}
OH427 Interview with Paula (OutStories Bristol)
Please note this is not a full complete transcript but a detailed summary of the recording
Paula [P], born and brought up in Bristol. Born in Mortimer House, maternity house on Bristol Downs. Lived with grandmother. Met lots of adults in family in childhood. Father in RAF – travelled a lot. Grandmother big part of life growing up. Lists schools when in Bristol from around age 10. Downend Primary. Moved to Yate, St Mary’s primary. King Edmund’s secondary. Describes experience at secondary school. Went to Filton technical college. Reflections on feelings at school – crushes on female teachers. Mixed friendship group. [00:04:16] Describes discussing sexuality with the Samaritans. Moved from family home to Fishponds. c. 1973-5 Joined territorial army, describes discussing sexuality with sergeant. Mentions the Radnor (pub in St Nicholas St). Describes the Radnor – men congregating in one part, women in the other. Describes as friendly. Discusses the scene in the 1970s, meeting in house first; mentions pub Oasis in Park Row, very friendly. Mentions nightclub Moulin Rouge in Clifton, describes as male-oriented. Views on male/female mixing in community. Describes venues as mostly mixed. Describes Oasis. [00:10:40] Describes work at Rolls Royce. Describes one job in which would have been very difficult to be out. Mentions Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE), met at Quaker Meeting House. Not overly involved. [00:13:17] Relationships. Met first long term partner aged 20. Together 9 years. Mentions Bristols, a club in the centre. Describes places lived and responses to being a lesbian couple. Kingsdown, Bedminster, St Anne’s – surburban and unfriendly, Brislington. Describes work at Yeo Valley Farms. Pretended to have a male partner. Job at Solon Southwest in her 30s. Describes as feeling safe. [00:18:40] Describes coming out to family, in teens. Telling siblings. Describes social life in P’s 30s.
[00:21:24] Lesbian line: discusses start, training, purpose. Describes common experiences for lesbians in 1970s/1980s. Lesbian line ran from Greenleaf bookshop basement. Supported by Bristol women’s committee. Describes this committee. [00:26:45] Discusses lesbian line (started 1986), volunteers, training, shifts, calls, meeting up. Responding to male callers, silent callers. Advertising, fundraising. Describes Folkhouse (Park St) as venue for fundraisers/socials. [00:34:40] Recollects rift in community between men and women, conference at Moulin Rouge. Mid-1980s. Mention start of women’s bar ‘Scarlet Coat’. [00:37:49] Describes living in Bedminster. Started discussion group from house still lives in. Describes experiences at group, topics, e.g. lesbians having children, lesbian sex, clause 28. Describes effects of this. Mentions participation in London and Manchester marches. Contrasts two events. [00:45:09] Discusses friendships,. Describes types of women at discussion groups. Mentions relaxing of political context. Recollects views on lesbians having children, describes own views on having children. [00:51:55] Describes starting newsletter in 1990s, BLAST. How it was made, work involved, why it stopped. Describes Greenleaf bookshop. Describes responses to BLAST [00:56:27] Describes organising Bristol leg of Lesbians Unlimited, theatre group tour, and event itself. Arnolfini a venue. Mentions Cube cinema. [01:03:00] Participation in Pink Herrings. Describes this organisation, started 10 years ago, organise women’s events. Mentions sociability, a Google social group. [01:07:12] Reflects on challenges still involved in coming out, importance of events for making friendships. Discusses different arenas to interact with as lesbian, e.g. NHS. Identifies a need for networks for support. [01:12:11] Pride in Bristol as a highlight.
Quotations:
‘[army sergeant] told me about this pub called the Radnor in St Nicholas St, so I just plucked up the courage and went down there one evening, and my life started really...’ [6:37]
On living in St Anne’s: ‘suddenly it was like everyone thought we were there to take their husbands... because we were two women on our own... it was very odd, and very anti-... and very unfriendly’ [14:53]
Lesbian line starting: ‘a lot of women were aware that at the time there was a gay switchboard, but women were finding that they had contacted it and it was mainly men they were speaking to, and they just felt that, because we’d all... struggled in coming out, we just felt it would be so much easier and more approachable if women knew it was a lesbian line... and they knew it was a women they were going to be speaking to’. [22:21]
On the calls to Lesbian line: ‘I remember the difficult ones being the silent calls, because you always knew there was someone there, as we learned to say ‘if you’re there, just tap the phone’... and then just sort of try and talk... just talking about yourself, and coming out, the experiences that you have and the loneliness you go through, just sort of helped, and eventually sometimes people would talk, and sometimes they wouldn’t’ [29:20]
On looking to future and getting old: ‘everything we’ve got it feels that we’ve created ourselves, rather than society naturally provides, so even though it feels like it’s all ok to be out... it feels like the social structure is probably not as strong or solid for lesbians as straight society... it feels like we are accepted, but there’s still some way to go.’ [01:11:20]
Paula [P], born and brought up in Bristol. Born in Mortimer House, maternity house on Bristol Downs. Lived with grandmother. Met lots of adults in family in childhood. Father in RAF – travelled a lot. Grandmother big part of life growing up. Lists schools when in Bristol from around age 10. Downend Primary. Moved to Yate, St Mary’s primary. King Edmund’s secondary. Describes experience at secondary school. Went to Filton technical college. Reflections on feelings at school – crushes on female teachers. Mixed friendship group. [00:04:16] Describes discussing sexuality with the Samaritans. Moved from family home to Fishponds. c. 1973-5 Joined territorial army, describes discussing sexuality with sergeant. Mentions the Radnor (pub in St Nicholas St). Describes the Radnor – men congregating in one part, women in the other. Describes as friendly. Discusses the scene in the 1970s, meeting in house first; mentions pub Oasis in Park Row, very friendly. Mentions nightclub Moulin Rouge in Clifton, describes as male-oriented. Views on male/female mixing in community. Describes venues as mostly mixed. Describes Oasis. [00:10:40] Describes work at Rolls Royce. Describes one job in which would have been very difficult to be out. Mentions Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE), met at Quaker Meeting House. Not overly involved. [00:13:17] Relationships. Met first long term partner aged 20. Together 9 years. Mentions Bristols, a club in the centre. Describes places lived and responses to being a lesbian couple. Kingsdown, Bedminster, St Anne’s – surburban and unfriendly, Brislington. Describes work at Yeo Valley Farms. Pretended to have a male partner. Job at Solon Southwest in her 30s. Describes as feeling safe. [00:18:40] Describes coming out to family, in teens. Telling siblings. Describes social life in P’s 30s.
[00:21:24] Lesbian line: discusses start, training, purpose. Describes common experiences for lesbians in 1970s/1980s. Lesbian line ran from Greenleaf bookshop basement. Supported by Bristol women’s committee. Describes this committee. [00:26:45] Discusses lesbian line (started 1986), volunteers, training, shifts, calls, meeting up. Responding to male callers, silent callers. Advertising, fundraising. Describes Folkhouse (Park St) as venue for fundraisers/socials. [00:34:40] Recollects rift in community between men and women, conference at Moulin Rouge. Mid-1980s. Mention start of women’s bar ‘Scarlet Coat’. [00:37:49] Describes living in Bedminster. Started discussion group from house still lives in. Describes experiences at group, topics, e.g. lesbians having children, lesbian sex, clause 28. Describes effects of this. Mentions participation in London and Manchester marches. Contrasts two events. [00:45:09] Discusses friendships,. Describes types of women at discussion groups. Mentions relaxing of political context. Recollects views on lesbians having children, describes own views on having children. [00:51:55] Describes starting newsletter in 1990s, BLAST. How it was made, work involved, why it stopped. Describes Greenleaf bookshop. Describes responses to BLAST [00:56:27] Describes organising Bristol leg of Lesbians Unlimited, theatre group tour, and event itself. Arnolfini a venue. Mentions Cube cinema. [01:03:00] Participation in Pink Herrings. Describes this organisation, started 10 years ago, organise women’s events. Mentions sociability, a Google social group. [01:07:12] Reflects on challenges still involved in coming out, importance of events for making friendships. Discusses different arenas to interact with as lesbian, e.g. NHS. Identifies a need for networks for support. [01:12:11] Pride in Bristol as a highlight.
Quotations:
‘[army sergeant] told me about this pub called the Radnor in St Nicholas St, so I just plucked up the courage and went down there one evening, and my life started really...’ [6:37]
On living in St Anne’s: ‘suddenly it was like everyone thought we were there to take their husbands... because we were two women on our own... it was very odd, and very anti-... and very unfriendly’ [14:53]
Lesbian line starting: ‘a lot of women were aware that at the time there was a gay switchboard, but women were finding that they had contacted it and it was mainly men they were speaking to, and they just felt that, because we’d all... struggled in coming out, we just felt it would be so much easier and more approachable if women knew it was a lesbian line... and they knew it was a women they were going to be speaking to’. [22:21]
On the calls to Lesbian line: ‘I remember the difficult ones being the silent calls, because you always knew there was someone there, as we learned to say ‘if you’re there, just tap the phone’... and then just sort of try and talk... just talking about yourself, and coming out, the experiences that you have and the loneliness you go through, just sort of helped, and eventually sometimes people would talk, and sometimes they wouldn’t’ [29:20]
On looking to future and getting old: ‘everything we’ve got it feels that we’ve created ourselves, rather than society naturally provides, so even though it feels like it’s all ok to be out... it feels like the social structure is probably not as strong or solid for lesbians as straight society... it feels like we are accepted, but there’s still some way to go.’ [01:11:20]
