The Battle Creek Queer Oral History Project is an opportunity to record the story of Battle Creek’s LGBTQ history.
In 2021, a committee was established to better understand Battle Creek’s LGBTQ history, including the documentation of Battle Creek Pride’s origins. After months of discussion and planning, the Battle Creek Queer Oral History Project was established as a method for cataloguing LGBTQ stories in Battle Creek, so that we can all gain a greater understanding of our local history.
A project website is forthcoming as more stories are collected.
What is an Oral History?
An oral history is an interview process and resulting product from a recorded spoken interview. Oral histories are collected to preserve meaningful information about the past, often related to a particular historical subject or event—in this case, Battle Creek’s LGBTQ history.
Then what?
Trained interviewers, mostly members of the committee, are in the process of collecting stories from individuals, called Narrators, who were identified as directly related to the origins and progress of Battle Creek Pride. All completed interviews, once approved by the Narrator, will be shared on a project website. We plan to include the audio, transcript, and any approved photos with each interview.
Will you share your story?
In order for this project to truly represent the whole Battle Creek LGBTQ population, it’s important that everyone has a chance to tell their story. Whether you were connected with BC Pride, or not, this project is an opportunity to capture the real experience of what it was and is like to be LGBTQ in Battle Creek.
If you identify as LGBTQ in Battle Creek, you’re over 50 years old (for now), and you’re interested in sharing your story with the Battle Creek Queer Oral History Project, please fill out the form below.