1 50 1 https://digitalsc.lib.vt.edu/files/original/3422/Williams_small.jpg e85087312e7b90caafd6d275a15a0269 https://digitalsc.lib.vt.edu/files/original/3422/Ms2015-007_VTLGBTQ_WilliamsJohnGray_OralHistory.1.mp3 4904fa2d573b36d1b576633e985e3d55 https://digitalsc.lib.vt.edu/files/original/111ba9343f6d2264a5486c10b3d8abb2.pdf 38e3c4b6f07766a0939535fd6694df63 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Virginia Tech LGBTQ Oral History Collection (Ms2015-007) Subject The topic of the resource Sexual minorities University History Description An account of the resource Beginning in the fall of 2014, faculty and students in the Virginia Tech History Department, along with colleagues in the University Libraries’ Special Collections and campus partners including HokiePRIDE, the LGBT Faculty/Staff Caucus, and the Ex Lapide Society (the LGBTQ alumni network at VT) began collecting oral histories to document the history of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer life in the 20th century American South and specifically at Virginia Tech. This collection consists of oral history interviews with influential members of the LGBTQ community at Virginia Tech, both past and present. Interviews were conducted by Tamara Kennelly, University Archivist, and students of Professor David Cline's Oral History class. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="https://digitalsc.lib.vt.edu/files/thumbnails/spec_forms/PubPermission.doc" target="_blank">Permission to publish material from the Virginia Tech LGBTQ Oral History Collection must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.</a> Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Ms2015-007 Bibliographic Citation A bibliographic reference for the resource. Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible. Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Virginia Tech LGBTQ Oral History Collection, Ms2015-007, Special Collections, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va. Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. <a href="http://spec.lib.vt.edu/" target="_blank">Special Collections, University Libraries, Virginia Tech</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview. Whitney Wright Location The location of the interview. John Gray Williams’s residence, Blacksburg, VA Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 01:48:51 Viewer Select which type of viewer is needed for the files OHMS Narrator A person being interviewed during an oral history recording. John Gray Williams Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral History with John Gray Williams, October 28, 2014 (Ms2015-007) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Ms2015-007_VTLGBTQ_WilliamsJohnGray Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014-10-28 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="https://digitalsc.lib.vt.edu/files/thumbnails/spec_forms/PubPermission.doc" target="_blank">Permission to publish material from the Virginia Tech LGBTQ Oral History Collection must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral histories Bibliographic Citation A bibliographic reference for the resource. Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible. Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Virginia Tech LGBTQ Oral History Collection, Ms2015-007, Special Collections, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va. Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. <a href="http://spec.lib.vt.edu/" target="_blank">Special Collections, University Libraries, Virginia Tech</a> Subject The topic of the resource Sexual minorities University History Description An account of the resource John Gray Williams is a Career Advisor in Career Services at Virginia Tech. From 2005 to 2008 he also attended Virginia Tech as an undergraduate student in the Bachelor of Arts in Public and Urban Affairs program. He has been active in LGBTQ activism since he first came to Virginia Tech, working on events such as the Freedom to Marry Day, Gay? Fine by Me Rally, and the LGBTA Relay for Life. As a member of the faculty, he has organized a yearly LGBTQ networking reception and has served as a trainer for the SafeZone program. In his role in Career Services, he is a passionate social justice advocate and works to help members of marginalized populations identify discrimination concerns in the job market. The interview was conducted on October 28, 2014 at John Gray Williams’s home in Blacksburg, VA. The interviewer was Whitney Wright and she was assisted by Damon Kinmond. There was limited time for the interview and there are moments within the interview where discussion of the time and Williams’s evening plans can be heard. The interview lasts almost two hours. It begins with a description of Williams’s family and their social dynamics and proceeds into his early experience and understanding of his sexuality and his motivations for choosing to be closeted. The interview then moves into his time at Tidewater Community College where he was first able to research homosexuality and the history of the LGBTQ civil rights movement. He then discusses his decision to transfer to Virginia Tech to pursue a career in Landscape Architecture and his decision to come out to his family. A significant portion of the interview is concerned with his involvement with the LGBTA at Virginia Tech and the variety of protests and events he participated in while completing his undergraduate degree. Then, he discusses his decision to attend the University of Delaware to pursue student affairs while remaining close enough to Blacksburg to maintain a relationship with a student at Virginia Tech. He then describes his return to Virginia Tech as a faculty member and the work he has done to support the LGBTQ community and other marginalized populations since returning. Finally, he discusses broader issues affecting the LGBTQ community beyond the fight for marriage equality. References A related resource that is referenced, cited, or otherwise pointed to by the described resource. <a href="https://oralhistory-dev.cloud.lib.vt.edu/ohms-viewer/viewer.php?cachefile=Ms2015-007_VTLGBTQ_WilliamsJohnGray.xml" target="blank">Click here for synced audio and transcript</a> archived