Trans Rochester Speaks collection

Collection

Identifier: RITSpec-0009

Staff Only

Collection Scope and Content Note

The Trans Rochester Speaks collection contains materials pertaining to the Individual Study project of the same name created by Ben Eshleman. Oral history materials include audio files, summary documents, short biographies, and photographs of the interviewees. Materials related to the content of the website include photos, content documents, a glossary, and a resource list. Historical content materials include scans and photos of newspaper clippings, magazine articles, journal pages, and newsletters, as well as photos of and pertaining to many Rochester-based LGBTQ+ groups. Finally, analysis of this project includes a final reflection document, as well as a how-to guide for Oral History projects related to the Queer Community. The bulk of the materials in this collection are from 2014–2016, but there are documents dating back to 1971 within the collection’s historical materials. Additionally, the archived version of the Trans Rochester Speaks website is the only modern addition, captured in June 2024.

The Trans Rochester Speaks collection has been arranged into four series, three of which have been further divided into subseries. This digital collection can be accessed on-site in the RIT Archives or by contacting the University Archivist.

Dates

Creation: 1971 - 2024
Creation: Majority of material found within 2014 - 2016

Creator

Conditions Governing Use

This collection is open for research use.

Historical Note

The Trans Rochester Speaks project was an Individual Study project started by Ben Eshleman, who himself identifies as a trans male. Under the advisement of Dr. Tamar Carroll, Eshleman spearheaded this project with other individuals in the Digital Humanities and Social Sciences program at RIT (since renamed to Humanities, Computing, and Design). The purpose of this project is to document and preserve transgender history in Rochester, New York through oral histories, archival research, and photographs. It is neither complete nor definitive, as many of the interviewees were white, middle-class transgender people. As of 2024, the completed website for this project is accessible online at: https://tamarcarroll.com/transroch/.

Extent

13.7 Gigabytes (Digital collection)

Language

English

Additional Description

Overview

The Trans Rochester Speaks collection is a fully-digital compilation of photos, oral history interviews, newspaper clippings, letters, summaries, timelines, analyses, scrapbook pages, article and brochure drafts, and website content documents. The bulk of the materials are from 2014–2016.