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
Steven 01/01/1994 Canada, Nova Scotia, Cape Breton
Patrick, Matt, Roger, Nancy, and David 01/01/1994 Canada, Nova Scotia
Ken 01/01/1990 Canada, Nova Scotia
Tom and Don 01/01/1990 Canada, Nova Scotia
Gerry and Bruce 01/01/1994 Canada, New Brunswick
Jeff 01/01/1994 Canada, New Brunswick
Freeman 01/01/1990 Canada, New Brunswick
Sheila 01/01/1990 Canada, New Brunswick
Kathleen, Pamela, Tim, Roger & Renee 01/01/1990 Canada, Nova Scotia
David 01/01/1990 Canada, New Brunswick
Ann & Janine 01/01/1994 Canada, New Brunswick
Laurent & Robert 01/01/1994 Canada, New Brunswick
Robert 01/01/1994 Canada, New Brunswick, Bathurst
Wayne 01/01/1994 Canada, New Brunswick, Bathurst
Kelly 01/01/1990 Canada, British Columbia
Allan & Marek 01/01/1990 Canada, British Columbia
Annie 01/01/1990 Canada, British Columbia, Galiano Island
Bill 04/05/1990 Canada, British Columbia, Gulf Islands, Salt Spring Island
John 01/01/1994 Canada, British Columbia, Gulf Islands, Salt Spring Island
Liz, Beth, & Susan 01/01/1990 Canada, British Columbia, Gulf Islands