What we are about…

Founded in 1998, the Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project (OLOHP) has gathered and preserved the life stories of hundreds of lesbians 70 years of age and older, told in their own words. Since the inception of the OLOHP, the Project has worked to gather, document and preserve the life stories of lesbians born in the early decades of the past century. The OLOHP was begun by women of this era, with the singular goal of ensuring that the stories of their contemporaries were preserved and that their experiences were not forgotten. For many a woman, sharing her story with the Project was a significant life experience. For some, it was the first time they felt they had a story worth telling and they were gratified to learn that someone cared.

Excerpts from Herstories

"We had never held hands out in public. But before they put her in the ambulance I kissed her on the forehead and whispered that I loved her. It was the first ever public show of affection.”
I can remember reading Rubyfruit Jungle – such an amazing book. Then there started to be other books. Kath and I had a huge collection of things we had written to each other, things we had written about being in a relationship and books and everything. When we moved from Kansas to California, we burned everything before we left. “What if we would have a car wreck en route, and then our family would find these ‘dirty’ books? What if they found this?” We just decided to destroy it. We both are irritated beyond irritated that this happened. That’s what we felt like we had to do.

Documentary!

Early in 2022, Arden began exchanging information with a young documentarian named Meghan McDonough. Meghan expressed a strong interest in doing a film about the Project and was able to meet with Arden that fall. That film, entitled Old Lesbians, is now complete. Meghan describes her film: “Old Lesbians honors Arden’s legacy by animating the resilient, joyful voices she preserved in the Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project, from first crush to first love, from the closet to coming out, and finally from loss to connection.” Learn more about the documentary and how to view it here. 
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We regret having to pass along the news of Arden's death in mid November 2022. She was the heart and soul of the Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project, and a friend and mentor to many, many others.  To say she will be missed is a gross-understatement. She truly led an amazing life. For more about Arden’s life and passing, see the special 2022 issue of The OLOHP Insider. You can find it on the Newsletter page. 

Books and DVD

Two books, done anthology-style, have been written to share some of the Herstories from the collection. Each contains the stories of 23 women accompanied by photos and additional information. We have also produced a DVD presentation about the OLOHP. 

Getting Our Books/DVD

For months, our website was plagued with hacking attempts. We seem to have gotten past that problem, but we are being cautious. If you have any problems accessing the Donate button or getting more information on how to access out books or DVD, please reach out to us at our email address. 

The OLOHP Insider

Several times a year, we publish a newsletter for the Project. It is available here, on this website, or via email by signing up. Click on the image below to view the most recent issue. 
If you'd like to donate to the Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project, please either use the Donate Via PayPal Button above of mail a check. Once at PayPal, you can opt to pay via your PayPal account or via a credit card. If you'd prefer to send a check, please use the address below.