Oral History Interview, Elise Ganser (1195)

Abstract

In her interview with Brittany Simler, Elise Ganser discusses her sexual identity, specifically, her identification as a butch lesbian. Ganser came out at a young age and participated in LGBTQ organizations as a student at Sauk Prairie High School and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Ganser helped plan the 2010 Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Ally College Conference (MBLGTACC), which proved a bruising experience that created distance between her and the local queer community. Ganser elaborates on her perceptions of Madison's gay community and details her thoughts about the relationship between her sexual, religious, and political identities. For Ganser, it is possible for her lesbian identity to coexist with her identifications as a Catholic and Republican. She also explains what it means to her to identify as a butch lesbian, which includes discussions of Ganser's feelings about gender roles, the differences between butch lesbians and trans men, and what she views as a spectrum of masculinity.