Oral histories on lesbian and gay connection

Media Release, 31 August 2010

For immediate release

“Oral histories on trans-Tasman lesbian and gay connections receives funding”

Oral historian, lesbian and gay activist and community historian of long-standing Dr. Alison Laurie has been granted an Award in Oral History from the Australian Sesquicentennial Gift Trust to record ten oral histories about Australian influences on the development of lesbian and gay communities, networks, organisations and individual identities in New Zealand.

The oral history project is part of her ongoing research into the development of these networks and organisations in New Zealand, documenting early overseas connections that eventually resulted in post-1970 lesbian and gay organisations. There were many connections from Australia, influencing the development of Women’s Liberation, Gay Liberation and Lesbian Feminism during the 1970s. In addition, some New Zealanders contributed to the development of lesbian and gay communities and organisations in Australia.

Little work has been done on the histories of lesbian and gay communities in New Zealand. This oral history project will enable selected lesbians and gay men to tell their stories, adding to knowledge about these communities in both Australia and New Zealand, and how information was exchanged between the queer communities in both countries during earlier times.

Dr. Laurie will interview 5 women and 5 men, mainly Australian based, which will be archived in the Oral History Centre at the Alexander Turnbull Library, and made publicly available subject to any conditions the narrators place on their use. She has extensive oral history experience, having worked in radio, having recorded oral histories and having developed oral history courses for the Gender and Women’s Studies programme at Victoria University of Wellington, as well as having published articles on oral history. She is also co-managing two projects for the Lesbian and Gay Archives of New Zealand, based at the Alexander Turnbull Library.

For further information please contact alison.laurie@vuw.ac.nz

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