Long Question List

I developed these questions based on my first interview with Deb. This set of questions was more specific and slightly more intimate and included follow-up questions to topics she had mentioned in the first interview.

1. What do you feel that you’ve gained from being involved in gay rights activism?

• What have you learned about yourself through what you do?

2. Do you feel that this career is your ultimate calling?

• Would you ever consider a change in fields or a different kind of activism?

3. What are your own religious beliefs?

• Do you share the same values as your family?
• Has your career affected your values/morals?

4. How did you first get involved with the group, Harmony?

5. How did you use 9/11 as a “pivotal point”?

6. Could you elaborate on why you feel Hollins “saved your life”?

7. Where do you think you’d be now if you had not gone to Hollins, or any school at all?

8. How did the Roanoke shootings affect you personally?

9. Do you have any advice for someone going into activism, especially gay rights activism?

10. Could you elaborate more on the clubs that you were apart of at Hollins?

• What was the Women’s Collective?

11. Could you elaborate on the group, Anon?

• How did that club get started and why?

12. Could you explain why you feel African American literature and jazz poetry connects with gay rights activism?

• Could you give specific examples?

13. How does your career affect your relationships?

• How does your partner feel about what you do?

14. You mentioned that marriage is a central issue within Equality Virginia, what are your feelings about marriage within the gay community?

• How do you feel our society/government should address this issue?

15. Could you elaborate on your previous job experiences before Equality Virginia?

• What were you doing in Oregon?
• Were you participating in activism there?

16. You mentioned that you feel you must have a certain façade, or persona when interacting with gay men, could you elaborate on this?

• Is this persona different from how you act around heterosexual men?

17. How did you feel after you came out as a lesbian?

• Did you ever think that you would become involved in gay rights activism?

18. What do you think is the biggest obstacle that gay rights activists face?

• How do you overcome such obstacles?

19. What qualities do you feel you possess which helps you in your career as an activist?

20. What are some of the other issues within the gay community which you feel must be addressed by gay rights activism but might not be?

21. Do you think you’ll ever work in music therapy like you had planned?

22. How do you deal with individuals who are homophobic or against gay rights?

• What advice would you give to a gay rights activist when dealing with such individuals?

23. What inspires you to keep going (in terms of activism)?

24. If you could go back and make a change in your life, what would you do?

25. What has been the biggest breakthrough for Equality Virginia that you were apart of?

Back to Interview Process Page

...