{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/jw86h4ff2r/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Deborah Lolai Oral History"]},"logo":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/010/original/Aviary_QPLlogo_192x192.png?1578574261","metadata":[{"label":{"en":["Description"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClip 1:\u003c/strong\u003e Deborah Lolai explains what made the club room of the Gender, Love, and Sexuality Alliance (GLASA) at Queens College a special place.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003ePhoto: Members of the Gender, Love, and Sexuality Alliance (GLASA), a student group at Queens College, inside the GLASA club room, circa 2012. Courtesy of Samuel Nathanson.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSummary of Full Interview:\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eDeborah Lolai (she/her) is a lawyer and instructor at the Harvard Law LGBTQ Advocacy Clinic, and former member of the Gender, Love, and Sexuality Alliance (GLASA) at Queens College. Deborah grew up in Queens and on Long Island in an Iranian Jewish family before attending Queens College starting in 2005, where she graduated in 2011. During her time at Queens College, Deborah was treasurer and later president of GLASA, devoting her energies to crafting opportunities to build community, solidarity, and opportunities for political advocacy for LGBTQ students. This interview touches on some highlights from her time in GLASA including panels on Don't Ask, Don't Tell, presentations of the AIDS Quilt, meeting former professor and Lesbian Herstory Archives cofounder Joan Nestle, and campaigns for gender-neutral restrooms on campus and banning blood drives. She discusses the importance, strengths, and pitfalls of these projects, as well as how GLASA transformed her life trajectory and exposed her to a community of supportive, passionate fellow students. Additionally, she describes her efforts with fellow student Jamie Robinson to form the LGBTQ Task Force, a student-led inter-campus effort to build solidarity CUNY schools.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eSince graduating from Queens College, Deborah went on to law school at Touro Law Center where she led a similar LGBTQ rights student group, and began studying public defense. She worked for several years at the Bronx Defenders, forming their LGBTQ Defense Project. Later she transitioned to her current work at Harvard Law, and she adjuncts as well at Columbia School of Social Work. During the interview, she credits GLASA for the current shape of her life and her success in LGBTQ advocacy.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Rights Statement"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eCC BY-NC-SA Contact digitalarchives@queenslibrary.org for research and reproduction requests.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Source Metadata URI"]},"value":{"en":["http://digitalarchives.queenslibrary.org/search/browse/43645","http://digitalarchives.queenslibrary.org/search/browse/43629"]}},{"label":{"en":["Date"]},"value":{"en":["2024-07-10 (created)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Tags"]},"value":{"en":["Queens College Alumni"]}},{"label":{"en":["Type"]},"value":{"en":["Audio"]}},{"label":{"en":["Agent"]},"value":{"en":["Deborah Lolai (Interviewee)","Dani Stompor (Interviewer)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Source"]},"value":{"en":["Interview conducted as part of the Queer at QC Oral History Project, a collaboration between the Queens College Special Collections \u0026amp; Archives and the Queens Memory Project."]}},{"label":{"en":["Coverage"]},"value":{"en":["2005-2024 (temporal)","Queens College and Jackson Heights, Queens, NY; Bronx, NY; Great Neck, NY (spatial)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Language"]},"value":{"en":["English"]}}],"summary":{"en":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClip 1:\u003c/strong\u003e Deborah Lolai explains what made the club room of the Gender, Love, and Sexuality Alliance (GLASA) at Queens College a special place.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003ePhoto: Members of the Gender, Love, and Sexuality Alliance (GLASA), a student group at Queens College, inside the GLASA club room, circa 2012. Courtesy of Samuel Nathanson.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSummary of Full Interview:\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eDeborah Lolai (she/her) is a lawyer and instructor at the Harvard Law LGBTQ Advocacy Clinic, and former member of the Gender, Love, and Sexuality Alliance (GLASA) at Queens College. Deborah grew up in Queens and on Long Island in an Iranian Jewish family before attending Queens College starting in 2005, where she graduated in 2011. During her time at Queens College, Deborah was treasurer and later president of GLASA, devoting her energies to crafting opportunities to build community, solidarity, and opportunities for political advocacy for LGBTQ students. This interview touches on some highlights from her time in GLASA including panels on Don't Ask, Don't Tell, presentations of the AIDS Quilt, meeting former professor and Lesbian Herstory Archives cofounder Joan Nestle, and campaigns for gender-neutral restrooms on campus and banning blood drives. She discusses the importance, strengths, and pitfalls of these projects, as well as how GLASA transformed her life trajectory and exposed her to a community of supportive, passionate fellow students. Additionally, she describes her efforts with fellow student Jamie Robinson to form the LGBTQ Task Force, a student-led inter-campus effort to build solidarity CUNY schools.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eSince graduating from Queens College, Deborah went on to law school at Touro Law Center where she led a similar LGBTQ rights student group, and began studying public defense. She worked for several years at the Bronx Defenders, forming their LGBTQ Defense Project. Later she transitioned to her current work at Harvard Law, and she adjuncts as well at Columbia School of Social Work. During the interview, she credits GLASA for the current shape of her life and her success in LGBTQ advocacy.\u003c/p\u003e"]},"requiredStatement":{"label":{"en":["Attribution"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eCC BY-NC-SA Contact digitalarchives@queenslibrary.org for research and reproduction requests.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},"provider":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/aboutus","type":"Agent","label":{"en":["Queens Public Library"]},"homepage":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/","type":"Text","label":{"en":["Queens Public Library"]},"format":"text/html"}],"logo":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/010/original/Aviary_QPLlogo_192x192.png?1578574261","type":"Image"}]}],"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/253/254/small/nathanson_samuel_20240319_image6_resized.jpg?1727702511","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253254","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 1 of 2 - lolai_deborah_20240710_clip1.mp3"]},"duration":162.504,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/253/254/small/nathanson_samuel_20240319_image6_resized.jpg?1727702511","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253254/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253254/content/1/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-queenslibrary.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/253/254/original/lolai_deborah_20240710_clip1.mp3?1727702050","type":"Audio","format":"audio/mpeg","duration":162.504,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253254","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[]},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 2 of 2 - lolai_deborah_20240710_full.mp3"]},"duration":5280.84,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/253/255/small/lolai_deborah_20240710_portrait_copy.jpg?1727702322","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/content/2/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-queenslibrary.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/253/255/original/lolai_deborah_20240710_full.mp3?1727702053","type":"Audio","format":"audio/mpeg","duration":5280.84,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["Full Transcript [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Thank you everyone for joining us. I am joined today with an interviewee for the GLASA [Gender, Love, and Sexuality Alliance] Oral History Project. If you could do us a favor and start by sharing your name, pronouns if you'd like, your title, the date and time and where we're recording.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=0.0,20.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/2","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Sure. So my name is Deborah Lolai. A lot of people call me Deb. I don't have a preference. My pronouns are she/her. I am currently a clinical instructor in the LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic at Harvard Law School. And I was a former member of GLASA and served as the president and treasurer from 2010 to 2011. And today's date is July 10th. It is 1.15 p.m. I am currently located in Brooklyn, New York, but we're doing this interview on [Microsoft] Teams.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=20.0,71.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/3","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Awesome. And just for folks who are listening, the year is 2024. So Deb, I'd love to start by just having you paint us a picture of an event from your time in GLASA. Do you remember anything about your first time at the National Coming Out Day in 2010? Do you know where it was on campus and what the day was like?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=71.0,101.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/4","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Yes. So in 2010, we had the first Coming Out Day that I was a part of. And it was a very informal gathering of GLASA members on the Queens College Quad, where we literally built a closet out of cardboard. And the GLASA members, I guess it was kind of like a photo op. We took turns coming out of the closet. [laughs] Yeah. Taking photos. It was very fun. It was a great way for people to get to know each other within the club and also, I think, just bring some visibility to our organization, who we were and, you know, the LGBTQ issues more broadly to the greater Queens College campus and student body. It was a really great event. And it was one that had actually pretty extreme consequences for me. So those pictures that I spoke of were posted on Facebook. And, you know, somewhat, I came from a very traditional conservative community and, you know, was not out to most people at the time. And those pictures, you know, sort of made their way back to folks in my community. And that was rough and resulted in a big falling out between myself and family members and friends and other people in the community. But, you know, thinking back to the day, there was a lot of joy, a lot of community building and education. It was really wonderful.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=101.0,230.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/5","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: For those who are listening who may not be as familiar with it, could you talk a little bit about what National Coming Out Day is?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=230.0,240.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/6","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Sure. National Coming Out Day is a day that's recognized on a national level. I believe it's October 11th, if I'm not mistaken, or somewhere around then. And the idea behind National Coming Out Day, or at least the way that I always understood it, is that people become educated and develop empathy for members of the LGBTQ+ community when they personally know somebody who is part of that community. And so the idea historically, I believe, has always been the more people who come out, the more people will know someone who identifies as LGBTQ. And hopefully that will make it more likely that we will increase acceptance and celebration of members of our community and increase our rights in society.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=240.0,305.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/7","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Was National Coming Out Day something that you continued as GLASA to celebrate every year?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=305.0,313.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/8","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Yes. And then I think in 2011, we had a much bigger event that was located—there's a space sort of like between the quad and the dining hall. It was an outdoor space where we had a stage and lots of seating. And people made, you know, speeches and told stories about their coming out processes. And it was very inspirational. We have some photos from that day. And I think one of the members at the time had an idea of asking people to arrive to the event in denim pants and white shirts. I don't know what the rationale behind those specific color requirements were. But the idea was like, come dressed in these colors in order to show solidarity with your LGBTQIA classmates and community members. And it was a really moving event that had a pretty big turnout. And I think that in the years following my graduation, they continued to do a Coming Out Day event every year, hopefully.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=313.0,393.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/9","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: They do.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=393.0,399.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/10","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Okay. [laughs]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=399.0,399.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/11","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Cool. So let's back up a little bit. So you first arrived as a student at Queens College in 2005. Can you walk us through how you got there?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=399.0,413.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/12","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Yeah, it's, you know, probably an obvious question, but quite—it's a loaded one, for me, at least. So I am from a, as I mentioned, a very traditional, conservative, insular community of Iranian Jews that are very religious and fled Iran during the revolution in 1979, when Jews were being persecuted. And the community that I was a part of migrated to the U.S. together. And, you know, even within the U.S. has continued to sort of migrate together as a community, and it was always very insular. And I didn't, growing up, have much exposure to anyone really outside of my community. I always went to yeshivas growing up, which are religious Jewish schools. Most of the people who I knew and interacted with in my life were other Iranian Jews from my community.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=413.0,485.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/13","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: And, you know, being queer was not a thing people talked about publicly. I didn't know what the word gay was until I went to college. I had like, literally—or not until I went to college, but like right before college, when I was in a setting where there were people outside of my community who I was exposed to. But you know, it was just to say that I really didn't have any exposure to sort of the outside world. And also in my community, it wasn't very typical for women to go to college or have a focus on their education or career. Growing up, I was always taught that the role of women is to get married young, ideally right after high school, and start raising a family. And that was what I had envisioned for myself my entire life until I realized that I was not straight.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=485.0,560.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/14","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: I had never, growing up, even though I loved school, and I loved learning, and always sought out different opportunities to learn. You know, like I would spend countless hours at the library growing up, just because I was, you know, it being in a building with endless access to endless information was like a dream to me. Right? And that just wasn't something that I think that women in my community were taught to do. And so just to give this context, because I think it's important to understand that it was not ever something I expected to do, going to college. And that being the case, I also didn't have any sort of preparation. And, while most people my age who were in high school were talking to their guidance counselors, you know, and trying to understand what are the things they need to do to get into like all these great schools, that was something that I was always told I didn't need to do because I wasn't, that wasn't my path.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=560.0,634.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/15","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: So I went to the school that my parents gave me permission to go to because it was close to home, it was a commuter school. And, you know, I was able to get into Queens College, without much of that academic and extracurricular work that you need in order to get into other schools. So it felt like a real privilege for me to be able to go to Queens College, or to college at all. But when I got there in 2005, I was very overwhelmed. You know, Queens College is one of the most diverse places in the country, right? The borough of Queens is one of the most diverse places in the country. And I was coming from an upbringing where I wasn't exposed to anyone other than people like myself with regard to my ethnicity and religion.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=634.0,704.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/16","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: And so it was really overwhelming to be in this new place where I was being exposed to this whole new way of life and all these people. And it was a huge struggle for me actually to acclimate to that environment. I ended up taking a leave of absence and I took about a year and a half or two years off and then returned. And when I returned, that's sort of when I was able to just really jump back in. And when I returned is when I started to seek out community on campus. And yeah, I'm sorry, I'm rambling. I don't even remember what your question was anymore.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=704.0,761.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/17","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: No, you answered it perfectly. I was asking how you found yourself at Queens College and it sounds like it was a, you know, as is the case for many people in the CUNY [City University of New York] system, was a process of discovery. It's one of the special things about CUNY.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=761.0,782.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/18","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Oh, absolutely. It was a total process of discovery and yeah, an incredible opportunity.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=782.0,792.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/19","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: When you first were talking with your family about going to college, how did that idea come to you that you decided that you did want to go to college since that wasn't a path that your community had necessarily prepared for you?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=792.0,813.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/20","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Well, I realized that I was a lesbian [laughs] upon graduating from high school. And, you know, I knew that I really did not want to marry a man and start having kids. And so in my mind, I thought like, what am I going to do, right? Like, I'm going to start having all this pressure put on me to get married and do this thing that will be so awful, and I'm just not willing to do. And I really did want to go to college, right? I wanted to learn, I wanted to meet new people.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=813.0,864.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/21","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: I think one of the things that I, one of the arguments I used was like, \"Oh, this would make me an even sort of better candidate for marriage because I'll be educated.\" And I distinctly remember being told, \"No, the older you get, the smarter you get, the less likely you'll be to be, you know, you will be less marriage quality,\" right? Or like, you know, \"Because you'll have stronger opinions and a man won't be able to shape you the way he wants you to be,\" right? This was the kind of thing that I was being taught. And so, yeah, it wasn't an easy place to be in that moment for me. I was really experiencing a lot of turmoil, inner turmoil.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=864.0,927.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/22","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Were you living with your family?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=927.0,928.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/23","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Yes I was, I was still living with my family at the time and commuting back and forth to Queens College.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=928.0,937.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/24","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Was that true the whole time that you were there?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=937.0,941.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/25","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: No, no, it was not. So when I started off, I was commuting back and forth. I actually was born in Queens and grew up in Queens for the first few years of my life. And then my family moved out to Long Island, a town called Great Neck, which is not so far from Queens. It's about a 20-minute drive to Queens College. So that worked out well for me. And then when I returned to Queens College, I was still commuting back and forth. And shortly after that Coming Out Day, um, you know, I'll just say I had a major falling out because of it with my parents which resulted in me not being able to live there anymore. And for a while I was sort of just, you know, couch hopping and trying to find places to stay. I was living out of a car for a while.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=941.0,1017.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/26","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: And then I, you know, it felt like a miracle at the time, but there was a scholarship for, um, I think it was specifically for LGBTQ youth, that I was able to access because the GLASA student advisor at the time, Adam Rockman. He shared this information about the scholarship with me and I applied and was granted the scholarship. It covered my housing costs, food costs, and other, you know, school-related expenses. So that's really what allowed me to finish my degree at Queens College and really sort of get me back on my feet.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1017.0,1072.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/27","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: That's incredible. Was that scholarship, um, were you then living on campus in the on-campus housing?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1072.0,1080.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/28","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Yes, exactly. So it paid for on-campus housing. And you know, it was the first time that—I never imagined myself living on campus at a school. It was always a dream to be able to go away to school somewhere. And so in this sort of twisted turn of events, my dreams came true.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1080.0,1106.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/29","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Was it the Summit at the time? The buildings next to the library?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1106.0,1112.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/30","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Yes, exactly. They were like brand new.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1112.0,1116.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/31","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: It sounds like GLASA certainly shaped a whole, like, span of trajectory for you. How did you first get involved with GLASA? How did you first hear about the group?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1116.0,1132.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/32","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Well, when I came back to QC, I remember, I'm not sure what sort of ignited this interest for me. I don't know if it was a flyer I saw somewhere. But I did know that there was a student organization for LGBTQ students to join. And I remember being so nervous to go by their club room. And, you know, there were a few times that I went to the door and then walked away because I was too nervous to go in. And then one day I just went in. And it was great. At the time, the president was Alex Krisoffi, who was wonderful, like, very warm and welcoming. And that's really, um, when it sort of started and really I kind of dived right in. Um, I believe there was a vacancy on the e-board, and the treasurer position was open. And Alex asked me if I wanted to be the treasurer. And, you know, I think at the time I just saw it as an opportunity to become more involved in the organization, and help shape their programming. And I said, yes, definitely I'll do it. And it was great. I'm so happy that I did.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1132.0,1231.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/33","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Well, so then how much time between when you first entered the room and taking over as treasurer, what was that span?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1231.0,1246.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/34","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: I don't, I don't remember exactly how much time it was, but I do remember that it was quick. [laughs] It was quick.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1246.0,1255.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/35","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Were there other clubs or organizations or groups or spaces that you sought out around that time? Or was it really GLASA was the focus?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1255.0,1264.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/36","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: I think GLASA was the focus. You know, there were other groups that were aligned with different parts of my identity. But I think at the time, I was feeling so rejected by those parts of my identity. My queer identity was being so rejected by those, you know, people who represented those parts of my identity that I just wanted nothing to do with it. Like the Hillel student organization, for example, I had no idea what their take on LGBTQ issues actually was at the time, but I knew that in my personal life, you know, my family was using their Judaism as a way to justify their homophobia. Right? And so I wanted nothing to do with that. So I think for me, my priority was connecting with other LGBTQ students, and really sort of finding a home there. And that's exactly what I did.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1264.0,1345.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/37","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: You've touched on this a little bit, but I'd love to hear you talk more about the qualities of the office space itself as a room. If there were aspects of it that you remember that really stick out to you, that made you feel comfortable, that made you feel welcomed.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1345.0,1373.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/38","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Yeah. I mean, I don't think it was the room. I think it was the people who made up the room, frankly, that did all of those things and made it what it was. But when I had first started, when I first joined GLASA, the room was, it was one of the smaller rooms in the Student Union. You know, you walk in, I remember it so vividly, there was like a, I think it was a black futon couch to your right.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1373.0,1405.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/39","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: I've heard legends of this futon.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1405.0,1409.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/40","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: [laughs] Yes, I'm sure you have. And a lot went down from that couch. To the left of the couch, there was sort of like a desk area with some chairs and I think some filing cabinets. And on one of those desk areas is where the journals were located. There were some flags and members' art on the walls. But you know, I think it really was what the members brought to that space that made it as warm and welcoming as it was. You know, very soon after I discovered GLASA, that's pretty much where I spent all my time when I wasn't in class. Right? And I think that was the case for many other folks too. And it's interesting, like GLASA became, I think, a space for not just LGBTQ people, but all the freaks and weirdos of Queens College. Because we were who we were and, and like, there was no shame. And we were so welcoming to everyone. I think people who are just typically rejected by society just gravitated to us. And so I don't even know if like all the members identified as LGBTQ. I think it was just the place where, you know, all the misfits came. And I mean, that made it really beautiful in my opinion.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1409.0,1512.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/41","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Later on sometime, I believe it was in 2011, our, that club room was, I don't know what the word is. But people had sort of, I think it was spray painted really derogatory words on the walls. I think some people called it a hate crime. You know, my analysis on our criminal legal system has shifted very much since that time. I probably wouldn't frame it as that, but I advocated for our room to move after that incident. And it was moved. It was moved to a larger space in the Student Union.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1512.0,1569.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/42","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Was there usually, when you went into the room, were there other people there?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1569.0,1580.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/43","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: There was always someone there. Yeah. People were always hanging out there.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1580.0,1586.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/44","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: That sort of sounds like it's been a through line for a lot of GLASA's history. That the sort of like coinciding, like, of anytime that folks are on campus and they're not in class, they gravitate towards that space. And that space ends up getting defaced time and time again over decades. After hours, it seems.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1586.0,1618.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/45","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Hmm. Yeah. I didn't know that happened again after that incident in 2011. Um, that's upsetting to hear. But yes, I mean, really the only time that I remember it being empty was right before the Student Union opened and right after it closed. There was really always someone there.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1618.0,1644.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/46","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Do you remember roughly what the hours on that was?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1644.0,1654.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/47","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: I don't, but I think I would probably guess somewhere between like 8 AM and 8 PM were the hours that it was open, but I don't remember the exact hours.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1654.0,1668.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/48","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: And would folks from GLASA ever get together, go hang out off-campus in other places too?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1668.0,1679.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/49","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Oh yeah. All the time. Um, you know, Queens Pride House was in Jackson Heights, which I believe it's still there. And we were pretty involved with Queens Pride House. Many of us did some outreach programming for them. We would hang out there sometimes. And there was a, um, you know, Jackson Heights also just had, I think still has, a pretty robust queer nightlife. And there was a club we would all go to pretty regularly called, the Music Box. And I think there might be a word for it in Spanish. I see you're smiling.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1679.0,1732.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/50","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: I remember the Music Box. I don't think it still exists, but yeah.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1732.0,1740.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/51","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: You don't think it's still there? Okay. Um, so yes, we would definitely all spend time together outside of the club room too when it was closed.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1740.0,1755.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/52","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: It might be. Yeah, I could be wrong. It might still be there. I don't remember. I think it closed. [Editor's note: the Music Box, also known as La Caja Musical, relocated and rebranded as MB Bar Boutique in Elmhurst, Queens.] But anyway, yeah, classic [feeling]—that whole, that whole strip of Jackson Heights, I feel like a lot of those clubs. Still does. That's interesting. I had no idea about the Queens Pride House connection. Did you ever meet while you were there, were you familiar with Pauline? Pauline Park?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1755.0,1796.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/53","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Oh, that's how I know Pauline.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1796.0,1799.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/54","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: She's great.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1799.0,1799.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/55","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Yeah. She is great. Um, you know, I met her through, we had invited her to speak at an event. I believe it was for the Trans Day of Remembrance, if I'm not mistaken. I had found as I was going through my old emails this morning, I found a couple of semester agendas with the list of events that we had planned. And she was one of the speakers at one of the events and we kept in touch loosely after that. I remember there was a holiday, I believe it was in 2014 or 2015, I invited her over for dinner at my place. We're not very close, but I think she's wonderful.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1799.0,1851.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/56","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Yeah. I think she is one of the undersung heroes of trans liberation in New York in general. Such a great, yeah. If you'd be willing to share with the Special Collections those semester plans, I can't speak for accessions, but I suspect that the folks might be interested if you'd be willing to donate those.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1851.0,1880.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/57","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Absolutely. I already emailed them to you. They're in the email with the photos.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1880.0,1883.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/58","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Oh, perfect. Amazing. So I'm going to track us back to some questions. So you had the sort of informal space of the club room and hanging out with people off-campus as well. Did you also have structured club meetings and if so, how often were those?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1883.0,1914.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/59","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Yes. If I'm remembering correctly, I think we had structured club meetings on a weekly basis. And I think the idea of those meetings was to have a more sort of formal opportunity for new members to come. Because we put flyers up for those meetings and I think, you know, as I shared, it was hard for me to just kind of like walk into the club room, into a room where I didn't know anyone, but everybody already knew each other. And so I thought having those formal meetings on a weekly basis would make it easier for someone new who maybe was nervous about joining to just show up and express interest in being part of the club. And then they were also used to kind of plan events and, you know, talk about what our priorities are and what we want to do, things like that.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1914.0,1980.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/60","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Cool. So at this point you were acting as treasurer?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1980.0,1987.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/61","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Yes.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1987.0,1990.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/62","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Cool. So from that role, you are thrust into GLASA as a member of the e-board, and then after that you eventually become president of GLASA. What drew you to want to invest even more to be a part of the leadership of the organization?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=1990.0,2016.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/63","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: I think that when I joined, GLASA was a social, more of a social club, right? And as I shared, that's incredibly important for LGBTQ students, right? To feel like they have a safe space on campus. And GLASA was already doing that. I felt it was important to sort of take it a step further and try to engage our members more politically and try to create a greater investment in the LGBTQ rights movement both within our organization, you know, on Queens College, across CUNY campuses, and beyond. And so I think that was something I was really interested in doing. And things, organizations, student clubs, what happens is so much is dependent on who the leadership is. And so you kind of see even from year to year what GLASA and other student organizations prioritize in the events that they do. I think a lot of it is a reflection on who the leadership is, right? But that was something I was really interested in doing. Um, yeah.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=2016.0,2115.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/64","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: And this—","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=2115.0,2116.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/65","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: It also, sorry to interrupt you—","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=2116.0,2120.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/66","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: No, go for it.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=2120.0,2122.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/67","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: It had become my home, right? And so I—and the members had become my family quite literally, right? They were my chosen family and I just felt like I wanted to give back.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=2122.0,2142.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/68","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: And this is all happening, you know, early 2010s. And even before that, when you first started at Queens College the first time in 2005, these are major moments of transition in terms of the visibility of LGBTQ people, acceptance of LGBTQ people. I think 2009 is when the gay marriage bill in New York vote happened. So sort of in the political era, all of these conversations, did you notice or feel as a student that the culture around you either on campus or, you know, in the city or the area more generally, could you feel those shifts? Do you remember what that felt like?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=2142.0,2208.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/69","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: It's a good question. I'm trying to think about it for a second. You know, I think it's hard for me to answer that question because I'm having a hard time distinguishing between my own personal liberation and my coming out process and, you know, what was happening around me. Because I surely felt a huge shift for myself, right? And I felt that shift despite so much homophobia that I was exposed to in my personal life. So it's hard, it's hard for me to say, I think. You know, that's all I ever knew. And then I was sort of coming out of that world and into this whole new sort of very secular world that I had never been exposed to before. And so that in and of itself felt very liberating to me. I don't really have, I think, a good sense of what was it like living as a queer person not in that community that I was growing up in. If that makes sense.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=2208.0,2297.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/70","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Absolutely. That was, you know, in my own experience, I feel very similarly that they're difficult things to disentangle. But I was just curious since that is such a very time capsule era in some ways of like, it's visible, it's on TV, people talk about it, but like, we're not quite—you know, we're still in 2024 and have miles to go, but yeah, definitely, definitely [there was] change.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=2297.0,2334.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/71","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: But of course, even in the complete shit storm that we're in now, you know, I feel like there has been so much progress made from the time that I was a college student.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=2334.0,2349.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/72","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: So going back to what you were talking about before with regard to your vision for the organization, you were hoping to give back. One of the pieces of programming that came about while you were part of GLASA were these panels, including the Don't Ask, Don't Tell panel. There was another one that you described informally to me that we can get into, but first I just want to ask about the idea for where the panels came from and how you envisioned those events as fulfilling that effort to become a more politically, socially-minded group.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=2349.0,2402.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/73","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Yeah. So I think, you know, as much as I was trying to steer the wheel into a more like political direction, I also tried really hard to gauge the interest of the membership in determining what events we were going to have. And so, you know, at the general meetings, we would often elicit ideas about what kind of events folks want to have. And some of these ideas came from the membership. And I think as a new young student leader, you are always hearing about different panels that are happening. And I thought to have an event meant to have a panel. And so a lot of these ideas morphed into panels, just because of that reason.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=2402.0,2463.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/74","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: It's a very college thing.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=2463.0,2465.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/75","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Yeah, totally. Um, and so some of the ideas like Don't Ask, Don't Tell was still a thing at the time. And so there was a panel discussion on Don't Ask, Don't Tell. And I think the panelists, including myself, were just a bunch of students, right? Who had different opinions on the issue about whether Don't Ask, Don't Tell should be repealed. And, you know, thinking back on it, that event and so many other events that we did sort of make me cringe, right? The other event that I mentioned over the phone [with interviewer Dani prior to recording] was the Guess the Gay panel, right? Which was this event where we had several panelists and the audience was tasked with guessing who identifies as gay, straight, lesbian, et cetera. And you know, that requires the audience to rely on these stereotypes of what an LGBTQ person is or looks like, to guess, right? Which is hugely problematic.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=2465.0,2545.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/76","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: So I look back at some of these events and they literally just make me cringe. And I was just like, I can't believe that we did that, you know? And as I was thinking about this question, it actually reminded me a lot of what we're seeing on our college campuses today. Right? And the reason why it reminds me of that is because I think so much of the student experience is doing these things that, you know, you may look back on and be like, \"What was I thinking?\" But it's so much part of our learning process, right? This is what we're in college to do, to do things for the experience and learn from those experiences.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=2545.0,2595.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/77","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Not to suggest that any of the student activism that's happening right now is problematic, just to say that, you know, I think that the criticism that student activists are receiving today is problematic just because that this is part of the student experience, right? And learning process to do things like this. We did so many things that I would not do today. But it was part of my process. Um, and I didn't have an analysis of why stereotypes are problematic or, you know, all those kinds of things. Or why advocating for support for the U.S. military is problematic, even if, you know, things like that, where like now I have a very different analysis around many of the issues that we advocated for when we were in college.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=2595.0,2657.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/78","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: The blood drive bans is another example, right? One of the, so you probably have heard this name before, but James Robinson, we used to call him Jamie, who died a few years ago, was a Queens College alum. He was someone who felt very strongly, and he was a member of GLASA, he felt very strongly about banning blood drives on college campuses because of the discriminatory ban on men who have sex with men donating blood. And so we had this campaign to ban blood drives on campus because they were discriminatory. You know, and my analysis around that I think would be different today. Even though the ban is extremely homophobic and transphobic and problematic in so many ways, as a college student, I just didn't have that analysis that I have today. So that's just a really long answer to your question, which again, I don't even remember.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=2657.0,2740.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/79","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: No, I think to your point, you know, if a college can't be a laboratory for, or a space for folks to be, to be able to explore what that analysis looks like, you never will get to the—like, if you get to the point where you're like in your late 20s, early 30s, and you don't regret anything that you did in college, I have some questions about what your college experience was then. [laughs]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=2740.0,2772.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/80","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Yeah, no, that's such a good description for what college should be, right? Like a laboratory, a place for you to experiment, right? And figure things out. Figure out who you are, figure out who you want to be, figure out what your opinions are. Um, yeah.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=2772.0,2789.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/81","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: So yeah, there were several events and panels. The truth is, I think that regardless of what the topic of those events were, what they all did was expose our visibility on campus. And every event brought in new members, right? And to me, if nothing else came out of it, it was worth it for that reason. Like if it was an event where one person who didn't know that we existed and who could really benefit from being part of GLASA, learned about our existence and joined us thereafter, I think it was worth it.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=2789.0,2840.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/82","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: But a lot of the ideas for events came from the membership, right? Someone wanted to do something, so we made it happen. Or sometimes people would just reach out to us and say, you know, I'm so-and-so, I'm interested in coming to speak on your campus, would you want to host us? I believe that's what happened with Joan Nestle. Someone from, looking back at the emails, I actually believe it was someone from the library and archives.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=2840.0,2875.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/83","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Yes, Annie. Annie Tummino.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=2875.0,2877.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/84","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Yeah, who suggested that we host an event for her to speak at.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=2877.0,2887.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/85","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Do you remember anything about that event in particular, or meeting Joan? It's okay if the answer's no, it was a long time ago.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=2887.0,2898.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/86","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: The answer is no, and I am so ashamed of that, because I am now, like, have so much respect and awe for Joan, and love, you know, her work, and, and just admire what she's been able to do over her life, um, and what she's sort of been through. And so I'm so ashamed to say that I don't remember the event. I think at the time I didn't know who she was, it was only after she came that I learned of who she was, and I think actually it was after the event that I started to look up her work. I believe that it was held in the library, if I'm not mistaken, and there were a lot of people there, so it didn't feel as intimate, you know, as maybe some of the other GLASA events. And it wasn't being hosted by just GLASA.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=2898.0,2961.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/87","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: So yeah, I just have this image of her sort of, like, standing at a podium, maybe, and speaking, but I don't remember much else. Yeah. And I met her briefly, but—funny story. Yeah. My ex, who I was dating at the time, was, like, they're a writer and a huge fan of Joan. And two years after the event—so the event was in 2011, I believe. In 2013, I wanted to surprise my ex for their birthday, and I emailed Joan, and I was just like, \"Hey, you know, I don't know if you remember me, we met in 2011 at Queens College, my partner's birthday is coming up, and I was wondering if you'd be willing to make a personalized happy birthday video?\" And Joan said yes, and sent [it to] me.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=2961.0,3022.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/88","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: What?!","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=3022.0,3022.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/89","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Yeah, and Joan was like, of course I remember you and I would love to make this video, and so I—she had some trouble figuring out the technology of how to make the video, so I had these emails of us going back and forth, with me sort of coaching her on how to make the video, but it worked out great. And now, you know, we have this video of her wishing my partner a happy birthday.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=3022.0,3056.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/90","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: That is so sweet, and such a great birthday gift. I think it's an interesting point that you raised, though, about, um—I think this happens a lot at college campuses in general, and Joan is a great example at Queens of a, like, hugely influential, important figure that has made such an enormous impact on Queens College's history, on the SEEK [program] history, in addition to all of her work with the Lesbian Herstory Archives, and her work as an editor, publisher, and advocate for lesbian issues. And it's this sort of funny phenomenon that every few years I feel like in GLASA, people would be like, \"Did you know that Joan Nestle is this person that used to work here for 30 years?\" And it's like, this discovery that happens again and again.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=3056.0,3125.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/91","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Going back to what we were talking about before, about the laboratory, I feel like one of the special things is that, like, you're at college for a sort of finite amount of time, and so spaces like GLASA have these recurring moments of discovery or realization, and it's not the same sort of continuity where, like, one person finds something out. It's like, people in 1988 were like, \"Joan Nestle! We should get Joan Nestle to do an event! You heard of her?\" And then, like, 10 years later, they're like, \"Did you know about this person Joan? She's so interesting.\"","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=3125.0,3167.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/92","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Anyway, I would love to get us back on, uh, the topic of what you were talking before about some of the campaigns, like the campaign to ban blood drives on campus. There were another couple of campaigns going on in the air while you were a student, including campaigning for gender-neutral bathrooms, unionizing campus security. I guess let's start with the gender-neutral bathrooms campaign. Do you remember much about that, how that conversation first started, or you became aware of [it]?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=3167.0,3217.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/93","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Yeah, so I don't remember, to be honest, how it started. I will say, that campaign and also the campaign to unionize the security workers were both campaigns that my partner at the time was very active with. So I in no way, like, started those campaigns, but kind of joined them when they were already happening. But I remember for the campaign to add gender-neutral bathrooms to our campus, you know, this was something that I had learned a lot about as part of the campaign, right? Like, I really didn't know much about why this was important until I started working on this. Even though there were several, you know, trans and gender non-conforming people in GLASA, it wasn't ever something that I really had thought about.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=3217.0,3303.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/94","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: And even though my gender presentation in terms of dress has not changed that much since I was in GLASA, the one thing that did change is that I cut my hair short, right? And it's something about hair that really does it for people, right? It's, like, I don't know what it is, but people, I think, have a really hard time not using someone's hair length as a way to gender them.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=3303.0,3335.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/95","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Yeah, so true.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=3335.0,3338.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/96","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: When I cut my hair short, this is when I started getting misgendered, is when I started going into women's restrooms and people, you know, and not feeling safe in them. But I didn't cut my hair short until I got to law school, so when I was at Queens College I still had long hair, and I had never personally experienced anything like that before and didn't totally understand why it was necessary. But in any event, I'm glad that I was part of this campaign, because it was a really good way for me to learn and I remember having several meetings with administrators and really just trying to educate them about why this is important in the same way that I was educated about it, right? It was really an education campaign. We were just going from administrator to administrator, just talking to them about why this is necessary to keep students safe, and we got a few gender-neutral bathrooms out of those meetings, so I would say it was effective. I don't know if, you know, not in every, it wasn't in every building, but we definitely got a few out of them on campus. And then also the campaign for unionizing security officers came, you know, as, as many things I feel like at that age, you just do things for the people who you're dating. [laughs] I was, like, madly in love with this person, [laughs] and I was like, yeah, sure, of course I'll jump on this bandwagon. And my partner at the time was part of this student organization called STAND. It was more of a general human rights organization, and they were the ones organizing with the local union and the workers to unionize. And so we had a few protests and things like that, and they did end up unionizing.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=3338.0,3469.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/97","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Was STAND a student organization?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=3469.0,3474.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/98","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: STAND, yes, it was. I don't know if it still exists.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=3474.0,3479.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/99","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: I'm not sure.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=3479.0,3480.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/100","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Yeah, and so we did a lot of programming together, like we co-sponsored a lot of different events, again, I think really because I was dating the president of the student organization. [laughs]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=3480.0,3500.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/101","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Yeah, that'll, that'll get you. [laughs]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=3500.0,3503.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/102","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Yeah.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=3503.0,3503.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/103","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Do you know roughly year-wise when this would be? Sorry, do you know roughly what years this would have been?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=3503.0,3515.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/104","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Yeah, it was between 2010-2011.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=3515.0,3518.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/105","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Okay, yeah. That's—gender-neutral bathroom, that feels very early in the sort of conversation around that, even on academic campuses, still.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=3518.0,3535.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/106","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Absolutely. I mean, I think it was, there was really a lot of, it was very new, and it wasn't a conversation that people were having in the broader LGBTQ rights movement either, right? Everything then was around Don't Ask, Don't Tell and gay marriage. People weren't really talking about gender expression, gender identity, what are the things that we can do to make trans people safer. That wasn't really happening other than in the very sort of radical spaces or, like, trans-specific communities.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=3535.0,3576.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/107","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Mm-hmm.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=3576.0,3578.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/108","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: But it became very popular a few years later.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=3578.0,3580.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/109","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Yeah. It may seem a little straightforward obvious at this point, since this campaign is all these years later, but I guess, in as much as you remember, or want to articulate using your experiences since then, just describe why it was important that gender-neutral bathrooms were accessible on campus in general, just full stop. What was the importance?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=3580.0,3629.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/110","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: I mean, the importance is from our perspective and the community we were advocating for, gender non-conforming and trans people needed a safe place to use the restroom, right? And full stop, right? And it's just not—having gender-segregated multi-stall bathrooms are not safe for trans and gender non-conforming people. Um, and they could be not safe because people literally get attacked in them. They could be not safe because people are made to feel incredibly uncomfortable because of the stares they get or questions they get about whether they belong in that restroom. And oftentimes what ends up happening is, gender non-conforming and trans folks—and when I say trans, I'm also including non-binary folks—what ends up happening is people just don't use the bathroom when they need to. And that can cause really serious medical problems.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=3629.0,3706.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/111","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: In the academic environment, it results in students not being able to focus in class because all they can think about is how badly they need to pee, right? It's something so basic that human beings need access to to function and people don't realize how inaccessible bathrooms can be, gender-segregated multi-stall bathrooms can be, for trans and gender non-conforming people. And so, you know, I remember in one of the meetings, one of the later meetings that we had with administration, they had already designated one or two gender-neutral bathrooms, single-stall bathrooms in a couple of buildings on campus, and they were trying to argue that that was enough, because a trans person could just go use the bathrooms in those buildings. Which was absurd, right? Because that meant that if somebody was in class in one building, they had to walk all the way across campus to another building to use the restroom that they felt safe using and then come back to class in the other building, right? Like, the expectation and burden on trans people to do that felt normal to them. But it really wasn't acceptable to us.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=3706.0,3804.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/112","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Similarly, with regard to the—you've already talked a little bit about it, but the pitch of why the campaign to ban blood drives at the time felt important, relevant to campus. What blood drives were happening, and why was the ban necessary? Why was it important?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=3804.0,3833.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/113","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Sure. So yeah, blood drives were happening all the time on campus, right? I remember before joining GLASA, I donated blood I believe a couple of times on campus. They were sort of a routine event that was happening. And the idea, for those who are not familiar with blood drives, was that people would come in and donate blood and that blood was used for patients who need blood transfusions. And so this blood ban is a ban that was placed by the FDA [United States Food and Drug Administration] on men who have ever had sex with other men, or people, I should say, people who were assigned male at birth who have ever had sex with anyone else who were assigned male at birth. It was a ban from them being able to donate blood. And the rationale for the ban, which, you know, came out of the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 80s, the rationale was that there is too high of a likelihood that men who have sex with men have HIV and will then, you know, quote unquote, contaminate the blood pool. Because the way that this used to happen, I don't know if this is how it still happens, is when people donate blood, each of the individual donations sort of goes into this larger blood pool. They don't keep them separate, and so if one donation comes from someone who is living with HIV, that could impact many, many other donations, right?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=3833.0,3966.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/114","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: And I think maybe there were, like, a very few number of cases in the 80s where somebody who had received a blood transfusion became HIV positive because of the blood transfusion. That's sort of when they decided they were going to put this ban into effect. Now it's, like, discriminatory on its face, right? Because it's not necessarily, it's not banning people based on their behavior. Although I guess some people could argue that it does. The behavior needs to be, like, exposing oneself to unsafe sexual practices, not, you know, banning an entire category of people based on their identity.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=3966.0,4025.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/115","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: And so that, that was something that, when I learned about it, I hadn't known about it before this campaign. And Jamie was the one who educated me about it. I was furious, right? I thought it was totally unfair, especially because now, unlike then, you know, when the ban was put into effect, we have the ability to test for HIV, right? It's not even like we don't have that ability. We do.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=4025.0,4058.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/116","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: So, you know, we were very upset about it. I remember we had one call-in, one action where there was a blood drive on campus, and we made these flyers and asked everyone who was passing by to call the president of Queens College and ask him to ban blood drives on our campus because they're discriminatory. It was President [James L.] Muyskens at the time. I remember we got some really angry phone calls from his office to stop what we were doing. They weren't happy about it. And I can't say, to be honest I don't remember whatever ended up happening with the blood drives.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=4058.0,4111.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/117","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: But I guess, you know, while I still think that the blood drives were so discriminatory, I think my analysis around getting them banned altogether because of this discriminatory aspect has shifted, and I think my analysis around the medical-industrial complex, and class, and who has access to medical care has evolved a lot. And I probably would not have tried to ban them, looking back. If I knew then what I knew now, I don't think I would have supported that campaign.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=4111.0,4163.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/118","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: And then the last campaign that we talked about is the unionizing of security officers. Again, as much as you remember, that's a very localized and specific one, so no pressure if the memory's not there, but what was that?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=4163.0,4181.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/119","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: The truth is, that really had nothing to do with GLASA, whereas the other campaigns did, right? Or the mission of GLASA. And personally, I wouldn't say it was a GLASA campaign. I would say it was just something that I personally, as an individual student, supported, because there wasn't that connection to LGBTQ issues. And yeah, I mean, I really did it because my partner at the time was very active in that campaign, and I was like, sure, I'll do whatever you want. [laughter]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=4181.0,4229.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/120","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Been there. [laughter] So at the Special Collections and Archives at Queens College, we have this really, really cool collection of club journals that were kept by GLASA starting in 1987 to the present. Can you tell us more about your experience of those club journals? Did you ever interact with them?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=4229.0,4265.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/121","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: You know, I don't remember if I ever interacted. I mean I don't remember if I ever wrote in the journals. I remember them being in the club room, and I remember people writing in them, and looking through them, and it being a big part of our, you know, our room. And it was one of the first things that Alex actually said to me when I joined GLASA. I remember Alex saying like, these are our journals, feel free to, like, look through them whenever you want, or you can write something in them. But I cannot recall if I ever wrote anything down. But they were definitely a big part of the club.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=4265.0,4309.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/122","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Did you ever read—","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=4309.0,4310.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/123","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Maybe you can look through them and let me know if I did. [laughs]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=4310.0,4315.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/124","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: I'm pretty sure your name is in them, if that helps.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=4315.0,4317.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/125","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Okay. [laughter]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=4317.0,4317.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/126","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Did you ever read through them yourself?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=4317.0,4325.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/127","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Yeah, I did, and I remember—I don't remember specific entries that I read, but I do remember feeling, you know, that feeling of, \"Wow, this—\" I mean, I'm sure you do as an archivist, right? Like, the feeling of someone else was here in this place before me many years ago dealing with similar issues. And just that connection to, I don't want to say ancestors, because, you know, many of them may still be alive, but to elders, right? Or people who came before us, and I think that those journals were sort of a connection that tied us all to that. That tied us all together. And I'm so happy that they're being preserved, because it's such a beautiful piece of history.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=4325.0,4385.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/128","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Such a queer way of keeping time is how I described them.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=4385.0,4391.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/129","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Yes. Yes. Oh, you know, another funny story. One day, this older man just walked into our clubroom, and he just started telling us stories about when he was in GLASA, and he was at Stonewall too.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=4391.0,4413.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/130","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Wow.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=4413.0,4414.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/131","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Yeah, and he just sat down and started telling us all stories, and I'm so angry that I don't remember his name, and I don't even know if we documented it. Maybe it's in the journals. But he just, you know, people sort of just gathered around him, and he told us these stories for hours about being, you know, what it was like being at Stonewall, what it was like being a student at Queens College. And it was pretty remarkable. So, I think, just to sort of tie in, bring it all together, full circle, the journals are definitely, I think, a great way for us to hold on to that continuity and maintain, sort of preserve our history. But the space is a space that people just come back to. You know?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=4414.0,4481.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/132","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: And, yeah, that those journals lived in that room.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=4481.0,4485.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/133","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Yeah.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=4485.0,4485.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/134","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Yeah, if there is one takeaway that I've gotten from doing interviews with GLASA folks, it's how it lingers. Like, years and years and years later, still remember being in GLASA or, you know, being in that room. So, I'm going to transition us into post-Queens College time. What year did you graduate?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=4485.0,4519.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/135","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: I graduated in 2011.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=4519.0,4521.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/136","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Okay. And since then, in the intervening years, what have you been up to? What's, what's been the arc of your life since then?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=4521.0,4533.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/137","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: When I graduated in 2011, I went straight to law school. I went to Touro Law Center out on Long Island. And you know, I actually took a lot of the activism that I did at GLASA to my law school. We ended up, it was really just me campaigning for gender-neutral bathrooms on my law school campus, which we got. We amended the non-discrimination policy to include gender identity and gender expression. And I was the president of the LGBTQ organization at my law school and sort of was doing all these events in a similar way that I was doing them when I was in GLASA.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=4533.0,4587.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/138","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: And then when I graduated from law school in 2014, I got a job at the Bronx Defenders in their criminal defense practice as a public defender. So I moved back to the city and while I was at the Bronx Defenders, I started a project called the LGBTQ Defense Project, where I represented LGBTQ cases across all of our practice areas. And I was there for almost 10 years. And I then transitioned into teaching full-time. And so now I am teaching as a clinical instructor at the LGBTQ Advocacy Clinic at Harvard Law School.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=4587.0,4641.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/139","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Earlier you had asked me sort of what caused the transition to taking me back to school. And I think that I loved being a public defender. It was incredibly meaningful work to me. And the fact that I was able to sort of start my own project and incorporate my passion for advocating for LGBTQ people into that work was such an incredible opportunity, and just made it all that more meaningful for me. But I think I reached a point where I couldn't do that work anymore. And I needed to step away from being a public defender. I had, for several years by that point I had been adjuncting. I was an adjunct. I still am an adjunct professor at Columbia School of Social Work. And I teach three classes a year there. And then I was trying to figure out what excited me, if I wasn't going to be a public defender anymore what would I want to do? I really couldn't think of anything other than teaching that excited me. And so I just thought, like, why don't I do this full time? And that's what I'm doing now. I'm working with students full time, back in sort of a more academic setting. I have a lot more time and space to think about the issues that I was working on from a more zoomed out angle, which has been really nice.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=4641.0,4767.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/140","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: The truth is, though, I think that GLASA completely shaped, it totally shaped my trajectory career-wise. When I was in GLASA doing the student organizing, learning about all of these issues in the LGBTQ rights movement, I started to think, like, how can I do this for a career? Right? And talking to people, I decided I was going to go to law school, um, and use the law to affect change. And so I went into law school thinking I was going to do LGBTQ impact litigation which ultimately is not what I ended up doing because while I was in law school, I had an amazing criminal law professor who totally inspired me to pursue public defense. And then after my first public defense internship, I knew there was no turning back. And that's really what I was meant to do.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=4767.0,4851.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/141","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: But what was very cool was that I was able to sort of bring my two passions together, which was public defense and LGBTQ rights, in the project that I created at the Bronx Defenders. And now I'm sort of incorporating my third passion, which is working with students and teaching. So, you know, I feel very blessed in the opportunities that I've had. And I'm so grateful for them and for GLASA. And the CUNY system. You know, if it weren't for CUNY, there's no way I would be here doing the things I'm doing.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=4851.0,4899.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/142","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Yeah. I could preach CUNY's praises all day, but you hit the nail on the head when it's just, there's nothing like it. It's very transforming. I have one more question for you. Before I ask it, I do want to open the floor. If there's anything about Queens College, about GLASA that we haven't touched on that you would like to share.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=4899.0,4932.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/143","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Well, the only thing we haven't really talked about, which I do think was, was a pretty important part of, of my experience in GLASA and Queens College was the CUNY-wide LGBT Task Force. Have you heard of it?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=4932.0,4947.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/144","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Yes.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=4947.0,4948.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/145","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: Okay. So that was an effort that Jamie also led, right? Which was let's create this inter-CUNY LGBT organization. And you know, we had several, we identified, Jamie and I, several leaders from the respective LGBT rights or LGBT student groups at each CUNY campus and sort of brought them all together. We had meetings talking about what are some CUNY-wide issues that we can work on together. We marched in New York City Pride. We had a contingency. And then, Jamie really, with the help of many of the various student organizations put on events for World AIDS Day, of the quilt, the AIDS Memorial quilt, which I think was really powerful for a lot of students and community members. So there's a lot of history there too. And, you know, definitely a lot of the GLASA members were very much involved with the task force's efforts as well.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=4948.0,5036.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/146","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: It sounds like it sort of predates a lot of the institutional efforts that come from CUNY admin now that are oriented around LGBTQ life, like the [LGBTQIA+] Consortium and other things like that.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=5036.0,5054.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/147","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: I don't even know what the Consortium is.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=5054.0,5055.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/148","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Exactly. It sounds like this was like a student—","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=5055.0,5059.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/149","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: There were no efforts from the administration at the time.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=5059.0,5065.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/150","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Wow. And so this was entirely students organizing this?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=5065.0,5070.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/151","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: It was totally student-organized and led. There was no administrative involvement.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=5070.0,5076.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/152","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Wow. That's, that is, one, very impressive, just on a schedule basis and two, speaks to such a critical need for inter-campus dialogue that there was a vacuum for. Very cool. Okay. Are you ready for your last question?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=5076.0,5106.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/153","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: All right.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=5106.0,5107.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/154","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Let's do it. So it's the question that I ask everyone, which is what would you tell a new queer student at Queens College who's looking to find themself in 2024?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=5107.0,5124.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/155","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DEBORAH LOLAI: I would tell them to definitely get involved with GLASA, go find your people, because they really are going to be your people. And I would want to offer them hope, right? And I would let them know that there's so much waiting out there for them. And to do their best to really cherish every moment that they have as a college student. Because when I look back at those times, they were amongst the hardest and also the happiest moments of my life, right? Where I felt the most joy and the most community and love. And I would tell them that even though we're sort of living in a world that can make us feel like there's something wrong with us or that we don't deserve what we see our colleagues and classmates getting that they are amazing and they deserve all of those things, and there are people out there who will help them get all of those things. And to try their best to just develop those connections and relationships with people who have been there. Because they're out there, right? We are out there. And you know, we want to see them succeed and we want to see them happy.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=5124.0,5259.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255/transcript/71372/annotation/156","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"DANI STOMPOR: Ah, such kind and wise words. Okay. With that, I'm going to thank everyone for listening. And yeah, have a lovely day to whoever's listening and I look forward to you joining us for another oral history.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/104/collection_resources/136587/file/253255#t=5259.0,5280.84"}]}]}]}