LGBTQ+ Oral History Project Experience
Bella Rodriguez (she/her pronouns) ‘23
The Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ Oral History Project, assigned as part of “WEST 3090” Peep Show: Sexuality through Popular Culture,” was a great experience. Not only was it a wonderful opportunity to speak with someone who was a part of the LGBTQ+ Colorado Springs community, but it was also fun to work with a fellow classmate. As we all know, it has been hard to meet classmates during these last years from COVID. Luckily, in WEST 3090 we were assigned a group to work together on this project.
Learning Outside of the Classroom
Sierra Banks ’23
While taking Dr. Tre’s class, “WEST 3090: Peep Show: Sex in Pop Culture” during the Spring ’22 semester, I had the privilege of conducting an interview for The Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ Oral History Project. A collaboration between Colorado College and UCCS students, this project strives to document and preserve the lives, memories, and experiences of the LGBTQ+ community here in Colorado Springs.
An Empowering Journey WEST
Keeley Griego ‘18
I am so grateful for my time in the WEST department. I learned so much about myself, who I am, how I fit into the world, and how I want to live. For the first time in my life, I was represented as a pansexual Chicana in what I was learning. I no longer felt denied my own existence. I was able to start embracing my authentic self and love the parts of me that I tried to hide for so long. It’s been an empowering journey, and I wouldn’t be on this journey of self-discovery without the incredible faculty, staff, peers, and everyone who makes up the WEST department.
The Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ Oral History Project
Dr. Tre Wentling
History, herstory, insert-gender-neutral-word-here, is told through the perspective of the teller. We learn about the past in many ways including (yet not limited to) stories shared through intergenerational narratives, mediated cultural productions, and written texts. I am excited to tell you about a collaborative community-facing, student-produced project that combines all three of these modalities.
