Save the date for the Trans Oral History Listening/Community Session at the William Way LGBT Community Center!

The Trans Oral History Project (TOHP) is a community engagement initiative that collects and makes accessible the stories of trans, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming people, beginning with those who have meaningful connections to the city of Philadelphia. The project places an emphasis on including stories that have traditionally not been heard and preserving the stories of trans elders. The goal of the TOHP is to collect multiple oral history interviews and make them widely available online through digital recordings and searchable transcripts.

Using oral history methods, students and other Penn community interviewers will co-create with interviewees a collection of audio and/or video recordings that share gender-expansive experiences. The TOHP is invested in redressing how histories of gender transgression have been medicalized, commodified, and erased. Through a collaborative interview, the TOHP hopes to create accessible content, lasting intergenerational bonds, and foster radical community healing.

The TOHP is also interested in hosting listening sessions for participants who are interested in sharing with their community but would not like to have their interview recorded and/or made available. No one will be told they are not trans enough to participate.