Robin Frojen Oral History Interview, 2106

Partial Transcript: My name is Madeleine Selfors. It is Wednesday, May 25th at 6:09 p.m., and I am interviewing Robin Frojen for the OSU archives.

Segment Synopsis: Frojen talks about her family, upbringing, and career.

Partial Transcript: School... School was rough. School was not the best experience for me from elementary to high school. I never fit in.

Segment Synopsis: Frojen describes her experiences in elementary through high school, focusing on how they relate to her gender and sexuality.

Keywords: LGBTQ; School; bullying; fitting in; gender; sexuality

Subjects: bullying; education; gender; sexual minorities; sexuality

Partial Transcript: After that, I went to college on the East Coast, as far away as I could, floundered around, came back to the west coast.

Segment Synopsis: Frojen discusses her thoughts and emotions surrounding coming out to her friends and family, as well as their reactions to her doing so.

Keywords: LGBTQ; coming out; family; friends; sexuality

Subjects: family; friends; gender; sexuality

Partial Transcript: My involvement here at OSU, I cam to OSU to be a student at almost 40. I had been a professional chef for years - let me go back a minute.

Segment Synopsis: Frojen describes her experiences of coming to Oregon State University to pursue education as a non-traditional student. She also speaks to her experiences of the climate in Corvallis.

Keywords: Corvallis, OR; Oregon State University; college; food services

Subjects: Oregon State University; Oregon--Corvallis; Universities and colleges

Partial Transcript: It's not easy, two moms raising a kid, you know in any place, but Corvallis didn't care. OSU didn't care. I've always been, once I came out and found myself, I've just always been myself.

Segment Synopsis: Frojen briefly describes how her opinion about discrimination and how it has and continues to affect her life

Keywords: LGBTQ; discrimination

Subjects: discrimination; sexual minorities

Partial Transcript: So, during this time I met the love of my life.

Segment Synopsis: Frojen describes meeting and forming a relationship with her wife, having a son with mental illness, and dealing with discrimination related to multiple aspects of her identity and family.

Keywords: disability; discrimination; female masculinity; gender; gender expression; mental health; sizeism; weight

Subjects: disability; discrimination; gender; mental health; sexuality

Partial Transcript: Being here for students. I think part of my effect on students and advocacy for students is that to be true and honest, by me being me and not hiding anything, allows them see its ok to be them.

Keywords: Visibility; being yourself; mentorship; representation; students; teaching

Subjects: mentoring; representation; students; teaching

Partial Transcript: Oh, I know, I know, you guys wanted to talk about tattoos.

Segment Synopsis: Frojen describes her various tattoos and the meaning behind, each of which is personal and connected to experiences and relationships with other people.

Keywords: Tattoos

Subjects: tattooing

Partial Transcript: I think, you know, we think about the names that people get called - dyke, homo, whatever. You can take the negative power out of that.

Keywords: LGBTQ; Language; acceptance; reclaiming words

Subjects: rhetoric; sexual minorities