One From the Vaults

What do witches, LSD, and aliens have to do with trans rights?? In this week's episode of One From the Vaults, we head to Miami Beach to tell the story of the largest international trans activist network of the 1970s and their larger than life leader, Angela Douglas. Sources: Triple Jeopardy by Angela Douglas (1983) https://digitalcollections.detroitpubliclibrary.org/bh030020 https://digitalcollections.detroitpubliclibrary.org/bh030019 https://zagria.blogspot.com/2015/07/history-of-tao-part-3-aftermath.html https://zagria.blogspot.com/2007/06/angela-douglas-1943-2007-musician.html#obituary The Transsexual Empire by Janice Raymond (1979) https://www.transadvocate.com/transphobic-radical-hate-didnt-start-with-brennan-the-sandy-stone-olivia-records-controversy_n_4112.htm https://zagria.blogspot.com/2015/07/history-of-tao-part-2-1972-82-tao-in.html https://www.aclufl.org/news/florida-was-once-trans-activist-hub/ Moonshadow and Mirage newsletters by TAO AJ Lewis’s essay in Trap Door https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRFcCfw2I_4

In this week's episode of One From the Vaults, I sit down with historian Jules Gill-Peterson — author of Histories of the Transgender Child and A Short History of Transmisogyny — to talk about the question of whether there is a history of anti-transgender discrimination, antebellum cross-dressing, and what's at stake politically in the friction between transsexual and transgender positions. You can follow Jules' substack, The Long Transition, at https://sadbrowngirl.substack.com/

One from the Vaults is back for a Tenth Anniversary Special! In this episode, we explore the life of tarot master, comic writer, and 1970s trans activist Rachel Pollack! Sources: 78 Degrees of Wisdom (1980) by Rachel Pollack “Pandora’s Bust” (1971) by Rachel Pollack The Body of the Goddess (1997) by Rachel Pollack Beatrix Gates (2018) by Rachel Pollack Conversations with Roz Kaveney (2018-present) Tranny Central (2024, 2026) by Jaye Hudson My Life with Dali by Amanda Lear https://rachelpollack.com/reviews/interviewwilkes.html https://archive.org/details/transsistersjou1995unse_1/page/46/mode/2up https://web.archive.org/web/20050626175809/http://vertigo.vurt.net/20qpolla.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20121207105925/http://www.angelfire.com/nm/spiritualwarrier/index.562.html https://web.archive.org/web/20060208223448/http://www.tarotforlife.com/Newsletter/TFLNewsletter_2.pdf https://www.tcj.com/one-of-the-things-they-definitely-are-is-queer-an-interview-with-rachel-pollack/ https://fantasticmetropolis.com/i/pandoras-bust https://theheroines.blogspot.com/2013/12/interview-with-rachel-pollack.html https://civilianreader.com/2014/06/25/an-interview-with-rachel-pollack/ https://natfluence.com/interview/rpollack/ https://theracket.news/p/my-aunt-rachel https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/apr/17/rachel-pollack-obituary https://xtramagazine.com/culture/rachel-pollack-womens-spirituality-257312 https://web.archive.org/web/20230414000409/https://lgbthealth.org.uk/blog/interview-rachel-pollack/ https://www.upstatediary.com/rachel-pollack https://www.fifthestate.org/archive/380-spring-2009/rachel-pollack-willing-change-everything/ https://lilith.org/articles/debut-81/

A special episode LIVE from Camp Trans UK! Listen to the sounds of the wind in the trees and the smoke of a camp fire getting in my face as OFTV tells the story of the original Camp Trans. Works Cited: https://www.camp-trans.org/pages/ct-history.html http://eminism.org/michigan/faq-protest.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_Womyn%27s_Music_Festival https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Trans#2010_festivals https://www.transadvocate.com/how-terf-violence-inspired-camp-trans_n_14413.htm https://www.transadvocate.com/michigan-womyns-music-festival_n_8943.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20140117075803/http://zinelibrary.info/files/PABA6.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20101129014722/http://anarchistnews.org/?q=node%252F11968 http://transwomenbelonghere.blogspot.com/ http://transwomenbelonghere.blogspot.com/2013/05/envisioning-inclusive-michfest-thoughts.html

In this double-length episode, OFTV speaks to trans historian Abram J. Lewis about TAO (Transsexual Action Organization), about oral history work, and about how magic, witchcraft, and "unreason" intersect with the emergence of Gay Liberation and early trans organizations. AJ Lewis is a post doctoral fellow at Grinnell College in Iowa, and the co-founder of the NYC Trans Oral History Project, a partnership with the New York Public Library system.

This month OFTV presents a special interview with archivist Librada González Fernández of the Cubanecuir archive! Librada is a young trans woman based in NYC and Miami who is pulling together the stories and ephemera of queer and trans Cubans, both on the island and in the diaspora! She joins OFTV to talk Cuban queer history, the ethics of archival work, being a trans person working in history.\n\nYou can follow the archive @cubanecuir on Instagram and Twitter!

To celebrate five years of One From the Vaults, this year I'll be presenting a series of interviews with artists, filmmakers, writers, and historians working on trans history. First up is the brilliant and beautiful artist Zackary Drucker, co-director of the new HBO docuseries The Lady and the Dale, which tells the wild story of 1970s icon Liz Carmichael!

This month's episode of OFTV follows the life of a gender non-conforming mystic who lead an early insurgency in the Haitian Revolution! Works cited: The Priest and the Prophetesse (2018) by Terry Rey Des hommes et des dieux (2002) Sex and the Empire That is No More (1994) by J. Lorand Matory Mama Lola: a Vodou Priestess in Brooklyn (1991) by Karen McCarthy Brown

In this episode of OFTV, we follow Steve Dain - teacher of the year, and later mentor to Lou Sullivan - in his fight for the right to keep teaching after his sex change! Works Cited: http://revolution.berkeley.edu/steve-dain-teacher-transitions/ https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/eastbaytimes/obituary.aspx?n=steve-dain&pid=96301343 https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/files/k930bx11b https://vimeo.com/ondemand/whatsexami https://www.ebar.com/news/latest_news//292479/online_extra:_emeryville_street_to_be_named_for_fired_trans_gym_teacher?fbclid=IwAR1o_L7_3dIykRc5kVijDviKC_ZsPvmInN0bLxQWMDz7kUJImLSmS2EFr-c https://www.ebar.com/news/news//277848 http://transgroupblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/rip-steve-dain-ftm-pioneer.html http://revolution.berkeley.edu/steve-dain-outcome-1978/#menu-main-nav

In our first episode for 2020, OFTV looks at the tumultuous life of early gender clinic patient, sex worker-turned businesswoman Patricia Morgan! Works cited: https://zagria.blogspot.com/2009/08/patricia-morgan-1939-sex-worker.html#.Xj_4lhP7SRs https://archive.org/details/drag414unse/page/n1/mode/2up https://www.newspapers.com/image/65480016/ https://archive.org/details/femalemimics13unse/page/4/mode/2up

In our very first HALLOWEEN SPECIAL, OFTV looks at the all-too-brief story of a Vicar, a ghost, and a veil! Join us this All Hallow's Eve for a chilling tale from trans history! Works Cited: https://archive.org/details/venuscastinafamobull/page/248 https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/history/somersets-most-unusual-ghost-storya-1208123 https://dangerousminds.net/comments/the_woman_in_black_the_strange_story_of_a_crossdressing_ghost http://www.strangehistory.net/2016/05/04/transvestite-vicar-ghost-interwar-england/ https://zagria.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2019-09-21T11:59:00-04:00&max-results=4#.XbV_1UX7SRt https://sites.evergreen.edu/politicalshakespeares/wp-content/uploads/sites/226/2015/12/Stryker-My-Words-to-VF.pdf

A sneak peek of the new bonus episode available to our Patrons over at Patreon.com/oftv.

In this episode, we take a look at artist, sculptor, and dollmaker Greer Lankton - muse to Nan Goldin and other downtown luminaries! Works Cited: https://www.documentjournal.com/2014/10/doll-parts-hilton-als-recalls-some-of-his-most-poignant-memories-of-artist-greer-lankton/ https://www.artforum.com/interviews/lia-gangitano-discusses-the-first-new-york-retrospective-of-greer-lankton-48864 https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-1980s-icon-greer-lankton-explored-glamour-gender-eerie-dolls https://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/greerlankton/greer4.html&date=2009-10-25+23:30:47 https://web.archive.org/web/20110210012137/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0268/is_2_38/ai_57475775 http://www.artnet.com/magazineus/features/morton/morton1-26-07.asp

A sneak peak of the latest Patrons-only mini episode! Available at patreon.com/oftv.

In this episode of OFTV, we take a look at the life of burlesque queen Alexandra - The Great 48! Works cited: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/dallas-tx/geraldine-weise-8182441 http://www.lasvegasshowgirlmuseum.com/april-and-alexandra-interview Behind the Burly Q (2009) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTuGMbNUio0 http://www.queermusicheritage.com/fem-hummell3-3.html https://zagria.blogspot.com/2013/09/gayle-sherman-1940-performer.html#.XJe3hBP7SRs http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/m/APParticle.php?AID=24378&i=22&s=News

A sneak peak of our latest Patrons-only special bonus mini episode! This episode features the life of non-binary painter Gluck!

Indulge in a tale of ill-fated bad boy Harry Allen! Works Cited: https://zagria.blogspot.com/2018/08/harry-allen-1882-1922-musician.html https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/this-week-in-history-1906-the-notorious-nell-pickerell-returns-to-seattle https://crosscut.com/2014/06/nell-pickerell-transgender-youth-knute-berger

In this month's episode, we follow the fabulous life of AIDS outreach worker Adela Vázquez - from her childhood in Camagüey, through the Mariel Boatlift, and onto the streets of San Francisco! Works Cited: Sexile by Jaime Cortez https://www.auntlute.com/cuentamelo https://archives.sfweekly.com/sanfrancisco/cuentamelo-an-oral-history-of-queer-latin-immigrants-in-san-francisco/Content?oid=2826471&showFullText=true https://zagria.blogspot.com/2013/09/adela-vasquez-1958-sex-worker-performer.html#.W2C3QNhKiRs

A sneak peek our latest bonus mini-episode available exclusively to subscribers of our Patreon! Visit Patreon.com/oftv to sign up today!

In this episode, we look at the fabulously embellished life of known liar Rae Bourbon! Works Cited: http://www.coolcatdaddy.com/bourbon.html http://www.coolcatdaddy.com/bourbon-hookers.html http://www.coolcatdaddy.com/bourbon-doc-operat-ja.jpg http://archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22Rae%20Bourbon%20aka%20Ray%20Bourbon%22 https://www.queermusicheritage.com/drag-bourbon.html https://zagria.blogspot.com/search?q=ray+bourbon#.WxOoDlMvyRs