Interview with Beverly Youmans

Partial Transcript: . . . Would you mind just telling me a little bit about yourself . . .

Segment Synopsis: Youmans talks about her education and her desire to be independent. She talks about how she does not have any children and how her parents were very progressive.

Keywords: Progressive

Subjects: Childhood; Children; Education; Parents; Independence; Lifestyles

Partial Transcript: You were born in D.C., but then kind of like grew up in Lexington--

Segment Synopsis: Youmans describes her childhood as good and privileged. Her parents always gave her what she wanted and believed in positive reinforcement. She talks about having a different religious background than her peers and remembers a friend she had in junior high.

Keywords: Background; Long lost friend; Positive Reinforcement

Subjects: Childhood; Middle schools; Privilege; Religion; Parents; Early life; Lexington (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: And you mentioned being bisexual, is that something that even then was part of that feeling of difference or not really?

Segment Synopsis: Youmans talks about her experience of feeling forced to have a boyfriend in sixth grade. She says that being with a girl at The Living Room felt right. She also talks about how she hadn't heard the word bisexual before.

Keywords: Bisexual; Sixth grade; The Living Room; LGBTQ; Boyfriends

Subjects: Middle schools; Adolescence; Teenagers; Lexington (Ky.); Identity; Peer pressure

Partial Transcript: Do you remember how you first heard about it? Like, did someone tell you about it? Did you stumble across it?

Segment Synopsis: Youmans provides a detailed description of what The Country was like, including the drinks, music, and people.

Keywords: Dancing; Disco; Drinks; The Country; LGBTQ

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

Partial Transcript: Yeah I think there we--there were more labels, back then, yeah.

Segment Synopsis: Youmans discusses labels such as butch and femme. She also talks about how she hates gender roles, especially the term tomboy.

Keywords: Butch; Femme; LGBTQ; Gender roles

Subjects: Labels; Lesbians; Gays; Identity; Lexington (Ky.); Tomboys; Gender expression; Gender identity.

Partial Transcript: . . . But also like relating to going to The Country, you know, a women's bar. Probably a lot of women who identified as lesbian and sort of like, I don't know, just how you interacted with that, things you remember?

Segment Synopsis: Youmans talks about how when she dated women she thought of herself as a lesbian. She says that bisexuality was not accepted in the lesbian community and she does not think much has changed. Youmans also states that she did not go out with men while she was going to The Country.

Keywords: The Country; LGBTQ; Acceptance

Subjects: Bisexuality; Perception; Identity; Progress; Biphobia; Lexington (Ky.); Lesbians; Gays; Lesbian bars; Men; Women

Partial Transcript: Did you ever know anyone when you were younger that was bisexual, gay, lesbian, etcetera?

Segment Synopsis: Youmans talks about her first contact with gay and bisexual people. She also talks about how she would avoid straight bars because the people were conservative and did not feel safe there.

Keywords: Bars; Intimidating

Subjects: Lesbians; Gays; Lesbian bars; Intimidation; Safety; Danger; Fear; Lexington (Ky.); Conservative; Identity; Bisexuality

Partial Transcript: When you would go, would you be there till closing or pretty late? What would usually happen?

Segment Synopsis: Youmans talks recalls her reaction to The Country closing and shares theories regarding why it closed.

Keywords: Closing; Sadness; The Country

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

Partial Transcript: Do you remember like how you heard about it?

Segment Synopsis: Youmans discusses the Gay Org at the University of Kentucky. She also talks about what it was like to have very permissive parents who did not pry into her personal life.

Keywords: Gay Org; Relationships

Subjects: University of Kentucky; Lexington (Ky.); Parents; Privacy; Gays; Lesbians; Identity; Friendship

Partial Transcript: I'm kinda curious for your sense of like what it was like to date women at that time? Like was there a sense of social pressure to not like reveal that . . . what was it like psychologically or emotionally?

Segment Synopsis: Youmans describes the supportive nature of the lesbian community in Lexington. She talks about the parties they held, particularly at Halloween and at the Derby. She also mentions softball in Lexington.

Keywords: Support; The Derby; LGBTQ

Subjects: Communities; Lesbians; Gays; Softball; Parties; Halloween; Lexington (Ky.); Softball teams

Partial Transcript: I was actually to bring up the--the Chevron thing, like how did you end up getting that job and like what did you do . . .

Segment Synopsis: Youmans discusses her work with Chevron as a sales rep and then eventually as a maintenance coordinator. She also mentions living in Atlanta for a bit and being let go and deciding to retire.

Keywords: Chevron; Maintenance Coordinator; Sales representatives

Subjects: Careers; Atlanta (Ga.); Chevron automobiles; Retirement

Partial Transcript: And do you live in Lexington like all the time or do you like travel elsewhere or what?

Segment Synopsis: Youmans talks about how she has moved back to Lexington and is now closer to her mother. She also talks about how Lexington has changed. She thinks Lexington used to be more wild when she was younger, but is now a more accepting city.

Keywords: Acceptance

Subjects: Lexington (Ky.); Mother; Progress; Change

Partial Transcript: . . . What did you feel and think when you heard about this project?

Segment Synopsis: Youmans talks about her positive feelings towards the Remembering the Country Oral History Project. She also mentions that there are less and less women's bars around and how that is unfortunate for young women.

Keywords: Remembering The Country; The Country; LGBTQ

Subjects: Oral histories; Lesbian bars; Lesbians; Lexington (Ky.); Memories; Lesbians; Culture; History; Gays; Women