It figures that 2015's Texas & U.S. Teacher of the Year was affirmed early on by a book. Shanna Peeples experienced the "shock of recognition" when she stumbled upon Patricia Highsmiths' #WLW novel "The Price of Salt" in her school library...the book that later became the Academy Award nominated film “Carol.”

In art and in the classroom, it makes a big difference for LGBTQ+ students to have role models; now Shanna is that role model that students can look up to.

#Teacher #TeacherOfTheYear #BackToSchool #QueerLiterature

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Dr. Omi Osun Joni L. Jones and Sharon Bridgforth share their sometimes differing accounts of how they met, fell in love, and got together.

OUTWORDS is the first-ever national project to record the stories of LGBTQ+ elders across the United States. We share our full catalog of interviews with LGBTQ+ elders, completely free of charge, on our website. We also have a book of interviews, called “The Book of Pride”. We partner with Flipgrid to share our stories with students and teachers around the globe; offer a wide range of webinars on timely LGBTQ+ topics and issues; and provide paid DEI consulting services to companies and organizations like Microsoft, AARP, and Everytown for Gun Safety. Visit us and sign up for our newsletter today at theoutwordsarchive.org.

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AIDS/Lifecycle rider Doreen Gonzales shares how sports and athletics have shaped her life and her ability to contribute to the lives of others.

DP: Raym Ramos
Editor: Astra Price

OUTWORDS is the first-ever national project to record the stories of LGBTQ+ elders across the United States. We share our full catalog of interviews with LGBTQ+ elders, completely free of charge, on our website. We also have a book of interviews, called “The Book of Pride”. We partner with Flipgrid to share our stories with students and teachers around the globe; offer a wide range of webinars on timely LGBTQ+ topics and issues; and provide paid DEI consulting services to companies and organizations like Microsoft, AARP, and Everytown for Gun Safety. Visit us and sign up for our newsletter today at theoutwordsarchive.org.

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OUTWORDS presented Dare to Be Powerful: How LGBTQ+ Elders Transformed California Politics Forever, a panel discussion and kick-off of our new website, daretobepowerful.us.

The panel took place at the Los Angeles Public Library on May 14, 2025.

Moderator: Trevor Ladner

Panelists:
Judy Abdo
Maria Roman-Taylorson
Phill Wilson

More about our Panelists:

Judy Abdo (she/her) ran for Santa Monica City Council as an out lesbian in 1988 and served on the Council from 1988 to 1996, including three years as mayor. She has served as the Vice Chair of the First 5 LA Commission, is a former member of the Los Angeles County Board of Education, and led several environmental initiatives through the Metropolitan Water District board, the Steering Committee of Climate Action Santa Monica, and the Santa Monica Environmental Task Force. She retired as the Director of Child Development Services for the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District, having worked for 13 years as an elementary school teacher, and is now a member of the Early Childhood Task Force in Santa Monica. Judy was a founder of Sojourn Shelter for battered women and children and the Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corp, and is a former board member of the Neighborhood Support Center and Santa Monica AIDS Project.


Maria Roman-Taylorson (she/her) is a pioneering advocate and leader in transgender social services in Los Angeles, with over 20 years of experience. A proud Puerto Rican Latina, Maria began her journey of self-discovery at 19, overcoming homelessness and hardship to become a voice for the transgender community. Maria made history as the first transgender Program Manager of the Transgéneros Unidas program at Bienestar Human Services. She has served on the Liberty Hill Foundation Board of Directors, the West Hollywood Transgender Advisory Committee, and the LA County HIV Commission. Maria was a member of the all-trans cast for the stage show Lovely Bouquet of Flowers, which showcased transgender stories and has now become the documentary In Full Bloom. She has also made numerous appearances on television and in film. Maria is currently the Vice President and COO of the TransLatin@ Coalition, where she leads programs providing critical services for transgender individuals.


Phill Wilson (he/him) is a multi-hyphenated, activist activist and policy maker. He is the founder and former President and CEO of the Black AIDS Institute, and a former Los Angeles Citywide AIDS coordinator. He was a presidential appointment during the Clinton administration, and a member of President Obama’s Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). He has been involved in the founding of countless numbers of LGBTQ+, BPOC, and HIV/AIDS organizations over the last forty years. Phill has been an unwavering, outspoken voice on behalf of Black, Black LGBTQ+, and people living with HIV/AIDS.

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High school students reflect on the power and significance of interviewing LGBTQ+ elders for the third season of the Youspeak Radio podcast.

This project is a collaboration between One Institute and The Outwords Archive.

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Queering Precedent: Behind the Scenes
June 12, 2025

This listening party/panel discussion is in celebration of OUTWORDS’ newest podcast project, Queering Precedent.

Queering Precedent delves into the history of transgender, gender non-conforming, and intersex (TGI) visibility and legal rights, in California and beyond, and asks: how did we get here, and where do we go now? Get a jolt of hope, history, and how-to with judges, lawyers, advocates, and activists who shaped law and politics for the TGI community.

Queering Precedent is presented by OUTWORDS as part of our two-year initiative Dare to Be Powerful: How LGBTQ+ Elders Transformed California Politics Forever, with generous funding from the California State Library.

Moderator:
Alexis Sanchez (moderator) Born and raised in Los Angeles, Alexis Sanchez has worked in LGBTQIA+ advocacy for the last decade. Her background is in Public Health Policy with a focus on Substance Use Disorders in the LGBTQ+ community where she has been a thought leader in how systems of oppression contribute to shorter lifespans for people with multiple marginalized identities. Alexis is the Vice President of Programs at a National LGBTQ+ organization. In 2020 she was named Woman of the Year for CA-30 by the 116th Congress.

Panelists:
Holy Old Man Bull, aka Marcus Arana (panelist and podcast guest ) is a retired Gender Identity Discrimination Investigator and Policy Analyst for the City and County of San Francisco, where he worked on health insurance coverage for transgender employees and their dependents. Previous jobs include field worker, carnie, cook, Radio DJ, and carpenter. Holy Old Man Bull is a bisexual transgender Two Spirit elder who spends his retirement with public speaking, consulting, puttering in his veggie garden, and spending quality time with his beloved spouse Nancy, and yellow Lab, Frankie. Born in the Territory of Alaska and raised in California, Marcus lives in Sonoma County. He is Amah Mutsun Ohlone, Blackfeet, Mexica, Irish, and Scottish.

Luca Evans (they/them) (panelist and podcast co-producer) is an award-winning audio producer, journalist, filmmaker, and sound designer. Luca has worked on podcasts for the likes of The Guardian, the BBC and Audible, directed short documentary films for the BBC, and created Ignite, an award-winning independent podcast centering youth voices around the climate crisis. They are also an educator, teaching podcast classes to kids aged 7-17.

kai alviar horton (panelist and podcast co-host) kai alviar horton (he/they) is a Trans, queer, gender expansive, neurospicy, child of immigrant parents, Filipinx/Andean/Latinx activist, poet, healer, and brujx born as a settler on the unceded homelands of the Chumash and Tongva people. kai has the honor and privilege of being the new Executive Director here at Trans Lifeline. kai brings a wealth of experience in non-profit leadership. They have been a leader in trans advocacy and racial equity work for many years and apply this lens to the way they approach leadership within organizations. kai is passionate about world building with his beloved community, imagining a world where queer and trans folx of color are resourced, celebrated, and honored.

Anne Tamar-Mattis (panelist and podcast guest ) grew up in Southern Illinois, and came out in 1988 at the age of 19. She has been an activist in the LGBTQI community ever since. She directed the national LYRIC Youth Talkline in the 90’s, and was the founding Program Director at the SF LGBT Community Center. After graduating from Berkeley Law in 2006, she founded interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth, the first organization in the world solely focused on legal advocacy for intersex youth. She is currently the Chief Administrative Officer at Liminal Medicine, a psychedelic medicine clinic she runs with her spouse of 28 years, Suegee.

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In celebration of International Lesbian Day, OUTWORDS presented a film screening of Old Lesbians, a documentary by filmmaker Meghan McDonough, and a spirited film talkback with the director, Mandy Carter and Jewelle Gomez (OUTWORDS interviewees featured in the film), and moderator, filmmaker Betsy Kalin.

This video is the talkback session that accompanied the film screening.

To view the film, please visit www.oldlesbiansfilm.com

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Being a black man in the 1960s in New Orleans, Michael Hickerson was no stranger to racism. It was even more disappointing when he experienced it within the LGBTQ community. He didn’t let that stop his desire to help others, though, whether it was supporting those living with HIV, or helping people recover from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

More first-person LGBTQ stories:
http://www.theOUTWORDSarchive.org
http://imfromdriftwood.com

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In the early 70s, Lani Ka'ahumanu began to realize that she was very much attracted to women. Only later did she fall for a man, which led her to realize that she was, in fact, bisexual. Despite a bi-phobic undercurrent in the community, Lani pressed forward and devoted her energy to fighting for bisexual representation and inclusion.

More first-person LGBTQ stories:
http://www.theOUTWORDSarchive.org
http://imfromdriftwood.com

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In the 1970s, Elizabeth Coffey Williams visited John Hopkins University in the hopes of participating in its pioneering gender program. Despite a deep desire to complete her transition, she was met with resistance from the medical team.

I'm From Driftwood on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imfromdriftwood/


More first-person LGBTQ stories: http://imfromdriftwood.com/

I'm From Driftwood on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ImFromDriftwood/

I'm From Driftwood on Twitter: https://twitter.com/imfromdriftwood

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In the 1950s, Jim got caught up in a raid on a gay bar. His overnight stay in jail did not go as expected.


More first-person LGBTQ stories: http://imfromdriftwood.com/

I'm From Driftwood on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ImFromDriftwood/

I'm From Driftwood on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imfromdriftwood/

I'm From Driftwood on Twitter: https://twitter.com/imfromdriftwood

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History, legacy, community: OUTWORDS' interviewees discuss the importance of recording their stories with OUTWORDS.

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OUTWORDS is the first-ever national project to record the stories of LGBTQ+ elders across the United States. We share our full catalog of interviews with LGBTQ+ elders, completely free of charge, on our website. We also have a book of interviews, called “The Book of Pride”. We partner with Flipgrid to share our stories with students and teachers around the globe; offer a wide range of webinars on timely LGBTQ+ topics and issues; and provide paid DEI consulting services to companies and organizations like Microsoft, AARP, and Everytown for Gun Safety. Visit us and sign up for our newsletter today at theoutwordsarchive.org.

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First Person LGBTQ History. LKAPS President Jax Kelly interviews Mason Funk, Founder and Executive Director of OUTWORDS (http://theoutwordsarchive.org). Since 2016, Mason and his crew have interviewed our LGBTQ elders to preserve our history. Mason shares the process, how interview subjects are chosen and two brief videos of what you will find on the website. HIV undoubtedly plays a role in many of the stories according to Mason. "Ensuring that the history of the LGBTQ movement can never be erased, inspiring us to resist all forms of oppression with ferocity, community, and most importantly, pride." Donate to http://theoutwordsarchive.org/donate/. To learn more about Let's Kick ASS Palm Springs (AIDS Survivor Syndrome) go to http://LKAPS.org.

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OUTWORDS is the first-ever national project to record the stories of LGBTQ+ elders across the United States. We share our full catalog of interviews with LGBTQ+ elders, completely free of charge, on our website. We also have a book of interviews, called “The Book of Pride”. We partner with Flipgrid to share our stories with students and teachers around the globe; offer a wide range of webinars on timely LGBTQ+ topics and issues; and provide paid DEI consulting services to companies and organizations like Microsoft, AARP, and Everytown for Gun Safety. Visit us and sign up for our newsletter today at theoutwordsarchive.org.

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This Indigenous Peoples Month, we're uplifting wisdom from our Two-spirit elders like Darrel Redleaf Fielder. Here, Darrel shares some thoughts on relationships with ancestors and the urgent need for Indigenous ways of being.

#TwoSpirit #IndigenousPeople #Spirituality #SpiritWorld #Indigiqueer

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Listen to Mandy Carter and VOTE! Because if you’re not going to listen to a Nobel-nominated Black Southern lesbian elder community organizer, who ARE you going to listen to? #GOTV #QueerTheVote #TooBigToRig #GetOUTtheVote

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Today is National Latino AIDS Awareness Day, so we’re celebrating the monumental (pun intended) process of creating The Wall / Las Memorias AIDS Monument, as told by founder Richard Zaldivar. This monument in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Los Angeles was a major step in reducing HIV/AIDS stigma and uniting the Latine community around treatment and prevention.

#QueerArt #HIVAIDSAwareness #HispanicHeritageMonth #NLAAD #LatinxHeritageMonth

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West Coast Ballroom pioneer Miss Ebony Lane takes a moment to beam with pride for her community. Behind the scenes or front and center, the impact of the trans community is undeniable.

You can see Miss Ebony Lane and other ballroom pioneers at the Pioneer Ball Panel in West Hollywood, Saturday 10/10! More info: https://banjeeball.com/thepioneerball/

#TransIsBeautiful #TransPride #ProtectTransWomen #ballroom
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