Spotlight Themes

The Trans Oral History Collective is invested in producing media that showcases marginalized voices from within our community. We ar eopen to stories of all types but we are especially interested in collecting stories about socially and politically relevant themes. Therefore, we'd love to hear from any trans or gender variant people who have stories relating to our current "spotlight" themes:

Social in the Midwest

From support groups to dance parties and kickball leagues, Chicago is home of numerous pro-trans social spaces. We're interviewing organizers and participants of trans-inclusive social space in Chicago and other parts of the Midwest about the history and role of these spaces in our community.

Queers and the Law

For queer and gender variant people, navigating legal systems can be stressful, risky, and downright dangerous. We are interested in speaking with folks who have direct experiences with life in prison, legal support work with trans folks, or dealing with the police in general.

Sex Workers Speak Out

Even though many people in the community have done sex work in order to make a living, it still remains a taboo topic and many gender variant sex workers face severe isolation. We hope to compile a CD of stories—scary, empowering, funny, gross—that feature sex workers talking about their own experiences. Because this is a very sensitive topic, we are more than willing to work with potential interviewees to ensure they are comfortable with the process.

Pease contact us if you are interested in being interviewed or know someone who is. You can also share this page with the buttons at the bottom.

We also strive to ensure that the project is inclusive and accessible. If you are interested in contributing but have accessibility concerns, please contact us.