Oral History Interview with Gretchen Miller: Video, Eugene Lesbian Oral History Project

Title: Oral History Interview with Gretchen Miller: 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: Miller, Getchen
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: Gretchen Miller was born in 1950 and raised in Wichita, Kansas. She had no sense of lesbianism when growing up. She was involved in anti-war work in Lawrence, Kansas. In the early 1970s, she wanted to go West, so she moved to Eugene. Gretchen describes her impressions of Eugene at that time. She went to the University of Oregon Law School and graduated in 1976. She opened a law firm, “Heiman and Miller” with Jill Heiman. Gretchen was elected to the Eugene City Council, serving with Mayor Gus Keller. During her term, she and other councilors addressed issues such as the city infrastructure and the building of the Hult Center. She discusses her work against the anti-gay political measures. She finished her term in 1982. When she was an adjunct faculty member with the University of Oregon Department of Planning, Public Policy and Management for more than twenty years, Gretchen came out to her classes. Gretchen got together with Sarah Hendrickson in 1980. She talks about their children, parenting issues, racism in the community, and belonging to the Unitarian Church. She also talks about her partner Sarah transitioning to a man, the gender and sexuality spectrum, and her own identity married to a transgender man.
Subject: ACLU; Adoption; American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon; Ballot Measure 8; Ballot Measure 9; Ballot Measure 13; Bell, Derrick A.; City planning -- Oregon – Eugene; Civil service – Oregon – Eugene; Collectives; Community life; Coming out (sexual orientation); Cooperatives; Counterculture; Emerald People’s Food Cooperative; Eugene (Or.) -- Social conditions; Eugene Human Rights Commission; Eugene School District 4J; Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB); Fidanque, David; Gender nonconformity; Goldschmidt, Neil Edward; Hippies; Homophobia in schools; Hult Center for the Performing Arts (Eugene, Or.); Human rights; Hyman, Jill; Keller, Richard Antone “Gus;” Lively, Scott; Lesbian mothers -- United States; Mabon, Lon; Marriage equality; Ordinances, Municipal -- Oregon – Eugene; Oregon Citizens Alliance; Parenting; Referendum 51; Same-sex marriage; Transgender people; Unitarian Universalist Church; University of Oregon. Department of Planning, Public Policy and Management (PPPM); University of Oregon. School of Law; Vetri, Dominick R.; Vietnam War, 1961-1975 -- Protest movements -- United States
Location: University of Oregon >> Lane County >> Oregon >> United States
Date: 2018-09-13
Identifier: Coll520_do035
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