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Oral History Commons

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Articles 1 - 7 of 7

Full-Text Articles in Oral History

Gardner, Ed, Ethan Bent Nov 2023

Gardner, Ed, Ethan Bent

Querying the Past: LGBTQ Maine Oral History Project Collection

Ed Gardner is a 62 year old gay male currently living in Falmouth and working in Portland. He grew up in Lewiston Maine and moved to Portland as a young adult. Starting from scratch, Ed was able to buy and sell buildings and found tremendous success over his long career as a real estate agent. Over the course of his life, Ed has fundraised and donated to a variety of Maine’s LGBTQ organizations. He was involved directly with the establishment of the Equality Community Center by first hosting LGBTQ tenants in his office space, and then helping to raise money …


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 …


Morril, Ren, Zorica Andric Nov 2023

Morril, Ren, Zorica Andric

Querying the Past: LGBTQ Maine Oral History Project Collection

Ren Morrill shares personal experiences of his childhood, coming out, relationships, and the influence of his chosen family. During the conversation, Ren talks about his family dynamics, struggles with gender identity, and societal expectations, offering insights into the complexities of being gay. Ren reflects on the loneliness that many gay men experience and references influential figures like Walt Whitman and Anne Rice. He emphasizes the importance of his chosen family, specifically friends from the roleplaying games community, highlighting their significant impact on his life. The interview then moves on to Ren's views on pronouns, self-discovery, and the challenges that gay …


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 …


Wayland Magoon, Interviewed By John Springer, Part 1, Wayland Magoon Jul 2023

Wayland Magoon, Interviewed By John Springer, Part 1, Wayland Magoon

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Wayland Magoon, interviewed by John Springer at the Muskie Archives, Bates College, Lewiston, Maine on June 22, 1999. Magoon discusses his early years growing up in Skowhegan, Maine and when he first learned about Vietnam, attending Thomas College and receiving a deferment, playing in a garage band, dropping out, and being drafted into the Army, feeling that serving was something he had to do. He tells of receiving his draft notice and being sent to Fort Bragg the next day, being hassled by drill instructors for being a draftee instead of a volunteer, going through basic training and combat engineer …


Wayland Magoon, Interviewed By John Springer, Part 2, Wayland Magoon Jul 2023

Wayland Magoon, Interviewed By John Springer, Part 2, Wayland Magoon

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Wayland Magoon, interviewed by John Springer at the Muskie Archives, Bates College, Lewiston, Maine on June 22, 1999. Magoon discusses his early years growing up in Skowhegan, Maine and when he first learned about Vietnam, attending Thomas College and receiving a deferment, playing in a garage band, dropping out, and being drafted into the Army, feeling that serving was something he had to do. He tells of receiving his draft notice and being sent to Fort Bragg the next day, being hassled by drill instructors for being a draftee instead of a volunteer, going through basic training and combat engineer …


Wayland Magoon, Interviewed By John Springer, Part 3, Wayland Magoon Jul 2023

Wayland Magoon, Interviewed By John Springer, Part 3, Wayland Magoon

MF087 Vietnam Veterans Oral History

Wayland Magoon, interviewed by John Springer at the Muskie Archives, Bates College, Lewiston, Maine on June 22, 1999. Magoon discusses his early years growing up in Skowhegan, Maine and when he first learned about Vietnam, attending Thomas College and receiving a deferment, playing in a garage band, dropping out, and being drafted into the Army, feeling that serving was something he had to do. He tells of receiving his draft notice and being sent to Fort Bragg the next day, being hassled by drill instructors for being a draftee instead of a volunteer, going through basic training and combat engineer …