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Oral history interview with Frodo Okulam [Transcript]

Transcript. This oral history interview with Frodo Okulam was conducted by Brisa Peters at the offices of SisterSpirit in Portland, Oregon, on November 2, 2000. Peters conducted the interview for the Gay and Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest as part of Professor Ann Mussey's senior capstone class on LGBTQ history at Portland State University. The interview transcript includes a written introduction by Peters, as well as a copy of Okulam's curriculum vitae. In this interview, Okulam discusses her early life in Southwest Portland, her living situation at the time of the interview in 2000, and the origins of her name. She discusses her gender identity as a child and her experience as a lesbian when she was a teenager in the 1960s. She speaks about what "The Lord of the Rings" meant to her and describes how the story saved her life and influenced her spirituality. She discusses her early relationships and her family's reaction to her sexuality. She talks about her experience at Portland State University, including her involvement with the Women's Union. She describes the social life for lesbians in Portland, including bars and coffee shops that she frequented. She talks about practicing Wicca and describes participating in a ceremony during the 1980 solar eclipse. She describes her polyamorous relationship at the time of the interview in 2000, and speaks at length about her involvement in SisterSpirit and the Metropolitan Community Church. She discusses her book, "The Julian Mystique," and closes the interview by talking about teaching women's spirituality at Portland State University, and about some of her activism.

Okulam, Frodo

Oral history interview with Susie Shepherd [Transcript]

Transcript. This oral history interview with Susie Shepherd was conducted by Erin Sexton and Jamie Walton on November 4, 2000. Sexton and Walton conducted the interview for the Gay and Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest as part of Professor Ann Mussey's senior capstone class on LGBTQ history at Portland State University. Several of Shepherd's pets were also present and occasionally interrupted the interview. In this interview, Shepherd discusses her identity as a gay woman. She talks about working with Jerry Weller on the Portland Town Council; about her experiences at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, and at Portland State University; and about her life as a lesbian in the 1970s. She speaks at length about coming out to her parents. She then speaks about her activism for gay rights with the Portland Town Council during the 1970s, and talks about some of the people she worked with, politicians they lobbied, and some of the opposition they faced. She also describes coming out on the television show "Town Hall." She discusses her abuse of alcohol in the late 1970s, describes how it affected her life and relationships, and talks about her recovery through Alcoholics Anonymous. She talks about her involvement in the Leather community, including winning the title of International Ms. Leather in 1989, and winning the title of International Master and Slaver with her partner, K.T. Chase, in 1992. She also describes how she parlayed those titles to further her activism for gay rights. She closes the interview by discussing her management of the Bill and Ann Shepherd Legal Scholarship.

Shepherd, Susie (Susan Mary), 1949-

Oral history interview with Holly Hart [Transcript]

Transcript. This oral history interview with Holly Hart was conducted by Winter Drews and James Loos at Hart's home in Portland, Oregon, on November 14, 2000. Drews and Loos conducted the interview for the Gay and Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest as part of Professor Ann Mussey's senior capstone class on LGBTQ history at Portland State University. The interview transcript includes a written introduction by George Nicola. In this interview, Hart discusses her experience at Reed College in Portland during the 1960s, including her experience as a closeted lesbian and her political and civil rights activism. She talks about working for the Willamette Bridge newspaper, her involvement in the gay liberation movement, and coming out as a lesbian. She briefly talks about her experience studying law at the University of California at Berkeley, then discusses practicing law in Portland. She talks about cases she worked on, lawyers she worked with, and her focus on civil rights cases, particularly gay rights. She discusses serving on the Task Force on Sexual Preference and describes the report of recommendations she authored for the governor. She talks about her dissatisfaction with practicing law and her decision to instead open a restaurant, Old Wives' Tales; describes the process of opening the restaurant; and talks about her original plan to also open a bookstore. She speaks at length about running the restaurant and its role in the Portland community. She then discusses having a child via artificial insemination and talks about raising her daughter. She also discusses her involvement in Portland's Jewish community. She then revisits the topic of her restaurant and talks about the diversity of its clientele; discusses how social conditions for LGBTQ people have changed in Portland; and talks about her experience as a lesbian and a mother in Portland's Jewish community. She closes the interview by revisiting the topic of her work at the Willamette Bridge newspaper, describing instances of harassment she has experienced, and talking about her hopes for the future of gay rights.

Hart, Holly, 1947-

Oral history interview with Holly Mulcahey [Transcript]

Transcript. This oral history interview with Holly Mulcahey was conducted by Erin Sexton on November 11, 2000. Sexton conducted the interview for the Gay and Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest as part of Professor Ann Mussey's senior capstone class on LGBTQ history at Portland State University. In this interview, Mulcahey discusses the history of It's My Pleasure, a women's bookstore and lending library in Portland, Oregon, that was inclusive of lesbians, bisexual women, and transgender people. She discusses how the store evolved from its beginnings in 1991 to the time of the interview, in 2000. She talks about harassment she experienced at the bookstore's first location on Hawthorne Boulevard, about working with other women's bookstores in Portland, and about the increasingly expensive rent at It's My Pleasure's second location on Hawthorne. She then discusses moving to the business's location at the time of the interview in 2000 on Northeast 64th Avenue and Sandy Boulevard. She talks about running the store, including holding events and collaborations with other businesses. She also briefly discusses her life and career before opening the bookstore, as well as her involvement in the women's spiritual community. She speaks about her identity as a lesbian and her relationship with the broader LGBTQ community. She shares her hopes for the future of It's My Pleasure and for the LGBTQ community. She closes the interview by talking about some of the sex toys sold at the bookstore.

Mulcahey, Holly, 1943-

Oral history interview with Ellen Goldberg [Transcript]

Transcript. This oral history interview with Ellen Goldberg was conducted by Annica Eagle and Spencer Trueax on February 24, 2011. Eagle and Trueax conducted the interview for the Gay and Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest as part of Professor Pat Young's senior capstone class on LGBTQ history at Portland State University.

In this interview, Goldberg discusses her involvement in the founding of the Mountain Moving Cafe, a collective-run coffeehouse, in Portland, Oregon; talks about how she and other people in the collective ran it as an "anti-profit" business; and speaks about events held at the cafe. She discusses the cafe's association with gay and women's groups and talks about life in the collective. She speaks about her activities since leaving the collective, particularly her involvement in gay and women's rights activism. She closes the interview by talking about the poem that inspired the cafe's name, "The Day the Mountains Move" by Yosano Akiko.

Goldberg, Ellen, 1949-

Oral history interview with Ann Mussey [Transcript]

Transcript. This oral history interview with Ann Mussey was conducted by Justine Larson and Brooke Welch on November 13, 2000. Larson and Welch conducted the interview for the Gay and Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest as part of their senior capstone class on LGBTQ history at Portland State University, for which Mussey was the instructor. In this interview, Mussey discusses moving to Portland, Oregon, from the Midwest in 1971 and living in a lesbian collective in Southeast Portland, called Red Emma, for one year. She describes the philosophy of communal living, as well as living conditions in the collective, and talks about the other women who lived there. She also discusses the various organizations that sprang from Red Emma, including women's health clinics and halfway houses. She closes the interview by talking about the lesbian community in Portland, particularly lesbian-owned businesses.

Mussey, Ann L. (Ann Louise), 1950-

Oral history interview with Patricia A. Cach [Transcript]

Transcript. This oral history interview with Patricia A. Cach was conducted by Aaron Powell and Dorothy Zapf on February 4, 2011. Powell and Zapf conducted the interview for the Gay and Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest as part of Professor Pat Young's senior capstone class on LGBTQ history at Portland State University.

In this interview, Cach describes her experiences as a fan of the Erv Lind Florists, a softball team in Portland, Oregon. She talks about Erv Lind and his support for the team; about the players, particularly Chris Mazzuca; and about the 1962 Women's Softball Tournament. She also speaks about coaching another Portland softball team, the Lavender Menace 2. She shares her experiences as a lesbian in the mid-20th century and talks about her opinion on marriage. She talks about playing in an all-lesbian jug band, about her interest in art, and about why her interest in softball waned. She discusses her spirituality and her identity as a lesbian. She closes the interview by talking about her relationship with her brother.

Cach, Patricia A., 1939-

Oral history interview with Sally H. Cohn [Transcript]

Transcript. This oral history interview with Sally H. Cohn was conducted by Jade Davis and Erin Babcock Musick at Cohn's home in Portland, Oregon, on February 8, 2011. Davis and Musick conducted the interview for the Gay and Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest as part of Professor Pat Young's senior capstone class on LGBTQ history at Portland State University.

In this interview, Cohn talks about teaching herself to hand whistle. She discusses her preference for short hair and talks about lesbian stereotypes. She talks about her involvement in gay and lesbian rights organizations, including the Lesbian Community Project and Old Lesbians Organizing for Change. She also shares the experience of coming out to her family in the 1970s. She talks about her volunteer work; about the fight against Measure 9, an initiative against LGBTQ rights, in 1992; and about her work for an alcohol and drug treatment center in Portland, which is now known as the Avel Gordly Healing Center. She closes the interview by talking about writing her book, "A Handwhistler: Memories of Creativity and Activism," and speaking about her 2010 appearance as a handwhistler on "America's Got Talent."

Cohn, Sally H. (Sally Helen), 1934-