Oral History Interview with Saro Hendrickson: Video, Eugene Lesbian Oral History Project

Title: Oral History Interview with Saro Hendrickson: Video, Eugene Lesbian Oral History Project
LC Subject: Lesbianism Lesbian community
Local Collection ID: Coll 520
Repository: University of Oregon. Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Interviewee: Hendrickson, Saro
Interviewer: Long, Linda, 1956- Raiskin, Judith L.
Description: The Eugene Lesbian Oral History Project collection consists of interviews of 83 people for the Eugene Lesbian Oral History Project, conducted by Professor Judith Raiskin and Curator Linda Long at the University of Oregon starting in the summer of 2018.
Abstract: Saro was born female in central California, near Davis, and was named Sarah, nicknamed Sally. She had two younger siblings, a brother and a sister. She describes herself as a tomboy and a “nerd,” with an active male alter ego. She enjoyed outdoor activities, was a Girl Scout and attended Camp Timber Tarn in California. She came out at Girl Scout camp, a year after she graduated from high school. She went to the University of California, Berkeley, starting in 1964. She discusses lesbian culture at that time and, despite her lesbian life, she thought that it was perhaps a phase. She went to medical school at the University of Pennsylvania. She married a man who was gay and they lived in Eugene. Together, they had a son, James, who was born in 1976. She practiced medicine in Eugene, first at the University of Oregon Health Center and then in private practice. In 1978, she was elected to the Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB). She met her partner Gretchen Miller. She discusses her medical practice and lesbian health issues, including fertilization and sperm banks. She received an M.A. in public health and began working for the Lane County Public Health department. She discusses HIV prevention and the Whitebird drug treatment program. She talks about class issues, health insurance, abortion, and access to medical care. She and her partner Gretchen Miller registered as domestic partners and later were married in Multnomah County in 2004, a marriage the state annulled. She and Gretchen adopted two boys, which changed their involvement with the lesbian community. As a parent of African American children, she discusses racism in the public schools. She talks about the anti-gay political measures in Oregon. At the age of 70, Sarah transitioned to male with medical services supported by the Oregon Health Plan, and changed his first name to Saro. He discusses his experiences as a man, his sexuality, and his marriage. Saro concludes his interview by discussing aging and healthcare issues.
Subject: Abortion; Alternative insemination; Artificial insemination, Human; Bars (Drinking establishments) -- California – San Francisco; Ballot Measure 9; Bills, Jennifer; Butch and femme (Lesbian culture); Daughters of Bilitis; Eugene School District 4J; Flynn, Rebecca; Gender Dysphoria – Care and Treatment; Internalized homophobia; Lesbian mothers -- United States; Libido; National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Eugene Branch; Ordinances, Municipal -- Oregon – Eugene; Parenting; Referendum 51; Self-insemination; Transgender people.
Location: University of Oregon >> Lane County >> Oregon >> United States
Date: 2018-08-20
Identifier: Coll520_do026
Rights: In Copyright
Dc Rights Holder: University of Oregon Libraries
Local Collection Name: Eugene Lesbian Oral History Project
Type: Moving Image
Format: video/mp4
Set: Eugene Lesbian Oral History Project
Institution: University of Oregon