Oral Presentations and Performances: Session II
Project Type
Presentation
Project Funding and Affiliations
Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and History departments
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Elizabeth Hubble
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Abstract / Artist's Statement
This presentation will summarize findings from six oral histories of LGBTQ+ people who lived in Montana, but have left or are leaving in the near future. This presentation will explore the questions: Why are queer and transgender people leaving Montana? What are common experiences for LGBTQ+ people living in Montana? The answer to these questions will be derived from the stories of the Narrators who provided their oral histories. The questions utilized in the oral histories covered topics of identity, “coming out,” living history, cultural observations, community experiences and perceptions, well-being, healthcare, laws, and reasons for leaving. Thematic Analysis was derived from an inductive coding process. Themes explored throughout these six oral histories include the importance of community, importance of representation, pride in identity, concern for safety, political rhetoric, and the intersection of Montana culture with queerness. It is predicted that healthcare access, resource opportunity, and queer community will be factors that pull queer and transgender people out of Montana, while state level laws and hostile environments will be factors that push LGBTQ+ people out of Montana. This presentation will share stories that are often untold, creating new avenues of representation for LGBTQ+ Montanans. Additionally, it will be explored the impacts on the individual leaving Montana has, and the despondent loss Montana faces when queer and transgender people leave. Overall, this presentation will document and discuss a historical phenomena occurring among LGBTQ+ people in Montana.
Category
Humanities
Queer In & Out of Montana: Oral Histories of the LGBTQ+ Exodus from Montana
UC 330
This presentation will summarize findings from six oral histories of LGBTQ+ people who lived in Montana, but have left or are leaving in the near future. This presentation will explore the questions: Why are queer and transgender people leaving Montana? What are common experiences for LGBTQ+ people living in Montana? The answer to these questions will be derived from the stories of the Narrators who provided their oral histories. The questions utilized in the oral histories covered topics of identity, “coming out,” living history, cultural observations, community experiences and perceptions, well-being, healthcare, laws, and reasons for leaving. Thematic Analysis was derived from an inductive coding process. Themes explored throughout these six oral histories include the importance of community, importance of representation, pride in identity, concern for safety, political rhetoric, and the intersection of Montana culture with queerness. It is predicted that healthcare access, resource opportunity, and queer community will be factors that pull queer and transgender people out of Montana, while state level laws and hostile environments will be factors that push LGBTQ+ people out of Montana. This presentation will share stories that are often untold, creating new avenues of representation for LGBTQ+ Montanans. Additionally, it will be explored the impacts on the individual leaving Montana has, and the despondent loss Montana faces when queer and transgender people leave. Overall, this presentation will document and discuss a historical phenomena occurring among LGBTQ+ people in Montana.