Welcome to the OUTWORDS digital platform!
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LGBTQ HISTORY LIVES HERE.
To date, OUTWORDS has collected the stories of 133 LGBTQ pioneers all over America, with 34 full-length interviews currently hosted on this platform. There’s tons more to come, so check back often. Better yet, subscribe to our newsletter so you won’t miss a thing!
"A dignified tapestry of trailblazing pioneers who have contributed to the gay liberation movement” – Kirkus Review
“An essential addition to LGBTQ+ history" – Booklist
OUTWORDS is the first national effort to capture the stories of LGBTQ pioneers and elders all over America. We’ve just published our first volume of interviews, THE BOOK OF PRIDE, and we’ve launched this platform to make our stories freely available for research, information, and inspiration. We’ll be adding more stories soon so check back often! You can also share your ideas, or make a tax-deductible donation to support our efforts.
PERSONAL STORIES
Jim Toy: "How long have you been gay?"
Karla Jay: "A Cigarette Under Your Chin"
Doc Duhon: "Tattoos on my Hands"
ABilly Hennin-Jones: "On Being Bisexual"
Valda Prout: "In my territory, I'm Valda."
Matt Russell: "A Dialogue with God"
Diana Rivers: "A Long Growing Season"
STRUGGLING FOR INCLUSION
Phyllis Randolph Frye: "Christmas and Easter"
Lani Ka'ahumanu: "I couldn't even say I was bisexual."
Richard Zaldivar: "A Place at the Table"
Mark Segal: "We created a community!"
Jewel Thais-Williams: "Fireman's Style"
Corky Wick: "Radical in the Suburbs"
Rodney Church: "Staying Alive"
Blackberri “I See the Beauty”
DEFIANCE
Trella Ann Laughlin: "I Wanted to Learn to Love"
Juan Manuel Alonso: "You Raised a Faggot"
Diana Nyad: "Reaching the Other Shore"
Gigi Wilbur: "My True Colors"
CHALLENGES AHEAD
James Credle: "We have so far to go."
Marianne Diaz: "Justice doesn't exist."
Martha Shelley: "Lessons from Stonewall"
HOPE
Donna Red Wing: "On Hate and Civility"
Evan Wolfson: "Tension Equals Progress"
Mia Yamamoto: "Liberation Day"
Crystal Little: "No matter what, you're our shipmate."
IN COLLABORATION WITH I'M FROM DRIFTWOOD
Gay Veteran Jim Darby of Chicago
1950s: A Night in Jail
1952: Surviving the Military's Gay Witch Hunts
1963: A Five-Decade Love Story
1990s: Protesting Don't Ask Don't Tell
1990s: Fighting for Inclusion Among Veterans
Trans Pioneer Elizabeth Williams of Philadelphia
"It was real for me and I was OK with it."
Working with John Waters: "What could be better?"
Dealing with doctors: "You're not a suitable candidate."
"No matter who you are, be yourself."
PODCASTS
Love Stories
Fifth-Generation Mormons and Their Gay Son
Growing Up Queer
Coming Out
OUTWORDS TRAILERS
Introducing OUTWORDS (November 2015)
Progress Trailer (Spring 2017)