Jo Casselberry Oral History Interview, May 11, 2016

Partial Transcript: Today is May 11, 2016, and I am in the Valley Library on OSU campus interviewing JoAnn Casselberry, activist and co-founder of After 8.

Segment Synopsis: Casselberry discusses her childhood and background information about her life, such as being influenced by the radicalism of the 60s.

Partial Transcript: Alright, so going back, tell me a little bit about what high school was like, like were LGBTQ issues discussed at all, was it a problem?

Segment Synopsis: Casselberry discusses the social climate surrounding her high school years as well as her awareness of and participation in activism regarding social issues of the time.

Keywords: LGBTQ; activism; coming out; gendered clothing; gendered uniforms; representation

Subjects: activism; coming out; representation; sexual minorities; uniforms

Partial Transcript: Moving on to college, did you attend college?

Segment Synopsis: Casselberry describes her years in college as well as some of the jobs she had afterwards. She focuses on her activism and engagement with social issues of the time, particularly relating to feminism and women's organizations.

Keywords: Activism; Oregon State University; college; feminism; peace; queer movements; sexual and domestic violence; the Barometer; war; women's centers; women's studies

Subjects: Activism; Oregon State University; colleges and universities; feminism; intimate partner violence; peace; sexual violence; war; women's studies

Partial Transcript: Did you notice a big difference in the climate around gay and lesbian rights and activism between OSU and your previous university?

Segment Synopsis: Starting with a discussion of the social climate at the colleges she attended, Casselberry discusses the history of LGBTQ rights and activism in Oregon. In particular, she talks about how the anti-LGBT ballots of the 80s and 90s led to a shift in people's willingness to come out and be involved in queer politics.

Keywords: Ballot Measure 8; Ballots; LGBTQ; Oregon Citizen's Alliance; activism; coming out; privacy; right to privacy; rights; visibility

Subjects: Oregon Citizen's Alliance; activism; coming out; privacy; right to privacy; sexual minorities; visibility

Partial Transcript: One of your questions was how did After 8 form. After 8 was named after Ballot Measure 8.

Segment Synopsis: Casselberry discusses the early years of After 8, the group's involvement with activist projects in Oregon, and the coalitions the group built with other groups in response to anti-LGBTQ ballot measures. Towards the end of this segment, she discusses backlash to queer activism, both state-wide and locally.

Keywords: After 8; Ballot Measure 8; Ballot Measure 9; LGBTQ; The Sons of 9; activism; anti-LGBTQ sentiment; coalition-building; coalitions; coming out; grassroots; outreach; political action committee; scale of organization

Subjects: activism; coalitions; coming out; grassroots; outreach; political action committee; sexual minorities

Partial Transcript: In 1998 - this was something that After 8 did that I am particularly proud of - between 1994 and then in 2000 was Ballot Measure 9, the second one, where they tried again...

Segment Synopsis: Casselberry discusses her opinion about the inclusion of trans people in their anti-discrimination clause.

Keywords: Ballot Measure 9; anti-discrimination; transgender rights

Subjects: discrimination; transgender people

Partial Transcript: Around that time, I can't remember exactly, I think it was again... somehow there was this open window where they allowed weddings, marriages, domestic partnerships, civil unions for same sex couples.

Segment Synopsis: Casselberry discusses the surprising, yet short lived window during the early 2000s when same-sex couples in Benton County could apply for marriage licences. She also describes the aftermath of removing this right in subsequent years as well as organizing against Ballot Measure 36.

Keywords: Ballot Measure 36; Benton County; Same-sex marriage; civil unions; domestic partnerships; marriage equality; marriage licenses

Subjects: Same-sex marriage; civil unions; domestic partnerships

Partial Transcript: But I was going to tell you a little bit about what it was like during those years when we were working on campaigns.

Segment Synopsis: Casselberry looks back on her time in After 8, focusing on her involvement with the group, the group's development and engagement with the community, and its closing years.

Keywords: After 8; Campaigns; organizing; visibility

Subjects: Political campaigns; organizing; visibility

Partial Transcript: Do you remember - so that was more locally, state of Oregon, Benton County - do you remember what was going on nationally at that time and was that having a big impact on Oregon politics?

Segment Synopsis: Casselberry discusses the national political context surrounding the time she was involved with After 8 and the interactions between national politics and local politics in Benton County.

Keywords: Oregon; letters to the editor; national politics

Subjects: Oregon; letters to the editor; national politics

Partial Transcript: Alright, coming to, still the present now, are you still currently involved in any forms of activism? What are you doing at OSU? Work? Hobbies? Interests?

Segment Synopsis: Casselberry discusses what she is doing now, her current activism and engagement with contemporary social issues as well as her hobbies and current interests.

Keywords: Activism; After 8 book club; hobbies; marriage rights; social gatherings

Subjects: Activism; hobbies

Partial Transcript: Is there anything else that you want to go into more detail about or anything you want to bring up that we haven't talked about yet?

Segment Synopsis: The interviewers ask fro additional comments and then conclude the interview.