PFLAG LGBTQ+ Elders Interviews Podcast – Personal Stories in the Making of LGBTQ History

From Palm Springs, CA, and a Palm Springs City Council member, meet Lisa Middleton, a transgender woman in her early 70s who has led an inspiring and varied life with no signs of slowing down. Holding high-level corporate positions before stepping into local politics, Lisa is currently a candidate for the CA State Senate representing Riverside and San Bernardino counties - predicted to be the closest election in CA in recent years. Lisa comes from an organic part of California pioneers, the Dust Bowl Generation. Her family came to California with a storyline not far off track from the beloved characters found in John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath.” - to CA from Oklahoma in the 1930’s, leaving behind great poverty and poor prospects of opportunity, most of them went into the fields as laborers in California. Having been moved to LA at the age of one, Lisa scrambled her way through an education that had her finishing up with a Master’s degree at USC. Lisa’s interview takes us through her decades living out her not-true self with great loneliness but always a sense of doing her best wherever life took her: marriage to a man, children, her work-life and her waking up time during the Civil Rights period, when she discovered she could no longer live a lie. Lisa has a warm, matter-of-fact style and she strikes her listeners as a person greatly at home with all the facets of her life. Enjoy meeting Lisa Middleton.

From Campbell, CA, meet Eileen Hamper. Born and raised in Ohio, Eileen talks about how it was to not know about her sexual orientation until she was 40 years old. Eileen talks about her growing-up years, her transition to California, how she met her longtime wife Bettie, and how she is currently loving retirement, which turned her loose to "tinker and repair things to my heart's desire."

Meet Marc Fuentes, a "young" senior. Marc, a native of Orange County, California is employed full-time in the Silicon Valley tech industry and has been with his partner Roger for 30 years - married first in a private church ceremony in 1995 and again in a legal ceremony in 2008. Marc describes himself as a "busy guy." Several days prior to this interview he completed a 500-mile motorcycle ride. Marc's two great loves are his bike and his husband (not in that order).

From Burlingame California, meet Serina Beauparlant. Serina talks about her east coast roots, and how she came to CA and found a career in educational publishing. A smart, funny, kind and enthusiastic woman, Serina is wife to Lisa and mom to Ella. She talks about her marriage and the steps to parenthood as well as providing a lived history regarding LGBTQ+ rights – “two steps forward, one step back.” Serina offers a hopeful message to LGBTQ+ youth.

From Geneva, Switzerland, meet Terry MacArthur. Terry talks about the many years he was a pastor, choirmaster and liturgy author and yet bound by a "don't ask, don't tell" environment around his true-self identity as a gay man. In his lifetime, for the most part, he has happily seen that type of castigation slip away. Terry has several practical and heartfelt observations and suggestions for today's LGBTQ+ youth.

Mountain View, CA - Kitty T. - Retired physician, mother to two, grandmother to nine and living with her wife Marti for the last 30 years, Kitty talks about life-span changes related to sexual orientation and how in the world of couples, love wins out in the end.

Albuquerque, NM – Ann H. talks about her struggles as a female contractor working in a man’s world, as well as the complicated legal process of becoming a parent.

Daly City, CA – In this episode, Rodger describes his growing up years in Louisiana and his journey in trying to please his mother by becoming a priest vs. his own slowly emerging and undeniable sexual orientation.