Overview

That’s What I Am, I’m a Lesbian draws on oral history interviews conducted in the late 1990s withsixteen New Zealand lesbians over the age of 50. It tells the women’s stories through the decades, capturing memories of childhood, adolescence and early adulthood, falling in love and establishing relationships. The storytellers talk of navigating identity and social stigma and forging connections in Wellington’s evolving lesbian community. Together, their lives paint a vivid portrait of resilience and solidarity.

This book, based on the Older Lesbians Oral History Project, is now published for the first time. A vital document for the history of lesbian communities in twentieth century New Zealand, it is a must-read for anyone interested in lesbian lives over time, feminist studies or queer history.