Acknowledgements

First and foremost I would like to thank the individuals who opened up their lives and allowed myself and all future readers of this thesis to learn from their incredible experiences. JR, John, Bill, Avery and Winkie, you inspire me every day and I will be forever grateful for the conversations and the queer spaces we created together. Winkie, I also want to thank you for your support and listening ear as you constantly push me to think deeper and work harder at everything I do.

I want to thank my professors, Amy Starecheski and Mary Marshall Clark, who’s guidance and kindness throughout this program gave me the confidence to grow in this field and now claim myself an oral historian. Amy thank you for your strength in navigating unprecedented circumstances and not giving up on giving us the OHMA experience. And Carlin, we were so lucky to have you as our TA. Your feedback always pushed me to think out side of the box, and your dedication to this work is such an inspiration.

To my cohort and fellow oral historians, thank you for all of the dynamic conversations both in and out of classroom that left my mind buzzing. Because of you I not only became a better scholar this year but also a better person. Special thanks to those who helped me stay focused through our Zoom power hours and let me interrupt your work to bounce an idea off you. And to those fellow OHMA grads who were so generous in passing down words of wisdom and expert level advice, thank you Caroline and Rebecca for your support this past year.

Rick and Liza, without you this thesis would be just ideas floating around in my head or scribbled on some spare sheet of paper. Thank you for investing in this project with me, and for helping me navigate this challenging time so that I could come out of it with something I was proud of.

Lastly, I want to thank my family. This would have never been possible without your incredible and never-wavering support (specifically Mom’s editing assistance). Thank you for always letting me pursue my dreams.