Interview with Lezah Preston

Partial Transcript: Okay. And where are you currently located?

Segment Synopsis: Preston talks about her work in sales and living with her wife and dog.

Keywords: Family; Small Towns; Wife

Subjects: Work; Ohio; Sales; Dogs; Saint Petersburg (Fla.)

Partial Transcript: You know, just tell me a bit about growing up? Like where were you born, what was it like?

Segment Synopsis: Preston talks about her hometown. She also discusses being a tomboy and some of the relationships she had growing up.

Keywords: Relationships; Hometowns

Subjects: Childhood; Early life; Ohio; Tomboys

Partial Transcript: So, you mentioned that you were, you know, a bit of a tomboy. --Um--was that something that people around you embraced? Would they ever make remarks about it . . . how was that kind of perceived?

Segment Synopsis: Preston talks about being a tomboy and what it was like to be considered one of the guys.

Keywords: Friends

Subjects: Childhood; Tomboys; Identity; Perception; Gender; Gender expression; Gender identity; Boys; Girls

Partial Transcript: . . . Was it during high school that you had your first sort of like official sort of girlfriend that you mentioned?

Segment Synopsis: Preston discusses dating her best friend. She talks about how they denied being together and how eventually discovering The Country led to them breaking up as they met more people.

Keywords: Breaking Up; Denial; Girlfriends; The Country; LGBTQ

Subjects: Lexington (Ky.); Identity; Sexuality; Friendship; Lesbians; Dating

Partial Transcript: And was there eventually a coming out for you? Just as an individual at some point or did that never really happen, like overtly necessarily?

Segment Synopsis: Preston talks about realizing she was a lesbian and telling her family. She talks about her mom feeling like she failed her and her grandmother insisting that she tell her father and brother.

Keywords: Family; LGBTQ

Subjects: Coming out (Sexual orientation); Lesbians; Identity; Sexuality; Gays; Grandmothers; Brothers; Father; Mother

Partial Transcript: You mentioned it was ninth grade that you moved to Lexington . . .

Segment Synopsis: Preston talks about moving to Lexington and then finding The Country thanks to a girl her and her girlfriend had met. Preston discusses the different types of people she encountered at the Country. Preston recalls that she recognized some of the people at The Country.

Keywords: Fake IDs; Moving; The Country; Girlfriends; LGBTQ

Subjects: Lesbians; Gays; Lexington (Ky.); Softball; Nightlife; Lesbian bars; High school

Partial Transcript: What's your recollection of like the location of The Country, the parking lot, the stores around it. What--what do you remember about that kind of stuff?

Segment Synopsis: Preston talks about how The Country was hidden sort of hidden inside a strip mall on Lane Allen Road in Lexington. Preston also describes the interior of The Country.

Keywords: Hidden; Strip Malls; The Country; LGBTQ; Lane Allen Road (Lexington, Ky.)

Subjects: Lesbians; Lesbian bars; Nightlife; Lexington (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: Okay, and in--in terms of the cops . . . I guess you were among the--the people who had to like run to avoid them, right?

Segment Synopsis: Preston describes the police presence at The Country and how managed to avoid them.

Keywords: Hide; Underage; Fake IDs; The Country; LGBTQ

Subjects: Lexington (Ky.); Police; Lesbians; Gays; Lesbian bars; Running; Nightlife

Partial Transcript: Did you start going often at that point . . .

Segment Synopsis: Preston talks about how she went to The Country every weekend. She talks about dancing and the performances that took place, including when Preston performed. Preston also discusses the type of people that came to the bar.

Keywords: Dancing; Drag artists; Performances; Regulars; The Country

Subjects: Drag queens; Lesbians; Gays; Lesbian bars; Lexington (Ky.); Nightlife

Partial Transcript: . . . But walk me through a bit of--um--what would a typical night at The Country sort of consist of?

Segment Synopsis: Preston describes what a normal night at The Country was like. She talks about grabbing a drink, dancing, and staying until they closed. She also mentions some important people that went there.

Keywords: Connie Harrison; Dancing; Dottie Kincaid; Drinks; Lisa Moses; The Country; LGBTQ

Subjects: Gays; Lesbians; Lesbian bars; Lexington (Ky.); Nightlife; Lifestyles

Partial Transcript: . . . Like what kind of like incentives were there for people going to The Country . . .

Segment Synopsis: Preston talks about what role the culture of The Country had in encouraging people to go there. Preston also discusses why people went to The Country. Preston explains in what ways The Country was refreshing to her and made her feel safe.

Keywords: Comfortable; Intentions; Refreshing; Safe Space; LGBTQ; The Country

Subjects: Culture; Lexington (Ky.); Lesbians; Gays; Lesbian bars

Partial Transcript: And earlier you mentioned softball . . . was that something that you only did during high school or did you continue with it after high school finished?

Segment Synopsis: Preston talks about her experience playing league softball in Lexington. She talks about how the team, who mostly identified as lesbian, traveled and hung out together.

Keywords: LGBTQ; Softball leagues

Subjects: Softball; Softball teams; Lexington (Ky.); Travel; Recreation; Sports; Softball players; Lesbians; Gays; Women; Identity; Sexuality

Partial Transcript: . . . You don't know why The Country ended up closing . . .

Segment Synopsis: Preston is unsure why The Country closed, but knows that she would have been upset about it being gone. She also talks about other bars in Lexington.

Keywords: Brezing's; Closing; Club 141; The Country; LGBTQ; Bars

Subjects: Lexington (Ky.); Nightlife; Nightclubs; Gays; Lesbians; Lesbian bars

Partial Transcript: Now, some of the other interviewees I've talked with . . . some of them were involved in more sort of like feminist women's movement kind of stuff at the time, some of them weren't, and I was curious sort of where you fell on that spectrum. Was that something that was part of your life during that time period or was that not so much a part of your life?

Segment Synopsis: Preston says that she was not very involved in political movements. Preston also discusses moving to Florida and finding the gay bars there.

Keywords: Politics; Women's liberation movement

Subjects: Florida; Gay pars; Lesbian bars; Women; Gays; Lesbians; Women's rights

Partial Transcript: --I'd like you to think about Lexington then, as in during that time period when you were going The Country, for example and then you know, closer toward the present day . . . what has changed in Lexington, what has remained the same?

Segment Synopsis: Preston discusses attitudes towards LGBTQ+ people today. Preston also explains how the LGBTQ+ community feels more organized than it did when she was younger.

Keywords: Attitudes; LGBTQ; Queer culture

Subjects: Progress; Lexington (Ky.); Gays; Lesbians; Change; Society; Perception; Perspective