Scope and Contents 00:00 Lynne [L] born Gourock 1959. Moved to Helensburgh, aged 11. Went to university in 1976. Moved into student house 1978. Psychology course at Glasgow. Postgraduate course in Educational Psychology, aged 20, fell in love with another woman, Ruth. L had gone out with boys but not particularly interested. Ruth was flatmate for first year, became roommate. L didn’t consider herself a lesbian. Heart-broken when Ruth graduated. L’s close relationships had all been with women, but assumed she...

Scope and Contents 00:00 Worked as school librarian in only secondary school in Cowal Peninsula: close-knit community, couldn’t be out. Wanted to be out, so important to move. Job came up at Stirling University, Faculty of Human Sciences. In Autumn 1994 hadjoined Lilidots, a lesbian hill-walking group. Started new job February 1995. Equal Opportunities policy – felt she could be more open. Found out about Forth Friend, an organisation for lesbians and gays in Forth Valley. Phoned their phoneline,...

Scope and Contents 00:00 Parents did not say much in response to L’s coming out. Father knew due to visits to house, would see Pink Paper, Out Scotland etc. They didn’t seem to want to talk about it. Mother got seriously ill, and may not remember L’s coming out. Mother didn’t want family to know: difficult for L who doesn’t want to be hidden.02:07 L diagnosed with breast cancer, and planning funeral. Has been to lesbian and gay funerals and no mention of sexuality. Wants this to be acknowledged at...

Scope and Contents 00:00 L could find herself reflected in books. Even working in school library found the odd story with lesbian themes, that were not supposed to be on open shelves. Joined Glasgow Women’s Library [GWL] with its Lesbian Archive. They had books on lesbian themes. Complicated journey to come in to GWL from Argyll. Novels and factual books – took them back in brown paper bag to Dunoon. Bought books, but could not have lesbian themed books on show while working in a school, so donated them to...

Scope and Contents 00:00 Margaret [M], aged 58, born Glasgow 1947. Left school at 16. One brother. Father alcoholic: M had to listen to all kinds of abuse at weekends. Father was very bigoted: in later life she could not have come out to him. Mother was very loving and made up for what Dad didn’t give. Not well-off. Tenement block – religious mix.03:39 The year things switched on for M was 1955, watching the film ‘Calamity Jane’: women together seemed perfect. All girls class at school. 24 in...

Scope and Contents Concealed life from children. Later on children started to suspect something. Son was still living at home. M was asked to move in with a woman. Asked son to stay with uncle, which M now thinks was wrong. Needed to give reason for moving: lied and said needed to rent out flat for money. Moved back after a year. Still in relationship with woman, kept hidden. Bought house together in Glasgow. Son had moved out by now; both children living with partners. M gave spiel that didn’t want to live...

Scope and Contents M can tell a story, but that’s what was difficult when she came out, because wasn’t confident: lost part of personality. Within a group could usually hold attention and make people laugh. When entered the gay world, lost confidence. Didn’t know what was right or wrong. Choice of words in conversation, un-PC (not politically correct). Frightened to speak: lack of education let her down. Felt she was losing the personality she had. Didn’t know how to tune into person’s sense of humour because...

Scope and Contents 00:00 Monte Hennegin [MH] born Edinburgh 1923, grew up South Africa, returned to UK forty years ago, living in Scotland past sixteen years, now aged eighty-two. Describes earliest memory about incident when girl’s body aroused him, mother’s reprimand made him feel guilty: this he believes may have led to his homosexuality.03:21 Stories about his fascination with man’s body when aged about ten years. Family moved about, first six years in Cape Town, sixth birthday in hospital with...

Scope and Contents 00:00 Stories about discovering meaning of ‘queer’, and alternative terms. About first longer-term relationship in Johannesburg after return from war. Great gay society in Johannesburg. Describes bars at that time: Carlton Hotel. It was known what was going on: seemed very open. Difficult to tell difference between gay and straight bars because women not allowed in bars.08:13 Describes ways he recognised if another man sexually interested in him, e.g. lingering look, but...

Scope and Contents 00:00 Description of final performance by The Bedlams at Park Lane Hotel. MH’s theatrical partner left for Montreal. Took job in Maples while continuing to play in pubs in evenings. Happily made redundant. Got work in Alpine Bier Keller in Finsbury for two nights a week, then work in pubs and clubs. Bought an auto home, lived in that for sixteen years, travelling around, playing mainly in restaurants along the south coast. Regular bookings, was working most nights.03:13 Meeting...

Scope and Contents 00:00 No contact with family in South Africa or elsewhere. Continues about friendship, emotional support: Eric and Gordon are friends, sees about once a week. About last significant relationship with man called Jack, describes how they met, how Jack came out to MH as bisexual, stayed with MH once a week for four years. Jack died last year around sixty, 20 years younger than MH. Describes their relationship, more a partner of convenience for each. Sources of support: Eric and Gordon. MH...

Scope and Contents 00:00 Reflections on gay rights movement: feels any kind of couple in long-term partnership should have rights of a spouse. MH was member of Homosexual Law Reform Society in North London. MH and Colin were members of Islington art group. No memory of going on marches, but was on recent gay pride march in Glasgow. People who want to hide their sexuality are not being true to themselves.03:41 Some people hinted something going on between MH and Jack: Jack annoyed, but for MH if...

Scope and Contents 00:00 Edwin Morgan [EM] born 27 April 1920 in Glasgow. Father clerk in Iron and Steel Works, mother typist in same firm. Reception of EM’s work following the 1990 interview with Christopher Whyte and the question of apprehension about coming out. EM explains muted reaction in literary world, some had guessed, some were surprised. Mentions one strong reaction from someone unsympathetic to homosexuality for whom the love poems were ‘spoiled’. EM felt some guilt hadn’t been more open in 60s...

Scope and Contents 00:00 EM only child, no family now except one distant cousin. Importance of different friendships, mentions three: Christopher Whyte, who opened up the whole subject and keeps in touch; Margaret, a straight female friend, who was the first person he told and was very supportive; young heterosexual friend Mark, whom he met at Edinburgh Science Festival [1998], instant attraction on EM’s part. Parents deaths 1965/1970: EM explains how difficult it would’ve been to tell them. Mother dropped...

Scope and Contents 00:00 ‘Night Pillion’: real life story behind poem. Young artist who lived near EM: they had been to see art exhibition, and EM was offered lift home on a motorbike. Exciting: attracted by him and EM’s first time on a motorbike. Last two lines express intense moment of closeness that broke shell of solitude. Solitude as negative and positive in EM’s life: always wanted a seesaw between solitude and company.05:30 ‘A Memorial’: poem written after coming out, able to write about...

Scope and Contents 00:00 Nick [N] born 1972. Mum a shop manager and Dad a painter and decorator, now a retired fireman. Brought up in Bellshill, a working-class mining town in North Lanarkshire. N left Bellshill at 18, did not fit in. Siblings and extended family still live traditional life there, having children when young. N wasn’t like that.02:12 Always felt different. Named a ‘tomboy’: liked the ‘boy’ part, but different from other tomboys. Identified more with boys but different, not a girl or...

Scope and Contents 00:00 Socialised differently inside and outside school: Catholic and Protestant split. Against faith schools. N different in school. George Michael hair style: androgynous. Gender differentiated in teens: N left out of binary - isolated. N identified with boys’ development. Bullied, afraid of developing. Teen years difficult, missing memories.05:38 Coronation Street, That’s Life: didn’t identify with people on TV. Identified with Boy George, gender ambiguity: obsessed with...

Scope and Contents 00:00 Socialised differently inside and outside school: Catholic and Protestant split. Against faith schools. N different in school. George Michael hair style: androgynous. Gender differentiated in teens: N left out of binary - isolated. N identified with boys’ development. Bullied, afraid of developing. Teen years difficult, missing memories.05:38 Coronation Street, That’s Life: didn’t identify with people on TV. Identified with Boy George, gender ambiguity: obsessed with...

Scope and Contents 00:00 Contacted Gay Switchboard by letter - embarrassed, terrified. N finds labels restrictive - tried to fit into ‘lesbian’, lost parts of self; only option was to accept being a woman, though different kind: lesbian. Switchboard told N about Austin’s bar, Hope Street, Glasgow. Spent summer terrified to enter and underage: 17. Anxiously attended ‘ice breaker’: people were friendly. Invited to go to Bennets at weekend. Had to lie to Mum: suspicious of N but happy that N was going out and...