Dublin Core
Title
Trans Story Circle #2
Description
In this story circle, participants take turns sharing their stories regarding their experience of gender. The gathering’s co-facilitator, Juniper Alliston, explains that the goal of this conversation is for the individual participants to talk about their lives and understandings of themselves. The group then takes about fifteen minutes to allow participants to create a drawing expressing their understanding of gender. From there, Alliston begins the conversation by describing her own drawing. She speaks about the difficulties associated with being a transgender individual, and notes that in the past she allowed others to influence her perception of herself. She concludes that her experiences as a trans person have involved learning to love herself and embrace her identity.
The next person to share their story is Aneeq Ahmed. Ahmed notes that their experience of gender has been complicated because of their cultural background and their family’s views on gender roles. They also state that despite that there can be a lot of joy associated with being trans, and they have fun with their gender. The next person to share their story is Anna Lantry. She describes her drawing as an egg, explaining that she has understood her own gender since she was three years old, but that other people have perceived her differently throughout her life. Bailey Garvin talks next and says that he has become much more comfortable with his gender identity over the course of his life, although in the past it has been tumultuous.
After Garvin speaks, Cori Elam describes their drawing and experience. They explain that they try to avoid identifying with a binary conception of gender, and that they want to push back against the idea that being trans is a uniformly unhappy experience. They state that they have found happiness in their gender identity and that the community they’ve found with other trans people has given them joy. Ray Wolf is the next person to share his story. He says that his experiences have been painful, but that he has grown from that pain. The final person to share is Catherine Raffin. She says that she has often felt isolated, both within cis society and within the trans community.
From there, the group briefly describes issues that are contentious within the trans community itself, and how trans individuals treat each other. The group then moves into a more informal conversational format and discusses recent experiences they’ve had within trans and queer communities. They talk about how the language that is used to describe trans and queer people has changed over time and discuss their preferred terminology. They then discuss their favorite seasons and holidays, before concluding with anecdotes about their memories of Halloween.
The next person to share their story is Aneeq Ahmed. Ahmed notes that their experience of gender has been complicated because of their cultural background and their family’s views on gender roles. They also state that despite that there can be a lot of joy associated with being trans, and they have fun with their gender. The next person to share their story is Anna Lantry. She describes her drawing as an egg, explaining that she has understood her own gender since she was three years old, but that other people have perceived her differently throughout her life. Bailey Garvin talks next and says that he has become much more comfortable with his gender identity over the course of his life, although in the past it has been tumultuous.
After Garvin speaks, Cori Elam describes their drawing and experience. They explain that they try to avoid identifying with a binary conception of gender, and that they want to push back against the idea that being trans is a uniformly unhappy experience. They state that they have found happiness in their gender identity and that the community they’ve found with other trans people has given them joy. Ray Wolf is the next person to share his story. He says that his experiences have been painful, but that he has grown from that pain. The final person to share is Catherine Raffin. She says that she has often felt isolated, both within cis society and within the trans community.
From there, the group briefly describes issues that are contentious within the trans community itself, and how trans individuals treat each other. The group then moves into a more informal conversational format and discusses recent experiences they’ve had within trans and queer communities. They talk about how the language that is used to describe trans and queer people has changed over time and discuss their preferred terminology. They then discuss their favorite seasons and holidays, before concluding with anecdotes about their memories of Halloween.
Creator
Aneeq Ahmed, Juniper Alliston, Cori Elam, Bailey Garvin, Anna Lantry, Quincy Meyer, Catherine Raffin and Ray Wolf
Source
OSU Queer Archives Oral History Collection (OH 34)
Publisher
Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Oregon State University Libraries
Date
February 12, 2020
Format
Born Digital Audio
Language
English
Type
Oral History
Identifier
oh34-trans-story-circle-20200212
Oral History Item Type Metadata
Interviewer
Group Story Circle format
Interviewee
Aneeq Ahmed, Juniper Alliston, Cori Elam, Bailey Garvin, Anna Lantry, Quincy Meyer, Catherine Raffin and Ray Wolf
Location
Hattie Redmond Women and Gender Center, Oregon State University
Original Format
Born Digital Audio
Duration
1:11:48
OHMS Object
Interview Format
audio