Out Our Way

Out Our Way

This collection consists of recordings of the oral history interviews undertaken for Michael Riordon’s book Out Our Way: Gay and Lesbian Life in the Country (Between the Lines, 1996). In the preface to Out Our Way, Riordon writes: “When mainstream culture notices gay and lesbian folk, it tends to see us as urban” (xi). The interviews and the resulting book seek to combat that: Riordon travelled around rural areas across all provinces of Canada to interview LGBTQ people in about their lives, relationships, identities, and communities in the countryside, on farms, and in small towns.

These interviews were all recorded on audio cassettes and were used as the source material for Riordon’s book. Riordon donated the cassettes to ALOT in 2014, along with the cassettes of interviews for his book Eating Fire: Family Life on the Queer Side (Between the Lines, 2001). These cassettes have been digitized by ALOT, and the oral history interviews are gradually being made available here on the ALOT site. There are 175 audio cassettes in this collection; the interviews posted here are only the first batch to be processed, and the remaining interviews will be posted as they come available, as well as the Eating Fire interviews. Only some interviews currently have transcripts and these will be posted as they become available. Please contact us if you have any questions about the other interviews in the collection, or any concerns about the interviews posted here. Interviewees frequently use pseudonyms, and the decision was made not to provide any interviewees’ last names, when they were given, in the metadata.

Photo courtesy of Freestock.ca and Nicolas Raymond.

Creator: 
Michael Riordon
Location: 
Title Date of interview Place of interview
Willard, Janice, and Danny 01/01/1990 Canada, Prince Edward Island
Wayne 01/01/1994 Canada, New Brunswick, Bathurst
W. 01/01/1990 Canada, Nova Scotia
Tom and Don 01/01/1990 Canada, Nova Scotia
Susan & Julia 01/01/1990 Canada, British Columbia, Gulf Islands, Salt Spring Island
Steven 01/01/1994 Canada, Nova Scotia, Cape Breton
Sheila 01/01/1990 Canada, New Brunswick
Sandy & Cory 01/01/1990 Canada, British Columbia, Gulf Islands, Quadra Island
Robert 01/01/1994 Canada, New Brunswick, Bathurst
Robert 01/01/1990 Canada, Nova Scotia
Patrick, Matt, Roger, Nancy, and David 01/01/1994 Canada, Nova Scotia
Pam 01/01/1990 Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador
Michelle, Michael, Saya, & Church 01/01/1994 Canada, British Columbia, Kelowna
Michael & Ken 01/01/1994 Canada, British Columbia, Port Hardy
Michael 01/01/1990 Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador
Lyn, Kim, and Jamie 01/01/1990 Canada, Nova Scotia
Lyle, Dean, & Doug 01/01/1994 Canada, British Columbia, Courtenay
Liz, Beth, & Susan 01/01/1990 Canada, British Columbia, Gulf Islands
Leith 01/01/1994 Canada, Prince Edward Island
Laurent & Robert 01/01/1994 Canada, New Brunswick