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Alan C. Douglas received his undergraduate degree in history from Stanford in 1963 and his law degree from Stanford Law School in 1966. In this interview, Douglas reflects on his experiences as a student before he became aware that he was gay, the complexities presented by the Vietnam War, and the empowering effect of the 1969 Stonewall riots. Douglas recalls supporting LGBT students through advising at the career center and a mentorship program at the Fire House. Reflecting on life after Stanford, he talks about coming out to his spouse and children, parenting, and the LGBT community in Palm Springs, California, where he resides.

In this oral history, an anonymous Stanford student, who graduated in 2017, shares recollections about navigating their identity as bisexual and Asian American at Stanford. The student speaks about growing up with divorced parents and their decision to not come out to their family. They discuss their involvement with theater groups at Stanford, including the Asian American Theater Project, and some of their experiences with dating at Stanford and Oxford, where they completed a master’s degree.

Gay rights activist Arthur Corbin was a student at Stanford University in the early 1970s. In this interview, he describes his difficult early life in rural California, including incidents of bullying and abuse; his move to San Francisco in high school; and his efforts to come to terms with his identity as a gay man in the absence of role models or family support. He describes some of the early events organized by Stanford’s Gay Peoples Union and shares memories of the AIDS epidemic and his involvement in local politics, including running for Foothill College Board as one of the earliest openly gay candidates and serving on the Human Rights Commission during a time of tense racial dynamics.

Bear Capron is a member of the class of 1972 at Stanford, where he studied drama and humanities. Capron begins this interview by talking about his upbringing, including growing up in Palo Alto as the son of a Stanford professor and moving to Maryland. He describes an early awareness of his sexuality, some of his early sexual encounters, and the process of coming out. A student at Stanford during the anti-Vietnam War protests in the late 1960s, he shares memories of sitting in at the Applied Electronics Laboratory, protesting at Encina Hall, and being suspended from school. Around the same time, the gay rights movement was picking up. He recalls largely unsuccessful efforts to connect with other gay students at Stanford and joining other activists in picketing the States Steamship Company over the firing of Gale Whittington, an openly gay employee. He goes on to describe leaving Stanford to pursue an acting career in New York, where he was living during the Stonewall riots, and traveling to Amsterdam, where he studied at a conservatory, acted in various plays, and worked as a Gestalt therapist.

An interview with Braden Lake (2010 BS) for the Stanford Pride Oral History Project.

Brian Rodriguez graduated from Stanford with a bachelor’s degree in human biology in 2006. In this interview, he describes his early life in San Diego, California, the experience of coming to terms with his sexuality as an undergraduate, and his social science research career. In particular, he talks about coming out as gay to his friends and family; serving as a peer counselor at the Stanford Sexual Health Peer Resource Center; conducting an undergraduate research project on sexuality for sociology professor Paula England; and working at Hopelab.

Cathy Gildea received a master’s in business administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1994. In this interview, she describes her experiences as an undergraduate at Mills College, including being a member of the crew team and a leader of the Lesbian Alliance, and as an MBA student at Stanford, where she was the only open lesbian in her class. She recalls the Out4Biz LGBTQ student group at the GSB and a study she conducted on the relationship of being out at work and leadership abilities. She also reflects on the situational nature of coming out, gender discrimination in the Silicon Valley, marriage, and parenting.

Chrysanthe Tan received a bachelor’s degree in English from Stanford in 2009. In this interview, Tan talks about exploring her identity and her LGBTQ activism. In particular, she describes what it was like growing up with immigrant parents; joining student-led efforts opposed to Proposition 8, including the Stanford Theater Activist Mobilization Project (STAMP) and the National Marriage Boycott; and serving with the NGLTF Task Force as a Huffington Pride fellow. She also describes her changing views on queer marriage, her evolving activism, and her career as a writer, musician, podcaster, and artist.

Daniel Bao graduated from Stanford with a BA in International Relations in 1988 and an MA in Latin American Studies in 1990. In this oral history interview, he shares memories of the gay community at Stanford in the 1980s and describes his student activism around GLBT issues, including his work with the Stanford AIDS Education Project and his advocacy for policy changes at the Cowell Student Health Center and the Career Planning and Placement Center. Bao shares his frustration with the actions of Stanford administrators on GLBT issues, including his conflicted attitude about working with administrators whom he suspected were closeted. He fondly recalls his work at the Bridge Peer Counseling Center and how Estelle Freedman’s course on the History of Sexuality led him to sustained involvement with the GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco. Throughout the interview, Bao reflects on how growing up as a member of the minority Chinese population in Argentina influenced him to take a stand for unpopular causes.