Trans Activism Oral History Project
User Collection Public
The Trans Activism Oral History collection was a project of LGBTQ History Digital Collaboratory. The collection consists of video and audio interviews with leading Trans activist elders from across North America.
The Trans Activism Oral History project’s purpose was to record elders’ history of activism on behalf of trans people and communities in order to establish and preserve trans-specific and trans-positive primary source historical narratives for future generations.
The interviews were collected in 2019-2020. The oral history project team consisted of: Elspeth Brown (PI), Aaron Devor (Collaborator), Evan Taylor (Interviewer), and Elizabeth Holliday (Project Assistant and Editor). The oral histories were donated to the University of Victoria Libraries Transgender Archives and The ArQuives: Canada’s LGBTQ2+ Archives in 2020.
Founded in 2014, LGBTQ History Digital Collaboratory is funded by the Social Science & Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Please also see the Word of Mouth Spotlight digital exhibit, a project from the UVic Chair in Transgender Studies, available here: https://exhibits.library.uvic.ca/spotlight/trans-activists
Permalink: http://vault.library.uvic.ca/collections/7507b99a-2bcf-430c-ada0-0f0feffba4a3
Collection Details
- Items 17
- Last Updated 2025-04-16
Works (17)
1. Interview with Jude Patton
- Title:
- Interview with Jude Patton
- Description:
- Jude talks about generational differences in trans communities and activism, his ongoing and extensive work on knowledge gathering and dissemination, and being an early influence on the board of WPATH. Narrator Name: Jude Patton. Interviewer Name: Evan Taylor. Pronouns: He.
- Keyword:
- Activism, Family, Healthcare, Community, J2CP, WPATH, Trans man, Stanford, HBIGDA, and Information
- Subject:
- Patton, Jude
- Contributor:
- Devor, Aaron, Taylor, Evan, Brown, Elspeth, and Patton, Jude
- Publisher:
- Transgender Archives and TheArquives
- Language:
- eng
- Date Created:
- 2019-12-19
- Rights Statement:
- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
- License:
- Unless otherwise specified, this material is made available on this site for non-commercial purposes only. All other uses require permission of the copyright holder.
- Resource Type:
- http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text and http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/MovingImage
- Extent:
- 03:06:22
- Geographic Coverage:
- Missouri--Saint Louis, United States--Pacific Coast, and California--Sacramento
- Coordinates:
- 38.58157, -121.4944 and 38.62727, -90.19789
- Chronological Coverage:
- 1961/2020
- Collection:
- Trans Activism Oral History Project
- Provider:
- University of Victoria (B.C.). Library
- Sponsor:
- Chair in Transgender Studies, Devor, Aaron, Taylor, Evan, LGBTQ Oral History Digital Collaboratory, and Brown, Elspeth
- Genre:
- transcripts, video recordings (physical artifacts), and oral histories (literary genre)
- Date Digitized:
- 2019-12-19
- Technical Note:
- PDF; mp4; vtt. Original recording using Zoom platform.
2. Interview with Joanna Clark
- Title:
- Interview with Joanna Clark
- Description:
- Joanna talks about her family and military histories, her groundbreaking work in ID legislation, J2CP, her success with the AEGIS website, and her concerns for the future. Narrator Name: Joanna Clark. Interviewer Name: Evan Taylor. Pronouns: She. Other Names or Pronouns: Sister Mary Elizabeth; Joanna M. Clark.
- Keyword:
- J2CP, Information, AEGIS, Trans woman, Activism, ACLU, ID, Prison, Community, Military, Funding, Education, Online, Website, and HIV/AIDS
- Subject:
- Clark, Joanna
- Contributor:
- Devor, Aaron, Taylor, Evan, Clark, Joanna, and Brown, Elspeth
- Publisher:
- TheArquives and Transgender Archives
- Language:
- eng
- Date Created:
- 2019-12-30
- Rights Statement:
- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
- License:
- Unless otherwise specified, this material is made available on this site for non-commercial purposes only. All other uses require permission of the copyright holder.
- Resource Type:
- http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text and http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/MovingImage
- Extent:
- 02:22:09
- Geographic Coverage:
- Southern California
- Coordinates:
- 34.68743, -116.78467
- Chronological Coverage:
- 1960/2020
- Collection:
- Trans Activism Oral History Project
- Provider:
- University of Victoria (B.C.). Library
- Sponsor:
- Chair in Transgender Studies, Devor, Aaron, Taylor, Evan, LGBTQ Oral History Digital Collaboratory, and Brown, Elspeth
- Genre:
- video recordings (physical artifacts), transcripts, and oral histories (literary genre)
- Date Digitized:
- 2019-12-30
- Technical Note:
- PDF; mp4; vtt. Original recording using Zoom platform.
3. Interview with Miqqi Alicia/Michael Gilbert
- Title:
- Interview with Miqqi Alicia/Michael Gilbert
- Description:
- Miqqi Alicia talks about being an out cross-dresser in a time when most were stealth - she talks about being a prof at York University, her work with Fantasia Fair, and writing with Tapestry. Narrator Name: Miqqi Alicia/Michael Gilbert. Interviewer Name: Evan Taylor. Pronouns: She, He. Other Names or Pronouns: Michael A. Gilbert.
- Keyword:
- Activism, York University, Cross-dressing, Tapestry, Academia, Fantasia Fair, and Internet
- Subject:
- Gilbert, Michael and Alicia, Miqqi
- Contributor:
- Devor, Aaron, Taylor, Evan, Alicia, Miqqi, and Brown, Elspeth
- Publisher:
- TheArquives and Transgender Archives
- Language:
- eng
- Date Created:
- 2020-01-06
- Rights Statement:
- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
- License:
- Unless otherwise specified, this material is made available on this site for non-commercial purposes only. All other uses require permission of the copyright holder.
- Resource Type:
- http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/MovingImage and http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text
- Extent:
- 02:00:37
- Geographic Coverage:
- Ontario--Toronto
- Coordinates:
- 43.70011, -79.4163
- Chronological Coverage:
- 1968/2020
- Collection:
- Trans Activism Oral History Project
- Provider:
- University of Victoria (B.C.). Library
- Sponsor:
- Chair in Transgender Studies, Devor, Aaron, Taylor, Evan, LGBTQ Oral History Digital Collaboratory, and Brown, Elspeth
- Genre:
- video recordings (physical artifacts) and oral histories (literary genre)
- Date Digitized:
- 2020-01-06
- Technical Note:
- PDF; mp4. Original recording using Zoom platform.
4. Interview with Yvonne Cook-Riley
- Title:
- Interview with Yvonne Cook-Riley
- Description:
- Yvonne talks about early days in cross dressing politics and gender support groups, her many public appearances, and the spiritual practices of gender and activism. Narrator Name: Yvonne Cook-Riley. Interviewer Name: Evan Taylor. Pronouns: declined.
- Keyword:
- Activism, Veteran, Education, Support groups, Military, Community, Identity politics, IFGE, Kindred spirits, non-binary, Spirituality, and Shamanism
- Subject:
- Cook-Riley, Yvonne
- Contributor:
- Devor, Aaron, Taylor, Evan, Cook-Riley, Yvonne, and Brown, Elspeth
- Publisher:
- TheArquives and Transgender Archives
- Language:
- eng
- Date Created:
- 2020-01-07
- Rights Statement:
- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
- License:
- Unless otherwise specified, this material is made available on this site for non-commercial purposes only. All other uses require permission of the copyright holder.
- Resource Type:
- http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Sound and http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text
- Extent:
- 03:29:58
- Geographic Coverage:
- Massachusetts--Boston, Illinois--Chicago, and North Carolina--Asheville
- Coordinates:
- 35.60095, -82.55402, 41.85003, -87.65005, and 42.35843, -71.05977
- Chronological Coverage:
- 2020-06-29
- Collection:
- Trans Activism Oral History Project
- Provider:
- University of Victoria (B.C.). Library
- Sponsor:
- Chair in Transgender Studies, Devor, Aaron, Taylor, Evan, LGBTQ Oral History Digital Collaboratory, and Brown, Elspeth
- Genre:
- transcripts, sound recordings, and oral histories (literary genre)
- Date Digitized:
- 2020-01-07
- Technical Note:
- PDF; m4a; vtt. Original recording using Zoom platform.
5. Interview with Deirdre McCloskey
- Title:
- Interview with Deirdre McCloskey
- Description:
- Deirdre talks about her life and transition: from losing her family after transition, to her success as a professor of economics, and her many publications and books. Narrator Name: Deirdre McCloskey. Interviewer Name: Evan Taylor. Pronouns: She.
- Keyword:
- Surgery, Activism, Academia, and Michael Bailey, Economics, Surgery, Family, Trans woman
- Subject:
- McCloskey, Deirdre N.
- Contributor:
- Devor, Aaron, Taylor, Evan, McCloskey, Deirdre N., and Brown, Elspeth
- Publisher:
- TheArquives and Transgender Archives
- Language:
- eng
- Date Created:
- 2020-01-10
- Rights Statement:
- Public Domain Mark 1.0
- Resource Type:
- http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text and http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/MovingImage
- Geographic Coverage:
- Iowa, New Zealand, Massachusetts--Boston, Australia, Illinois--Chicago, and Netherlands
- Coordinates:
- 41.85003, -87.65005, 52.25, 5.75, 42.00027, -93.50049, -42, 174, -25, 135, and 42.35843, -71.05977
- Chronological Coverage:
- 1953/2020
- Collection:
- Trans Activism Oral History Project
- Provider:
- University of Victoria (B.C.). Library
- Sponsor:
- Taylor, Evan, Devor, Aaron, LGBTQ Oral History Digital Collaboratory, Brown, Elspeth, and Chair in Transgender Studies
- Genre:
- transcripts, video recordings (physical artifacts), and oral histories (literary genre)
- Date Digitized:
- 2020-01-10
- Technical Note:
- PDF; mp4; vtt. Original recording using Zoom platform.
6. Interview with David Harrison
- Title:
- Interview with David Harrison
- Description:
- David discusses his experiences as an actor and creative writer and how these intersect with his experiences and perspectives as a trans person. Narrator Name: David Harrison. Interviewer Name: Evan Taylor. Pronouns: He.
- Keyword:
- Public appearances, Community, Activism, Photography, Writing;, Acting, and Identity politics
- Subject:
- Harrison, David
- Contributor:
- Devor, Aaron, Taylor, Evan, Harrison, David, and Brown, Elspeth
- Publisher:
- TheArquives and Transgender Archives
- Language:
- eng
- Date Created:
- 2020-01-27
- Rights Statement:
- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
- License:
- Unless otherwise specified, this material is made available on this site for non-commercial purposes only. All other uses require permission of the copyright holder.
- Resource Type:
- http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text and http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/MovingImage
- Extent:
- 01:51:28
- Geographic Coverage:
- Saskatchewan--Saskatoon, New York (State), California--San Francisco, and British Columbia--Vancouver
- Coordinates:
- 52.13238, -106.66892, 49.24966, -123.11934, 37.77493, -122.41942, and 40.71427, -74.00597
- Chronological Coverage:
- 1990/2020
- Collection:
- Trans Activism Oral History Project
- Provider:
- University of Victoria (B.C.). Library
- Sponsor:
- Chair in Transgender Studies, Devor, Aaron, Taylor, Evan, LGBTQ Oral History Digital Collaboratory, and Brown, Elspeth
- Genre:
- transcripts, video recordings (physical artifacts), and oral histories (literary genre)
- Date Digitized:
- 2020-01-27
- Technical Note:
- PDF; mp4; vtt. Original recording using Zoom platform.
7. Interview with Nicki Ward
- Title:
- Interview with Nicki Ward
- Description:
- Nicki talks about her work in organizing and implementing the first Toronto Trans March, as well as running for political office. Narrator Name: Nicki Ward. Interviewer Name: Evan Taylor. Pronouns: She.
- Keyword:
- Health care, Toronto, Trans Memorial, ID, Bill C-389, C-16, Activism, Graphic novel, Political Activism, Trans March, Police, and C-279
- Subject:
- Ward, Nicki
- Contributor:
- Devor, Aaron, Taylor, Evan, Ward, Nicki, and Brown, Elspeth
- Publisher:
- Transgender Archives and TheArquives
- Language:
- eng
- Date Created:
- 2020-01-27
- Rights Statement:
- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
- License:
- Unless otherwise specified, this material is made available on this site for non-commercial purposes only. All other uses require permission of the copyright holder.
- Resource Type:
- http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text and http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/MovingImage
- Geographic Coverage:
- Ontario--Toronto
- Coordinates:
- 43.70011, -79.4163
- Chronological Coverage:
- 2000/2020
- Collection:
- Trans Activism Oral History Project
- Provider:
- University of Victoria (B.C.). Library
- Sponsor:
- Chair in Transgender Studies, Devor, Aaron, Taylor, Evan, LGBTQ Oral History Digital Collaboratory, and Brown, Elspeth
- Genre:
- transcripts, video recordings (physical artifacts), and oral histories (literary genre)
- Date Digitized:
- 2020-01-27
- Technical Note:
- PDF; mp4; vtt. Original recording using Zoom platform.
8. Interview with Dallas Denny
- Title:
- Interview with Dallas Denny
- Description:
- Dallas talks about her history and experiences of seeking information and health care as a trans person, as well as her enormous efforts to support trans people by providing education and information. Narrator Name: Dallas Denny. Interviewer Name: Evan Taylor. Pronouns: She.
- Keyword:
- Education, Standards of Care, TERFs, Activism, Knowledge, Community, Support, Peer support, Chrysalis, AEGIS, Helpline, Feminism, and Tapestry
- Subject:
- Denny, Dallas
- Contributor:
- Devor, Aaron, Taylor, Evan, Denny, Dallas, and Brown, Elspeth
- Publisher:
- TheArquives and Transgender Archives
- Language:
- eng
- Date Created:
- 2020-01-28
- Rights Statement:
- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
- License:
- Unless otherwise specified, this material is made available on this site for non-commercial purposes only. All other uses require permission of the copyright holder.
- Resource Type:
- http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/MovingImage and http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text
- Extent:
- 01:41:05
- Geographic Coverage:
- North Carolina, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Georgia
- Coordinates:
- 35.75035, -86.25027, 40.16706, -74.49987, 32.75042, -83.50018, and 35.50069, -80.00032
- Chronological Coverage:
- 1970/2020
- Collection:
- Trans Activism Oral History Project
- Provider:
- University of Victoria (B.C.). Library
- Sponsor:
- Chair in Transgender Studies, Devor, Aaron, Taylor, Evan, LGBTQ Oral History Digital Collaboratory, and Brown, Elspeth
- Genre:
- video recordings (physical artifacts), transcripts, and oral histories (literary genre)
- Date Digitized:
- 2020-01-28
- Technical Note:
- PDF; mp4; vtt. Original recording using Zoom platform.
9. Interview with Lynn Conway
- Title:
- Interview with Lynn Conway
- Description:
- Lynn talks about her life history from her 1968 firing from IBM, to her outing and activism in the early 2000's, as well as her enormously successful online website and organizing. Narrator Name: Lynn Conway. Interviewer Name: Evan Taylor. Pronouns: She.
- Keyword:
- Silicon chip, Engineering, Michael Bailey, Facial feminization Surgery, Activism, Academia, Harry Benjamin, IBM, STEM, Internet, Blog, Technology, and Website
- Subject:
- Conway, Lynn
- Contributor:
- Conway, Lynn, Devor, Aaron, Taylor, Evan, and Brown, Elspeth
- Publisher:
- Transgender Archives and TheArquives
- Language:
- eng
- Date Created:
- 2020-02-04
- Rights Statement:
- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
- License:
- Unless otherwise specified, this material is made available on this site for non-commercial purposes only. All other uses require permission of the copyright holder.
- Resource Type:
- http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text and http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/MovingImage
- Extent:
- 03:12:32
- Geographic Coverage:
- New York (State) and Michigan
- Coordinates:
- 40.71427, -74.00597 and 44.25029, -85.50033
- Chronological Coverage:
- 1938/2020
- Collection:
- Trans Activism Oral History Project
- Provider:
- University of Victoria (B.C.). Library
- Sponsor:
- Chair in Transgender Studies, Devor, Aaron, Taylor, Evan, LGBTQ Oral History Digital Collaboratory, and Brown, Elspeth
- Genre:
- transcripts, video recordings (physical artifacts), and oral histories (literary genre)
- Date Digitized:
- 2020-02-04
- Technical Note:
- PDF; mp4; vtt. Original recording using Zoom platform.
10. Interview with Lin Fraser
- Title:
- Interview with Lin Fraser
- Description:
- Lin talks about her work with trans people from the early days, including the first drafts of the standards of care, and her clinical observations over many years working with the trans community. Narrator Name: Lin Fraser. Interviewer Name: Evan Taylor. Pronouns: She.
- Keyword:
- Attachment, Healthcare, Trauma, Ally, Standards of Care, Lou Sullivan, Counselling, Clinical, WPATH, Activism, Witnessing, Paul Walker, and HBIGDA
- Subject:
- Fraser, Lin
- Contributor:
- Fraser, Lin, Taylor, Evan, Devor, Aaron, and Brown, Elspeth
- Publisher:
- Transgender Archives and TheArquives
- Language:
- eng
- Date Created:
- 2020-02-07
- Rights Statement:
- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
- License:
- Unless otherwise specified, this material is made available on this site for non-commercial purposes only. All other uses require permission of the copyright holder.
- Resource Type:
- http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text and http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/MovingImage
- Extent:
- 01:06:05 (Part 02) and 01:00:00 (Part 01)
- Geographic Coverage:
- California--San Francisco
- Coordinates:
- 37.77493, -122.41942
- Chronological Coverage:
- 1968/2020
- Collection:
- Trans Activism Oral History Project
- Provider:
- University of Victoria (B.C.). Library
- Sponsor:
- Chair in Transgender Studies, Devor, Aaron, Taylor, Evan, LGBTQ Oral History Digital Collaboratory, and Brown, Elspeth
- Genre:
- transcripts, video recordings (physical artifacts), and oral histories (literary genre)
- Date Digitized:
- 2020-02-07
- Technical Note:
- PDF; mp4; vtt. Original recording using Zoom platform.