Cindy Konrad Oral History Interview

Konrad talks about being from Wisconsin and her move to Oregon, which occurred about three and a half years ago from the date of this recording. She details her career path and what drove her to move to Oregon. She also talks in length about her education and work in literature before she found herself as a director of the Pride Center at Oregon State University. She also talks about the differences she has discovered between Wisconsin and the Midwest in general and Oregon and the Northwest, particularly in the topic of the LGBTQ+ community. Konrad explores what she has seen in the community and the changes that have occurred especially in the past three and a half years in Corvallis. She explains how Oregon seems like a safer place for someone in the LGBTQ+ community, but that does not include the people of color or the trans community. She also talked about the prevalence of white supremacists in the Corvallis area and the rampant racism and transphobia. Konrad was able to provide insight into what the future could look like and what she hopes the future will be for the LGBTQ+ community in Corvallis and Oregon in general. She also covered some specific changes that could be made at Oregon State University to make the lives of LGBTQ+ students and faculty a lot better.