Edward "Teddy", Brendan Mcbrine Nov 2023

Poulin-Burrage, Edward "Teddy", Brendan Mcbrine

Querying the Past: LGBTQ Maine Oral History Project Collection

Edward “Teddy” Poulin-Burrage is a biracial queer man who has lived in the Portland area for just about his entire life. Teddy has been deeply involved in the world of activism for more than half his life at this point, including with the Southern Maine Workers Center, Sexual Assault Response Services, Portland Racial Justice Congress, Pride Portland, Equality Maine, and other groups. Teddy has mostly done behind the scenes work for these organizations, usually focusing on coalition-building and forging relationships with other organizers. On top of this, Teddy has been a regular in the local gay bar scene for quite …


Leighton-Cory, Jocelyn, Bella Shannon Nov 2023

Leighton-Cory, Jocelyn, Bella Shannon

Querying the Past: LGBTQ Maine Oral History Project Collection

Jocelyn identifies as a Queer woman but also aligns with the label Gender-Queer. They are 40 years old and currently live in the city of South Portland where they serve as a member on the City Council and also work as a managing director at Space Gallery in downtown Portland. Jocelyn was born in Bangor, Maine, and lived there for a year before moving briefly to South Princeton, Maine, and eventually settling in Princeton, Maine, where they grew up. Jocelyn was raised by their single mother along with their older brother and younger sister. They received their B.A. in Arts …


Parker, Heidi, Tegan Bryne Nov 2023

Parker, Heidi, Tegan Bryne

Querying the Past: LGBTQ Maine Oral History Project Collection

Heidi Parker is a 47-year-old lesbian, who uses she/her pronouns. Heidi Parker grew up in the South and Seventh-Day Adventist. One of her favorite parts about living in the South and still one of her favorite things today is the mountains. Heidi Parker has moved to a few places around the United States; including New York, Maine, Georgia, North and South Carolina, and Morrow Beach. Heidi Parker worked as a PE teacher before getting a higher degree in Sports Management. After getting her degree, she moved to New York and worked at Syracuse and then moved to Maine to work …


Neal, James, Wendy Chapkis Jul 2023

Neal, James, Wendy Chapkis

Querying the Past: LGBTQ Maine Oral History Project Collection

Jim Neal is a 65 year old gay man born and raised in Galesburg, Illinois. Following his parents’ divorce at age 7, he moved with his mother and brother into their grandmother’s home. Neal discusses how, throughout his childhood, he witnessed predatory men in positions of power abusing boys; this served to inform his early perception of homosexuality. Those experiences also presented an internal struggle for Jim Neal between his own identity as a gay man and his perception of adult gay men. As a child, he found support in his family and closest community for his non-traditional gender interests …


Blanchard, Mike, Micaiah Wert Nov 2022

Blanchard, Mike, Micaiah Wert

Querying the Past: LGBTQ Maine Oral History Project Collection

Mike Blanchard is a 60 year old gay man from Westbrook Maine. He has struggled as an alcoholic due to repressing his queer identity, but has been sober for 33 years (since 1989). Through addiction recovery he was able to come out as gay in 1992. After years of struggling with alcohol and rough relationships, Mike met his husband at Blackstones in Portland, and describes their relationship as, “nothing I ever chased and everything I could have hoped for.” Mike worked for a long time in the field of recreation, but left after feeling as though he could not be …


Edwards, Florence, Roukia Houssein, Annie Karim Nov 2021

Edwards, Florence, Roukia Houssein, Annie Karim

Querying the Past: LGBTQ Maine Oral History Project Collection

The interview was conducted in a USM classroom Roukia and Annie. Florence is a 40 years old dentist who also served in the military. In this interview, Florence shared their journey in being a queer black woman in the military. Florence was asked about their identity and their story on coming out as their preferred sexuality. In the interview, Florence also talks about being a dentist in the military and also outside of the military. In the interview, Florence puts important people in their life in specific stories. They also touched on their education and difference in living in NY, …


Clough, Travis, Josh Allen, Rachel Shanks Nov 2021

Clough, Travis, Josh Allen, Rachel Shanks

Querying the Past: LGBTQ Maine Oral History Project Collection

Travis Clough is a 44 year old trans man who grew up in the small town of Bucksport, Maine. He uses the pronouns he/him/his, and identifies as queer or trans. From a young age, Travis felt different with his gender identity. He attended the University of Maine Farmington in the late 1990’s, and was the only school he applied to because it was “where all the queers went”. Having been into music since the age of 14, he began playing in bands while in college. Him and his band would make the long drive from Farmington to Portland every week …


Williams, Maya, Daisy Pelletier Nov 2021

Williams, Maya, Daisy Pelletier

Querying the Past: LGBTQ Maine Oral History Project Collection

*Included at the end of the interview is an original poem read by Maya.

Maya Williams is a 25-year-old Black, queer, trans, Christian person who grew up in North Carolina. Ey moved to Maine to attend grad school at the University of New England. They worked at Maine Inside Out as an intern while at the University of New England. She has also worked at Equality Maine, and now works at Maine Trans Net. Her Christian faith is important to her, and organizations like ChIME (Chaplaincy Institute of Maine), and interfaith organization that educations and ordains chaplains, and The BTS …


Our Paper 11/1992, Our Paper Nov 1992

Our Paper 11/1992, Our Paper

Our Paper (1983-1992)

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Our Paper 08/1992, Our Paper Aug 1992

Our Paper 08/1992, Our Paper

Our Paper (1983-1992)

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Our Paper 06/1992, Our Paper Jun 1992

Our Paper 06/1992, Our Paper

Our Paper (1983-1992)

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Our Paper 04/1992, Our Paper Apr 1992

Our Paper 04/1992, Our Paper

Our Paper (1983-1992)

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Our Paper 02/1992, Our Paper Feb 1992

Our Paper 02/1992, Our Paper

Our Paper (1983-1992)

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Our Paper 12/1991, Our Paper Dec 1991

Our Paper 12/1991, Our Paper

Our Paper (1983-1992)

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Our Paper 10/1991, Our Paper Oct 1991

Our Paper 10/1991, Our Paper

Our Paper (1983-1992)

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Our Paper 07/1991, Our Paper Jul 1991

Our Paper 07/1991, Our Paper

Our Paper (1983-1992)

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Our Paper 06/1991, Our Paper Jun 1991

Our Paper 06/1991, Our Paper

Our Paper (1983-1992)

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Our Paper 05/1991, Our Paper May 1991

Our Paper 05/1991, Our Paper

Our Paper (1983-1992)

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Our Paper 04/1991, Our Paper Apr 1991

Our Paper 04/1991, Our Paper

Our Paper (1983-1992)

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Our Paper 03/1991, Our Paper Mar 1991

Our Paper 03/1991, Our Paper

Our Paper (1983-1992)

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Our Paper 02/1991, Our Paper Feb 1991

Our Paper 02/1991, Our Paper

Our Paper (1983-1992)

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Our Paper 01/1991, Our Paper Jan 1991

Our Paper 01/1991, Our Paper

Our Paper (1983-1992)

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Our Paper 12/1990, Our Paper Dec 1990

Our Paper 12/1990, Our Paper

Our Paper (1983-1992)

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Our Paper 11/1990, Our Paper Nov 1990

Our Paper 11/1990, Our Paper

Our Paper (1983-1992)

No abstract provided.


Our Paper 10/1990, Our Paper Oct 1990

Our Paper 10/1990, Our Paper

Our Paper (1983-1992)

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Our Paper 09/1990, Our Paper Sep 1990

Our Paper 09/1990, Our Paper

Our Paper (1983-1992)

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Our Paper 08/1990, Our Paper Aug 1990

Our Paper 08/1990, Our Paper

Our Paper (1983-1992)

No abstract provided.