Description
Margaret “Margie” Schoeller is a 65-year-old newly-wed lesbian, retired OB/GYN, LGBTQ+ activist, and aspiring interfaith chaplain. Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Schoeller reflects fondly on her upbringing in a progressive Presbyterian community, as well as her exposure to the arts and access to excellent education. In 1977, she moved to Maine to attend Bowdoin College, where she came out in 1981 during an era of significant cultural and social transformation for the gay and lesbian community.
Schoeller’s medical career stands as a testament to her unwavering commitment to dignity, inclusivity, and compassionate care. After earning her medical degree from the University of Minnesota, she returned to Maine to complete her residency and established her OB/GYN practice. There, she built a reputation for challenging medical biases and providing exceptional care, particularly for her transgender patients. Beyond her work in medicine, Schoeller has been a fierce advocate for LGBTQ+ rights in Maine, playing a key role in early organizing efforts and campaigns for civil rights, marriage equality, and second-parent adoption.
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Citation
Please cite as: Querying the Past: LGBTQ Maine Oral History Project Collection, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer+ Collection, Jean Byers Sampson Center for Diversity in Maine, University of Southern Maine Libraries.
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Publication Date
11-26-2024
Publisher
University of Southern Maine
City
Portalnd, Maine
Keywords
Adoption, AIDS/HIV, Coming out, Gay-straight alliances, Gay college students, Hysterectomy, Lesbian college students, Lesbian movement, LGBTQ+, LGBTQ+ activism, LGBTQ+ activists, LGBTQ+ adoption, LGBTQ+ adoptive parents, LGBTQ+ college students, LGBTQ+ health education, Lesbian, Lesbian activism, Lesbian political activists, Lesbian politicians, Medical care, Reproductive health care for LGBTQ+ people, Reproductive health care for non-binary people, Reproductive health care for transgender people, Second parent adoption, Women’s music, Women’s Movement, Bowdoin College, Portland, Maine, Eli Coleman Institute, Dale McCormick, Sarah Orne Jewett, EqualityMaine
Disciplines
History of Gender | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies | Oral History | Women's Studies
Recommended Citation
Bender, Samantha, "Schoeller, Margaret" (2024). Querying the Past: LGBTQ Maine Oral History Project Collection. 143.
https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/querying_ohproject/143
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Included in
History of Gender Commons, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons, Oral History Commons, Women's Studies Commons
