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Description

In 2021, Eastern Michigan University Archives lecturer Matt Jones began documenting the story of Ypsilanti’s Human Rights Ordinance #1279 in an effort to explore the ways in which local queer activism has evolved multi-generationally in Ypsilanti. What began as a refusal of service by a local print shop to a small EMU student group quickly turned into a years-long battle over who was deserving of basic human rights. To the LGBTQ activists and community members documented here, they had always been present in the community: working, paying taxes, painting their houses, mowing their lawns, attending council meetings, and even serving on council. This ordinance battle was about more than just LGBT rights—it was about protecting the human rights of all Ypsilantians. On January 13, 2022, Jones talked to EMU alum and former member of Tri-Pride, Kris Pride. Pride came to EMU to earn her MSW, and was a graduate assistant in the LGBT Resource Center before she became a founding member of Tri-Pride. She was immersed in campus life and culture, and gained a sense of safety and comfort amongst her peers here. When Tri-Pride was denied service, Pride recalls that it felt like a reality check; that not everyone experienced the same she did. Although most of her time was spent on school, she remembers the differences in approach between the social work students and community members when it came to resolving the issue. Throughout this interview, Pride describes the campus atmosphere during the ordinance efforts, and how queer culture differed on and off campus.

Interview Date

1-13-2022

Keywords

Eastern Michigan University, Eastern Michigan University Archives, EMU oral history program, Tri-Pride, MSW, Kathleen Russell, LGBTQ students, LGBTQ culture, campus life, Ypsilanti, Ypsi, local activism, social work, campus community, Ypsilanti history

Permission to Use

Permission to quote from this oral history should be requested from the University Archives (lib_archives@emich.edu).

Streaming Media

Kris Pride, Oral History Interview, 2022

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