Stina Goetter Oral History Interview

In the interview, Goetter begins by briefly describing her high school experience, and the lack of a queer community in that space. Because of this, she explains that she was committed to creating that space when she came to Oregon State, but was pleasantly surprised to find that a queer community was already firmly established at the school.

Goetter details how Rainbow Continuum was beneficial to her, particularly in her early days at OSU, and how she fell into activist work. Goetter talks about the kind of work she did as web director for the Pride Center, and later as a co-director of Rainbow Continuum. After describing her early involvement at Oregon State, Goetter primarily focuses on the OSU drag show, its history, and its impact. She pinpoints the ways in which the show has created community, and created a space for playfulness and performance. Goetter emphasizes drag as activist work that is both empowering and political.

In the second half of this interview, Goetter describes a Corvallis Gazette article that ultimately prompted changes within the OSU drag show, thanks to input from Dr. Brenda McComb. Because of this, Goetter explains how she has worked to make the drag show open to a wider range of ideas, particularly in making the show more supportive and inclusive of transgender folks.