Dublin Core
Title
Ollie Parsons Oral History Interview
Description
Parsons begins by talking about their childhood in ballet, and being unable to express themselves because of that and because of their lack of control over their own expression due to being a child. Because of that, they used online spaces to explore identifying in different ways. They related specific experiences they had in their childhood, and their experience of coming to understand their gender as nonbinary and what that means to them. They then talked about the support and knowledge that they received from their girlfriend in being trans and being on HRT. They also talked about their experience online in fandom space and queer media that they enjoy. Circling back around, they talked about their experience being on testosterone and receiving HRT from OSU’s student health services, as well as how their parents reacted. They also reflected on what is euphoric and dysphoric to them, which was mostly related to how they are perceived by others. They then shared the object they brough, which was their dice from Dungeons and Dragons. They shared the importance of the game to them and the characters that they place as, showing how they use it as an outlet from exploration and the processing of trauma.
Ollie Parsons was born in 2004 in Eugene, Oregon. They are an undergraduate student studying BioHealth Sciences with a pre-Physician Assistant option. Despite being born and raised in a liberal college town, Parsons’ experience with gender and sexuality involved a great deal of hiding in an attempt to “fit in” and perform the gender role expected of them. Parsons grew up doing ballet, which they recall as a difficult and even traumatizing experience, as ballet does not often allow for gender incongruence and pushes a narrow beauty model on its young dancers. Doing ballet eventually led to their development of an eating disorder; however, Parsons considers this a pivotal moment in their life because they were forced to quit ballet, giving them the opportunity to experiment with gender and confront their gender dysphoria rather than burying it. In addition, getting into playing D&D allowed Parsons to explore new gender identities through role-play, as well as helping them make new trans friends. Not everyone in Parsons’ life was supportive of their coming out as non-binary and transmasculine, but that steady group of friends lended unconditional support throughout the process of coming out. That support has helped Parsons become proud of their non-binary identity, as well as their identity as a butch lesbian. Their goal is ultimately to become a physician assistant and help trans folks access gender-affirming healthcare.
This interview was conducted in support of interviewer Jozie Billings' honors thesis project titled, "Beyond the Binary: Multimodal Oral Histories of Navigating Gender and Finding Identity from Gender-Diverse and Cisgender Students." More information about that project is available in the finding aid for the OSU Queer Archives Oral History Collection (OH 34).
Ollie Parsons was born in 2004 in Eugene, Oregon. They are an undergraduate student studying BioHealth Sciences with a pre-Physician Assistant option. Despite being born and raised in a liberal college town, Parsons’ experience with gender and sexuality involved a great deal of hiding in an attempt to “fit in” and perform the gender role expected of them. Parsons grew up doing ballet, which they recall as a difficult and even traumatizing experience, as ballet does not often allow for gender incongruence and pushes a narrow beauty model on its young dancers. Doing ballet eventually led to their development of an eating disorder; however, Parsons considers this a pivotal moment in their life because they were forced to quit ballet, giving them the opportunity to experiment with gender and confront their gender dysphoria rather than burying it. In addition, getting into playing D&D allowed Parsons to explore new gender identities through role-play, as well as helping them make new trans friends. Not everyone in Parsons’ life was supportive of their coming out as non-binary and transmasculine, but that steady group of friends lended unconditional support throughout the process of coming out. That support has helped Parsons become proud of their non-binary identity, as well as their identity as a butch lesbian. Their goal is ultimately to become a physician assistant and help trans folks access gender-affirming healthcare.
This interview was conducted in support of interviewer Jozie Billings' honors thesis project titled, "Beyond the Binary: Multimodal Oral Histories of Navigating Gender and Finding Identity from Gender-Diverse and Cisgender Students." More information about that project is available in the finding aid for the OSU Queer Archives Oral History Collection (OH 34).
Creator
Ollie Parsons
Source
OSU Queer Archives Oral History Collection (OH 34)
Publisher
Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Oregon State University Libraries
Date
February 24, 2024
Contributor
Jozie Billings
Format
Born Digital Video
Language
English
Type
Oral History
Identifier
oh34-parsons-ollie-20240224
Oral History Item Type Metadata
Interviewer
Jozie Billings
Interviewee
Ollie Parsons
Location
Interview conducted over Zoom
Original Format
Born Digital Video
Duration
0:44:49
OHMS Object
Interview Format
video