Idaho^Queered

About Idaho^Queered

Idaho^Queered is a public history project that collected, digitized, transcribed, coded, and archived oral histories from members of the Idaho LGBTQ community from 2016 to 2018.

Supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities and other local and national organizations, the project sought to document the proud histories of LGBTQ individuals through structured conversations about their experiences in Idaho. The video oral histories were conducted and filmed by Denise Bennett and transcribed and processed by staff and student workers of the Center for Digital Inquiry and Learning (CDIL).

Upbeat and Funny Stories from the Collection

Physical materials collected as part of the project are held in the library's Special Collections & Archives and described in the finding aid below.

Idaho Queered Finding Aid

History

The project was originally inspired by Denise Bennett collecting oral histories to make the documentary film Gotts Point, about the 2016 death of UI alumnus and former employee Steven Nelson. Nelson was robbed and beaten to death in Nampa, Idaho in what federal prosecutors determined was a hate crime that led to the convictions of four men.

Although the inspiration for this project is grim, the stories told by interviewees covered the full spectrum of lived experience, from challenges to joys, representing histories that have not often been shared in Idaho.

"We want to get a contemporary and diverse history represented. The goal is to document histories in every county of Idaho. It’s history. I want to document history. It’s just getting the word out and convincing people their life is interesting enough to tell."

Support

Idaho^Queered was supported by:

• the National Endowment for the Humanities
• the Moscow Giving Circle
• the Latah County Community Foundation
• the Pride Foundation
• the Idaho Humanities Council
• and many generous individual donors

Thank you to all who supported this project!

And THANK YOU especially to all who agreed to be interviewed and featured on this site!

Inquiries

Inquiries regarding the content on these pages, including requests for removal of interviews, can be sent to dbecker@uidaho.edu. Alternatively, one can contact the digital initiatives department at 208-885-9444 or the main library at 208-885-6559.