Ray Wolf Oral History Interview

Ray Wolf talks about his childhood growing up in Spain and his journey in finding his identity. He was born and raised in Spain as a girl, and talks about his journey through several identities, including lesbian girl, straight man, and trans man. He talks about the role that the Catholic Church played in his childhood and his struggle to accept himself, and how he felt about himself as a child and as a teenager. He remembers the feeling of not knowing how to deal with what he felt until he discovered the internet and other resources that he could use to get answers to questions that he couldn’t ask of those around him.

He then talks about the discovery of Pride as a negative exposure in his home environment and finding others like himself in Madrid. He remembers, as a junior in high school - which was his last year at high school in Spain - that other students would come to him for advice instead of the teachers or other adults, because the subject of being queer was taboo in his high school. He also talks about the struggle with dysphoria instead of his gender, and feeling at home in his body once he started testosterone.

At the end of his story, he talks about the vast differences between the community in the United States compared to Spain. He talks about seeing all of the Pride flags on display all the time in Corvallis, and compares it to the lack of display or feeling of community in Spain, saying that you only see Pride flags in Spain when it is Pride week and only in specific areas. He says that the sudden availability of community and information really helped in his journey and figuring out how to be himself. He ends by giving a message of hope to others who are in similar situations to his own. He tells them that it does get better, no matter how bad it may seem. He implores them to avoid isolating themselves and to reach out to those around them or in the LGBT+ community for help and advice.