University of Houston Oral History of Houston Project Early LGBT Houston
HHA# 00820 Interviewee: Van Cleave, Kay Interview Date: July 6, 2010 University of Houston Oral History of Houston Project Early LGBT Houston Interviewee: Kay Van Cleave Interview Date: July 6, 2010 Place: Van Cleave Home, Houston Heights Interviewer: John Goins Transcriber: Michelle Kokes Keywords: Gay life, 1950s, 1960s, Houston, Diana’s, Diana Awards, Houston gay bars, Rock Hudson, gay life for blacks, lesbians, gay men, drag queens, fund raising, house parties, race, class, A Group, Charles Hebert, Lambda, Houston Gay Pride Abstract: Born in 1937 and moving to Houston in 1953, Kay Van Cleave offers a glimpse into early gay life there and the beginnings of its organization. As a member of the group that founded the Diana’s in the 1950s, she was present at the earliest of the events. In her early years, she associated with an elite, moneyed, group that did not involve itself politically. Her interview reveals the atmosphere in the fifties and sixties with regard to coming out in those years, the lifestyle of gay individuals, and the issues of race and class. In time, however, Kay became more “out” publicly and participated in groups that she considered to be important. This included among others, membership in PFLAG and forming the first Alcoholics Anonymous chapter, Lambda, for gay women and men in Houston. HHA# 00820 Page 1 of 40 Interviewee: Van Cleave, Kay Interview Date: July 6, 2010 UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON ORAL HISTORY OF HOUSTON PROJECT Kay Van Cleave Interviewed by: John Goins Date: July 6, 2010 Transcribed by: Michelle Kokes Location: Houston, Texas KVC: Okay I was born in 1937 in Fort Worth, Texas and my aunt (my father’s sister) had a lot of money.
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