Valda Prout interview part 1, 2021-06-15
Scope and Contents
D.C. Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) is a citywide initiative to train community members in oral history skills, fund new and ongoing oral history projects, connect volunteers with oral history projects, and publicize existing oral history collections. DCOHC is a project of DC Public Library, HumanitiesDC, and the Historical Society of Washington, D.C. This collection contains oral history interviews, transcripts, and indexes produced by DCOHC grantees.
Dates
- Creation: 2021-06-15
Creator
- Prout, Valda, 1935- (Person)
Language of Materials
English
Biographical / Historical
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1935, Valda Prout moved to New York City in her early 20s (in the 1950s) and then to D.C. in 1980s. She never lived full time as a woman but had one identity during the day and another at night, with the exception of the years when she was raising her adopted son in D.C., when she lived only in her masculine self. She lives on U Street.
Extent
From the Collection: 1.13 Terabytes
Abstract
Ms. Prout discusses her experiences in grade school and living in public housing in Boston, her introduction to the gay world, moving to New York City in the 1950s and gay and transgender culture then, the influence of trans women from D.C. on the New York scene, and her decision to move to D.C. based on those relationships and its status as Chocolate City.
Repository Details
Part of the The People's Archive, Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library Repository