Querying the Past: LGBTQ Maine Oral History Project Collection

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  Sager, Rachel

  Abbey Donahue

  On November 16, 2018, Rachel Sager from Buffalo, New York was interviewed. Rachel Sager was a part of the Mattachine Society in Buffalo, New York. Sager was an improv actor at custom parties where she would explore male privilege through drag.

  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.

  For more information about the Querying the Past: Maine LGBTQ Oral History Project, please contact Dr. Wendy Chapkis.

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  Sawyer, Charles

  Wendy Chapkis

  Charles Sawyer was born and raised in Philadelphia in 1940. He describes the need to be closeted as a young man, dating women, entering the military, and being discharged on suspicion of being gay. This outed him to his family who were largely supportive. He fell in love with a young man for the first time at age 21; his then lover was 17. Once the boyfriend outed himself to his parents, the boyfriend was sent to a psychiatrist who, he reported, he had sex with. Sawyer talks about gay bars and police harassment in Philadelphia and describes early monogamous relationships. He met his life partner David in the early 1960s; they remained partners for more than 50 years. David was from Maine; Charles joined him in Gray, Maine around 1970. The two men were employed at the same furniture company for 38 years; their fellow workers knew they were a couple and supported them. In Maine, they occasionally went to gay bars in Portland though most of their friends in Gray and in Portland were heterosexual. Sawyer observes that gay bars in Maine, unlike Philadelphia were mixed gender (both men and women).

  Sawyer was raised Catholic but became an active member of the St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Portland and volunteered with their soup kitchen. He discusses the early AIDS epidemic in Maine in the 1980s and early 1990s including fighting stigma (in this regard, he discusses Autumn Atunio and Terry Dannemiller). He volunteered with the AIDS Project and became Vice President of the People with AIDS Coalition (despite being HIV-negative himself). Sawyer observes that lesbians and straight women provided much of the support in those early years. Later, he worked with the marriage equality campaigns in Maine though he and his own partner decided against marriage for practical (economic) reasons.

  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.

  For more information about the Querying the Past: Maine LGBTQ Oral History Project, please contact Dr. Wendy Chapkis.

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  Shields, Deborah

  Micaiah Wert

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  Smallwood, Thomas

  Maisarah Miskoon and Devyn Winter

  Thomas Smallwood moved to Portland, Maine in 2002 from Maryland and made the city his home. He has been a nanny for 14 of those years to two boys and watched them grow up under his care and treats them as family. He now nannies for two little girls, volunteers as an Outreach Counselor for the Frannie Peabody Center because he feels it is his duty to his community to educate and spread awareness. Thomas acts, sings and dances in theater, Maine Gay Men’s Chorus and performs as a drag queen, Miss Lajoy, at Blackstones during his free time.

  His love for performing, music and dance started from a very young age and he went to Point Park University for Music and Dance for 2 years before dropping out to pursue theater. Ever since he can remember, he always knew that he was gay. At 16, he came out to his mother. He publically came out at 21. Religion played a huge part in his life and he still goes to the First Parish Church in Portland. He spoke about BLM, #takeaknee, and what the First Amendment rights meant to him. He also discussed the intersection of being a Black man in a predominantly white city. Thomas is also a strong advocate of the right to bodily autonomy with trans people, women’s rights to birth control and abortions.

  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.

  For more information about the Querying the Past: Maine LGBTQ Oral History Project, please contact Dr. Wendy Chapkis.

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  Smith, Betsy

  Kayla Graffam

  Betsy Smith is a 63 year old lesbian woman who was born in Bangor and grew up in Exeter Maine. She was raised by her mother and father on a potato farm with her three siblings. She attended Jacksonville University, where she came to terms with her sexual identity and received a degree in physical education. She eventually was hired as a math teacher in Vermont and later Portland, Maine. After moving to Portland, Smith became involved in volunteering for gay rights activist groups like the MLGPA. She was involved in multiple campaigns, including the various Maine Won’t Discriminate campaigns in 1995, 1998, and 2005, and well as the Yes on 6 campaign and the Maine Marriage Equality campaign.

  After moving to Boston for three years, and starting a family with her wife, Smith moved back to Portland in 2002 to become the Executive Director for EqualityMaine (MLGPA), working on passing a nondiscrimination policy in Maine to protect LGBTQ+ people, as well as helping to coordinate multiple Marriage Equality campaigns eventually leading to the passage of the Marriage Equality Act in Maine in 2012. Smith discusses the hardships of campaign work, failures and successes, and provides advice to current and future activists.

  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. For more information about the Querying the Past: Maine LGBTQ Oral History Project, please contact Dr. Wendy Chapkis.

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  Smith, T. Love

  Kassey Kreer

  T Love Smith is a 46 year old born in Lincoln, ME, who identifies as non-binary and queer. After coming out to their mom at age 19, who had also come out as gay when T was 5, they were met with an unsupportive, negative response. Going through a tough childhood filled with alcohol abuse and no community for T to confide in about their gender/sexual identity, T found themselves in toxic relationships in their early adulthood. Eventually they were able to come to terms with their identity and came out as non-binary. T discussed their time in the military and how, even though it was a traumatizing experience, it played a big role in shaping them into the person they are today. During their time at USM, T got heavily involved in the activism scene in Portland. They spent time organizing and being a part of groups such as the League of Pissed Off Voters and Maine Won’t Discriminate.

  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. For more information about the Querying the Past: Maine LGBTQ Oral History Project, please contact Dr. Wendy Chapkis.

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  Solomon, Howard

  Richard Morin and Michelle Johnston

  Howard Solomon is a 76 year-old man who grew up in New Castle, Pennsylvania. During his early years, and still today, Judaism played a significant role in his life. His dad was a Kosher butcher, and Solomon attended a Hebrew school while growing up. Solomon’s profession was teaching history as a college professor at New York University, Tufts University, and the University of Southern Maine. Towards the end of his full-time teaching career, he taught a class about Lesbian and Gay History. During the same period, he openly discussed his homosexuality in the university context. He witnessed the AIDS epidemic while living in Boston and speaks about losing his partner and friends, as well as the overall experience the gay community went through during the AIDS epidemic. Howard Solomon gives an account of where he was during the Stonewall Riots in Greenwich Village. He speaks about the history of the organization Mainely Men. He also talks about the impact of the Charlie Howard murder; in that context, Howard Solomon discusses organizing a 2-day conference and a traveling exhibit about the murder. Solomon discusses living in France and the importance of the philosopher Michel Foucault. Solomon now lives in the rural community of Bowdoinham, Maine. Throughout the interview, Solomon talks about the importance of bearing witness and taking action, something he sees as of renewed importance in the aftermath of the election of Donald Trump.

  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.

  For more information about the Querying the Past: Maine LGBTQ Oral History Project, please contact Dr. Wendy Chapkis.

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  Spadafore, Sampson

  Benjamin LaChapelle

  Sampson Spadafore is a 27-year-old queer, transmasculine person who currently lives in Westbrook, Maine. They are originally from Syracuse, New York, and attended Nazareth College in Rochester, New York. They graduated with a degree in musical theater. Spadafore discusses shifts in their gender self-presentation and gender fluidity as well as media erasure of trans men. They then moved to Portland, Maine, to work for Maine Boys to Men and have also worked with Speak About It; Maine Renters United; and Democratic Socialists of America. A political current focus is using social media and art to raise awareness about Palestine. Writing poetry, making music, and doing movement-based performance art are all important to Spadafore as ways to bring community together. Spadafore discuses serving on the Board of Maine TransNet and talks about what they see to be the difference between nonprofit work and activism. They also talk about relationships and sex prior to and after their gender transition, including the importance of “T for T” (trans for trans) dating and issues with dating apps. Spadafore shares some insights about neurodivergence and the overlap with trans identities.

  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. For more information about the Querying the Past: Maine LGBTQ Oral History Project, please contact Dr. Wendy Chapkis.

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  Twomey, Danielle

  Elizabeth Cantey

  Danielle Twomey is a trans woman who was born and raised in Maine. She was born into a working class home and has four other siblings. Her mother died when she was seven and her father’s second wife helped to put the family into a better class. Her father was abusive, as were her peers, and her younger years were “brutal” as she was “physically small”, “effeminate”, and “clueless” when it came to fighting. She watched the world around her to learn how to fit in. She knew she was expected to be like the little boys her age but she did not understand what they found interesting--she often found it “repulsive” and “gross”. She suffered from body dysphoria but swimming helped Danielle combat her aversion to body hair as she had an excuse to shave her entire body. Judo helped her to channel her rage and bodybuilding and weightlifting helped her find safety in her body so she could be the one to stand up to the bullies. She had her first queer experience in the military at eighteen but identified as a straight man to avoid the witch hunts during her time in the service. She married her then-girlfriend, and had her eldest son during that time.

  After the military, she got a divorce and had a successful career as an out gay man. But traveling was where she could truly be herself: dressing up and going out to queer clubs as Danielle. She partnered with Phil for 5 or 6 years, unfortunately he found Danielle’s hidden clothing and did not accept her, as being in love with a woman was, “the worst thing a gay man could do”. Phil left, Danielle quit drinking, and although she “had everything” as a gay man, she had to live as her authentic self. She came out as Danielle at 40 and had a new experience of the hierarchy in the LGBTQ community. She lost many friends living in the “fishbowl” of being trans. She struggled to afford hormone replacement therapy for a long time, and now feels as though estrogen is a “godsend”; although she’s lost 2 inches, “as an old woman [she’s] still got it”. While living out as Danielle, she had a second child with her dear friend Catherine when she was 47. They married to fund the birth with their insurance. They are now divorced, as they’re better as friends, and co-parent their son together in Minot, ME with their 2 rescue dogs and cats. She also has two granddaughters. Danielle believes: “Those of us [transgender people] that can speak and be visible– should. Those of us who can’t, should support those who can. Those who can’t speak or can’t be seen, should be quiet and wait and know we are waiting for you”.

  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.

  For more information about the Querying the Past: Maine LGBTQ Oral History Project, please contact Dr. Wendy Chapkis.

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  Vaughan, Cait

  Kyle F. Cumiskey and Diane Martin

  The audio of the interview and the transcript are available to listen to and view by request on-site only in Special Collections

  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.

  For more information about the Querying the Past: Maine LGBTQ Oral History Project, please contact Dr. Wendy Chapkis.

  
  

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  Vermette, Jean

  Annie Holland and Olivia Tryon-Nadeau

  Jean Vermette, born in 1954, is a transgender woman from Skowhegan, Maine. At the age of three, Jean knew that her biological sex did not match her gender identity. When Jean came out as transgender to her wife in the 1980s, her marriage soon dissolved. After Jean filed for divorce, she spent five years transitioning. In addition to working as a self-employed electrician, Jean has dedicated her adult life to advocating for Maine’s transgender community. She created the Maine Gender Resource and Support Service and spent over fifteen years speaking publicly to Maine college students and medical professionals about the transgender community. Jean recognized the need for more support from doctors and therapists, so she took it upon herself to educate members of Maine’s medical community. In 2000, Jean received the Pioneer Award from the Maine Lesbian Gay Political Alliance – an organization known today as Equality Maine. More recently, Jean has taken a step back from public speaking and is glad to see a younger generation of trans people making a difference in Maine’s LGBTQ community.

  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.

  For more information about the Querying the Past: Maine LGBTQ Oral History Project, please contact Dr. Wendy Chapkis.

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  Waitzkin, Rich

  Kristen Cates and Emma Donnelly

  Rich Waitzkin is a 69-year-old social worker originally from Akron, Ohio residing in Portland, ME. Waitzkin came out as a gay man in his late twenties after moving to Maine. He holds two Masters degrees in both education and social work. Waitzkin has years of experience working both in administration and in the home health care field providing therapy to the LGBTQ community. During the AIDS epidemic, Waitzkin worked as a social worker helping to guide clients on resources and even preparing some for death. Waitzkin also helped establish Portland’s first LGBTQ community center known as the Equality Community Center. Waitzkin has been involved with the political sphere by serving on an advisory board for former Governor John McKernan and fighting the AIDS epidemic in the 80s.

  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.

  For more information about the Querying the Past: Maine LGBTQ Oral History Project, please contact Dr. Wendy Chapkis.

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  Wanderer, Nancy

  Mary Wallace

  Nancy Wanderer is a professor at the University of Maine School of Law and was also the first Director of the Legal Writing Program at Maine Law. She received a B.A from Wellesley College, and M.A. from George Washington University, and a J.D. from University of Maine School of Law. Nancy Wanderer has dedicated her life to women’s rights and protecting and fighting for the rights of other minorities as well. Since growing up in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, Wanderer has always been drawn to education and Academia.

  She was married to her ex-husband during her Junior year at Wellesley in 1968, had two children, and then eventually came-out as a lesbian in 1987 after meeting her now-partner Susan Sanders in 1986. Since her coming-out in the late 1980s, Wanderer has driven herself to seek her purpose in Academia, serving as a Director in various higher education settings and even spearheading a Women’s Studies Conference at Colby College. In the mid-2000s, Wanderer picked up politics once again, after serving in Wellesley’s student government in the 1960s, and was elected as a Hillary Clinton Delegate for the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Wanderer currently lives with her partner, Susan Sanders, in Falmouth, Maine.

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  Ward, Jeffrey

  Benjamin Cornwall

  Jeffrey Ward, from Northern Maine, talks about his experience interacting with the Portland LGBTQ community and his experience coming out as a gay man at the age of 47. Some subjects include: his experience with the Casco Gay Men group, Portland Pride Parade, The Front Porch, Blackstones, his involvement in the Methodist Church, his family life, and how he met his partner of 16 years.

  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.

  For more information about the Querying the Past: Maine LGBTQ Oral History Project, please contact Dr. Wendy Chapkis.

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  Warnock, Kyle

  Jen Butler and Rachel Shanks

  Kyle Warnock is a young queer person living in southern Maine whose non-profit, QueerlyME, has taken off to provide resources for the queer community in Maine. Starting as a photo documentary, QueerlyME is that, a resource directory and an event planning organization that focuses on queer activities outside of the traditional queer nightlife scene. Warnock talks about his experience growing up in South Dakota, coming out and the impacts of that. He also talks about his passion for connecting queer people with QueerlyME and the impact the organization has had on his life and the lives of many queer Mainers. Warnock strives towards making the outdoors more LGBTQ+ friendly.

  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. For more information about the Querying the Past: Maine LGBTQ Oral History Project, please contact Dr. Wendy Chapkis.

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  Wilbur, Russell

  Riley Kirk and Sam Penley

  Russell Wilbur grew up in Waterville Maine. At the age of fifteen he dropped out of school and began working at a chicken plant and shining shoes. Russell faced a lot of hard times with his family for his mother was mentally ill, physically and mentally abusive and his siblings were all very homophobic. With a difficult childhood and unsupportive family Russel began to drink to cover up the pain of his childhood. During this time Russell began to sell drugs which resulted in him going to prison for a year. In 1975 Russel became clean and sober and began to go to AA. Russell left AA after he came out to the group and was told that they don’t want his kind there. To escape his reputation Russell moved from Waterville to Portland Maine, where he began to live as himself, an out gay man. When he left for Portland, he cut all ties with his family.

  While beginning his new life in Portland Russell had two major relationships. Russell was fascinated by the education he never had and felt dumb for never getting his GED. Russell was a very hard worker and both of his relationships exploited him financially. Once Russell broke it off with both of those individuals, he gained empowerment from being single and has continued to be single for the last twenty years. Once Russell was single, he began his own cleaning company known as “Sparkle”. As time went on Russell developed many health problems which has resulted in him being disabled for the last ten years. During these hard times Russell found peace in painting frames of pictures. With painting frames came, Russell’s joy of gender bending every year in the Portland Pride Parade. This is the one day of year Russell always looks forward to enjoying with the LGBTQ+ community. Russell has a fascinating story filled many ups and downs but prides himself on keeping a sense of humor and a positive attitude throughout it all.

  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.

  For more information about the Querying the Past: Maine LGBTQ Oral History Project, please contact Dr. Wendy Chapkis.

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  Williams, Maya

  Daisy Pelletier

  *Included at the end of the interview is an original poem read by Maya.

  Maya Williams is a 25-year-old Black, queer, trans, Christian person who grew up in North Carolina. Ey moved to Maine to attend grad school at the University of New England. They worked at Maine Inside Out as an intern while at the University of New England. She has also worked at Equality Maine, and now works at Maine Trans Net. Her Christian faith is important to her, and organizations like ChIME (Chaplaincy Institute of Maine), and interfaith organization that educations and ordains chaplains, and The BTS Center (Bangor Theological Seminary), an organization that focuses on the intersection of spiritual leadership and ecological imagination, have helped her find religious community. Trans rights are important to Maya, and ey tell us about how bills introduced or passed in the Maine Legislature this year (2021) affected em.

  Maya was named the Portland Poet Laureate this year. They are the youngest person to become the Poet Laureate, and the first Black person as well. The arts are an important part of Maya’s life. She talks about various arts programs and venues, Port Veritas, a poetry open mic, Dying Laughing, a video series, Space Gallery, Speak About It, a theater group focused on consent education, and the Maine Center for Electronic Music.

  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.

  For more information about the Querying the Past: Maine LGBTQ Oral History Project, please contact Dr. Wendy Chapkis.

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  Winning Marriage in Maine

  EqualityMaine

  18:17 video produced by EqualityMaine about marriage equality in the state.

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  Wood, Barb

  Isabella Rieger

  Barbra ‘Barb’ Wood is 63 years old and lives in Portland M.E with her partner Carol. Barb realized she was queer her junior year in college when an underclassman that she met at a party took her back to her apartment and kissed her. After this kiss Barb recovered her other queer crushes through her series of romantic friendships with women. After college Barb worked as an insurance inspection agent in the state of Maine and later went on to become a resident of Portland. Barb was instrumental in the creation and distribution of Maine’s first queer newspaper OUR PAPER and would in later years become a founding member of the Maine Lesbian Gay Political Alliance (now Equality Maine) after the murder of Charlie Howard in 1984. Barb also went on to help Dale McCormick with her campaign for senate and won a seat of her own as the first openly lesbian City Counselor in Portland. Throughout her years as an activist and a prominent person in the queer community, Barb discusses her friends, community and many fun nights dancing and organizing—she even speaks about closing down The Underground/Styxx by throwing Penny Rich a grand 70^th birthday party.

  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.

  For more information about the Querying the Past: Maine LGBTQ Oral History Project, please contact Dr. Wendy Chapkis.

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  YES!

  EqualityMaine

  3:06 video about the passage of marriage equality in Maine.