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Bluiston DeYoung

A retired house painter living outside Northampton, MA, Bluiston was born in 1960 and raised in Beverley by a single mother. They discuss the shame and resilience that came with growing up in poverty. Combative from an early age, DeYoung spent much of their life fighting, both literally and figuratively. Their interview discusses being misgendered as a child, getting in scraps with boys, and hiding their identity from their mother. They talk about the community at Fran’s, where they and their friends could go to “forget about our bullshit.” Bluiston describes consistent police harassment and an all-out brawl with officers in Fran’s parking lot. The interview addresses generational differences in language, including the class dimensions of the butch-femme dynamic. The interview concludes with commentary about the recent backlash against LGBTQ+ people.

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Bluiston DeYoung

Duration

1:07:59

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My friends were all raised by single moms.

Bluiston DeYoung

Even as a toddler, I was masculine.

Bluiston DeYoung

My mother knew because I looked at women.

Bluiston DeYoung

I had feelings very young.

Bluiston DeYoung

I got into the bar scene at 18.

Bluiston DeYoung

We have transphobia in our community.

Bluiston DeYoung

Fran's was mixed with some people of color.

Bluiston DeYoung

At Fran's, I could be myself.

Bluiston DeYoung

I did more drugs than drinking.

Bluiston DeYoung

A cop beat me up at age 12.

Bluiston DeYoung

In progressive towns, cops have to respect gays.

Bluiston DeYoung

I protested with ACT UP.

Bluiston DeYoung

I lost my friend John to AIDS.

Bluiston DeYoung

Trans women are being murdered all the time.

Bluiston DeYoung

The younger generation use the term "mask".

Bluiston DeYoung

Butch was a dirty word.

Bluiston DeYoung

I'm a trans butch, not a trans man.

Bluiston DeYoung

A trans butch rejected online by lesbians.

Bluiston DeYoung

Butches worked on the docks and in factories.

Bluiston DeYoung

Butches couldn't hide. Femmes could.

Bluiston DeYoung

I pass as male all the time.

Bluiston DeYoung

I fear discovery when travelling.

Bluiston DeYoung

How does my being trans disenfranchise you?

Bluiston DeYoung

Stand up, keep going.

Bluiston DeYoung

My family was poor and working class.

Bluiston DeYoung

I came out in 1978, at 18.

Bluiston DeYoung

My mother couldnt'discuss that I was gay.

Bluiston DeYoung

I felt shame. I was doing something wrong.

Bluiston DeYoung

What Fran's was like.

Bluiston DeYoung

Fran's was mixed with some people of color.

Bluiston DeYoung

At Fran's, I could be myself.

Bluiston DeYoung

Learning about life at Fran's with friends.

Bluiston DeYoung

The police got rough and I fought back.

Bluiston DeYoung

Fights are how you resolve things.

Bluiston DeYoung

No political awareness. I was high, having sex.

Bluiston DeYoung

My girlfriend and I attended an AIDS march.

Bluiston DeYoung

Trans women are being murdered all the time.

Bluiston DeYoung

The younger generation use the term "mask".

Bluiston DeYoung

Butch was a dirty word.

Bluiston DeYoung

Butch/femme came from the working class.

Bluiston DeYoung

An example of being marginalized as butch.

Bluiston DeYoung

A trans butch rejected online by lesbians.

Bluiston DeYoung

Many femmes were in the sex business.

Bluiston DeYoung

I worked for marriage eqality.

Bluiston DeYoung

I fear discovery when travelling.

Bluiston DeYoung

The country is heading down a dark path.

Bluiston DeYoung

Bullies take it out on the queers.

Bluiston DeYoung

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