Hi History Makers, Eric here. A few months ago we launched Making Gay History's Patreon

channel, a place where we're sharing new video interviews never before heard clips

from my archive that didn't make it into the episodes and more. If you're not a member

of our Patreon community yet, I hope you'll join today. Just $5 a month gets you access

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And thank you so much.

Add Vassar, did you ever encounter any problems because you were lesbian identified?

I think that I intimidated a lot of people. People stayed away and made assumptions about what I

saw or don't even go to her with this one because she'll just yell at you. It always

amazes me that people think of me as an intimidating person. But I think I don't identify as that.

You know, I'm sure I'm kind of scrawny and I think I should learn how to use it more to my

advantage because I don't do it very effectively.

I'm Eric Marcus, and this is Making Gay History.

This episode is produced with the support of the National LGBTQ Task Force in honor of Irvishy

Vad, their one-time executive director and one of the most dynamic, forceful, and visible leaders

in the fight for LGBTQ rights and equity in social justice in recent history.

My earliest memory of Irvishy Vad dates back to the fall of 1976, Vassar College in

Pekipsi, New York. It was at a student protest, my very first. Vassar, a former women's college

that had gone co-ed in 1969, had put out a promotional brochure meant to attract male applicants.

It managed to offend both male and female students and the campus was in an uproar.

...