This project grew out of a desire to document and preserve histories of the people and places that map a larger narrative of queer East Bay stories. Participants are all LGBTQ+ people over the age of 60 that have lived in the East Bay for 20+ years.

 

Inspired by the Intergenerational Storytelling Project (a project of outLoud Radio) that brought together queer youth and LGBTQ+ elders to build community, share stories and document history. Some of those recordings are available here. 

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Lesbian oral histories collected will be donated to the Bay Area Lesbian Archives (with consent of participants) for preservation in their archives. 

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Stories were recorded and edited by Elena Botkin-Levy. Visit GEMS Oral Histories & Audio Storytelling for more information about recording your own family or community oral histories. 

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Email: gemshistories@gmail.com