Oral History Interview with Gail Pyburn: Video, Eugene Lesbian Oral History Project

Title: Oral History Interview with Gail Pyburn: 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: Pyburn, Gail
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: Gail was born in 1953 in Albany, Oregon. Gail had a sense she was gay at a young age. She was in love with one of her teachers. At age eighteen, Gail got married to her high school boyfriend and had a daughter. They later divorced. It was difficult to be gay in Albany, as it was politically conservative. Gail moved to Eugene in 1978. She describes Eugene in the late 1970s. She discusses being a lesbian and having been raised Catholic. She discusses her androgynous identity. Gail got a job as a truck driver and worked in Lincoln City for six months. She talks about the struggles she had working with some of the male truck drivers, who harassed her. Gail worked as a truck driver on the post-volcano clean-up at Mount St. Helens. In July 1980, Gail started to work as a trucker for Starflower Natural Foods and Botanicals. She discusses the culture and the environment at Starflower. Gail is also a musician, and she discusses the women’s bands “Soulicious” and “TranSister.” Gail had a friend, Judy Phillips, who had moved to Hawaii. Gail moved to Hawaii and lived there for thirty-one years, but she kept up with friends in Eugene. Gail worked in the film industry while living in Hawaii. Gail discusses her daughter’s struggles, and discusses her grandchild, who is in the process of transitioning. Gail finishes up her interview by discussing aging issues.
Subject: Camilio, Cheryl; Lane Community College (Eugene, Or.); Lesbian mothers – United States; Photography; Transgender people; Trucking; Vaden, Paula Jo.
Location: University of Oregon >> Lane County >> Oregon >> United States
Date: 2018-08-21
Identifier: Coll520_do047
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