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StoryCorps: Outloud
StoryCorps recognizes the profound historical importance of capturing the stories of the LGBTQ community and the urgent need for this work to happen now. StoryCorps OutLoud is a multi-year initiative dedicated to recording and preserving LGBTQ stories across America.
"OutLoud" honors the stories of those who lived before the 1969 Stonewall uprisings, celebrates the lives of LGBTQ youth, and amplifies the voices of those most often excluded from the historical record. The end result is a diverse collection of stories that enriches our nation s history.
StoryCorps OutLoud sets out across the country to record and preserve the stories of LGBT individuals, along with their families and friends.
OutLoud is a project undertaken in the memory of Isay's father, psychiatrist Dr. Richard Isay. Professionally credited for helping to persuade the mental health community that homosexuality is not a mental disorder, Dr. Isay was himself a closeted gay man for many years. He came out to his son at the age of 52 and, in 2011, he married his partner of 31 years, Gordon Harrell, before passing away suddenly from cancer on June 28, 2012.
On June 28, 2014, the 45th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, StoryCorps inaugurated OutLoud, a three-year project to capture the experiences of L.G.B.T.Q. people. In particular, the project will seek stories from young people, minorities and those who lived before the uprising, which was a response by gays to a police raid on the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village and helped precipitate the gay rights movement.
"OutLoud" honors the stories of those who lived before the 1969 Stonewall uprisings, celebrates the lives of LGBTQ youth, and amplifies the voices of those most often excluded from the historical record. The end result is a diverse collection of stories that enriches our nation s history.
StoryCorps OutLoud sets out across the country to record and preserve the stories of LGBT individuals, along with their families and friends.
OutLoud is a project undertaken in the memory of Isay's father, psychiatrist Dr. Richard Isay. Professionally credited for helping to persuade the mental health community that homosexuality is not a mental disorder, Dr. Isay was himself a closeted gay man for many years. He came out to his son at the age of 52 and, in 2011, he married his partner of 31 years, Gordon Harrell, before passing away suddenly from cancer on June 28, 2012.
On June 28, 2014, the 45th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, StoryCorps inaugurated OutLoud, a three-year project to capture the experiences of L.G.B.T.Q. people. In particular, the project will seek stories from young people, minorities and those who lived before the uprising, which was a response by gays to a police raid on the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village and helped precipitate the gay rights movement.
2 pages, Audible Audio
First published May 20, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
June 12, 2018
Less than two hours, a combination of some recordings from the StoryCorps Outloud project (to capture stories from lgbtq voices) and the audio story Dave Isay did for the 20th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. He embarked on that project in tribute to his father not long after his father came out, and it started everything that would lead to the founding of StoryCorps. But it captures the story of Stonewall in the voices of people who were there, from a cop to lesbians from the bar down the street.
March 7, 2019
Simply amazing.
Includes the powerful interviews of people involved in the Stonewall Riots, including some of the cops.
Hi, Savannah! Yes, you.
Includes the powerful interviews of people involved in the Stonewall Riots, including some of the cops.
Hi, Savannah! Yes, you.
October 26, 2022
A fairly short audio "book".
First of all, I love everything about Story Corps! I believe history is best learned as the stories of peoples lives.
This collection is just that … people interviewing friends and family about their lives. My only complaint is that it is too short! Story Corps went out to preserve memories of gay lives from the 40's, 50's, 60's and I would have happily listened to more!
In the collection, you find a large representation of deplorable actions being met by resilience and often compassion … people who have not let the worst of their lives strip them of who they are or their goodness. For example, a son, oldest of 9, who was thrown out of his parents' home for being gay, helps his youngest brother, who wasn't even born yet when he was expelled from the home (side note, all 9 are estranged from those parents for a variety of reasons and the eldest wants to be the big brother they need to all of them).
These stories are a testament to the "homosexual agenda": find love, make a family, live a life you are not ashamed of.
The second part of the recording is a radio documentary that aired 20 years after the Stonewall uprising … if you don't know anything about Stonewall, this is a must to understand what happened to give rise to gay people demanding equal rights.
First of all, I love everything about Story Corps! I believe history is best learned as the stories of peoples lives.
This collection is just that … people interviewing friends and family about their lives. My only complaint is that it is too short! Story Corps went out to preserve memories of gay lives from the 40's, 50's, 60's and I would have happily listened to more!
In the collection, you find a large representation of deplorable actions being met by resilience and often compassion … people who have not let the worst of their lives strip them of who they are or their goodness. For example, a son, oldest of 9, who was thrown out of his parents' home for being gay, helps his youngest brother, who wasn't even born yet when he was expelled from the home (side note, all 9 are estranged from those parents for a variety of reasons and the eldest wants to be the big brother they need to all of them).
These stories are a testament to the "homosexual agenda": find love, make a family, live a life you are not ashamed of.
The second part of the recording is a radio documentary that aired 20 years after the Stonewall uprising … if you don't know anything about Stonewall, this is a must to understand what happened to give rise to gay people demanding equal rights.
February 9, 2019
Everything Story Corps does is amazing to me. Real people recording their own experiences. This small collection is LGBTQ with some Stonewall Riot interviews afterward. This is one place where today’s world feels far ahead of our past.
June 29, 2021
Outloud was a series of short interviews by people in the LGBTQ community. Most of the stories just made me sad but of course, it was due to their families being hateful and mean when it came to their sexuality. But there were also really great stories. What a great end to Pride month!
August 9, 2020
Such good stories, a few of which I remembered from when they came out on the radio. Very well produced, as expected.
June 20, 2018
Great thing to listen to if you want to straight up weep in the street!!
November 19, 2016
This collection of personal stories gathered by Storycorps is deeply moving. Stories of love, family, courage, and heartbreak that must be shared. The accompanying documentary from 1989 on the 20th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots is a reminder that the "past is prologue" especially as our political climate ushers in such deep fear and uncertainty. Sensitively narrated by the always wonderful Ari Shapiro, Outloud paints a vibrant picture of a community that too often is ignored or even worse, vilified. My only complaint... I wanted more. Highly recommend for all.
This audio checkout came at a perfect time. The last week or so I've been questioning my complacency and noticed that I tend to choose to read or listen to stories that fit in a certain genre or style. I want to believe this isn't intentional but when I looked over my list of finished titles for the year there was a very clear pattern. This habit, and my complacency, must change.
This audio checkout came at a perfect time. The last week or so I've been questioning my complacency and noticed that I tend to choose to read or listen to stories that fit in a certain genre or style. I want to believe this isn't intentional but when I looked over my list of finished titles for the year there was a very clear pattern. This habit, and my complacency, must change.
June 7, 2016
Pulls absolutely zero punches. I wish this was 8 hours long.
January 24, 2023
We took this on a short day-trip yesterday and really enjoyed the short interviews with various members of the gay community. Often these stories were uplifting, and there were a couple of stories that brought tears to my eyes (not a good thing when you're driving).
These are a composite of stories from the Story Corps series on NPR, a segment that I have always enjoyed when listening to NPR. I think the best part of this was the final segment which covered the actual events at the Stonewall Inn leading up to and through the four days of riots. The interviews were with people who were there, police members, bartenders, people who went to see what was going on and how they were moved to come out publicly for the first time in their lives, including a young private in Vietnam and a Catholic nun.
These are a composite of stories from the Story Corps series on NPR, a segment that I have always enjoyed when listening to NPR. I think the best part of this was the final segment which covered the actual events at the Stonewall Inn leading up to and through the four days of riots. The interviews were with people who were there, police members, bartenders, people who went to see what was going on and how they were moved to come out publicly for the first time in their lives, including a young private in Vietnam and a Catholic nun.
September 13, 2020
Nothing really "wrong" with this book. It is a question of what is missing. I was expecting more. This brief audiobook was purported to share stories from StoryCorps on NPR related to issues of those in the LGBTQ community as documented on the show over past years. Other than the final story, however, all of the excerpts were quite brief and never really got into the 'real' stories I was hoping to hear. Too superficial - I was looking for more depth and content.
June 3, 2018
The collections of stories were amazing to get an inside look at how it was like to be gay in the pre-Stonewall era. And then came the Stonewall documentary. Oh! Just listening to the voices that were featured, a gay couple with a 60-year long relationship. lesbians in the riot and Silvia Revia (just t name a few) took me back to the front lines.
February 3, 2021
While these are all good stories to listen to, the last story is from David Isay when he interviews people in 1989 that were part of the 1969 stonewall riots. It's the first time they had been interviewed and acknowledged as having a role in that defining moment in history -- and the first time i've heard a first-person narrative from the stonewall riots.
December 30, 2025
Audiobook. Beautiful, could have been twice as long. I cried and laughed and learned so much about it the gay rights movement. Love love these storycorps compilations and this one earns a special place for showing what happens when you love and support others, and the harm that happens when you don’t.
July 7, 2019
I am so glad I listened to this book. I lived through all of it unaware or little aware. I feel I needed to hear these stories and will look for more!
We all need to relearn history and be sure the truth educates our future!
We all need to relearn history and be sure the truth educates our future!
June 1, 2017
Listen, listen, listen to this.
April 17, 2018
Wow, I am not gonna lie--I cried while listening to a couple of these stories. I like that the stories are short and sweet, and are a diverse selection of LGBTQ stories.
July 14, 2018
Carve out a space in your day for this little audiobook. These are stories of resilience, courage, acceptance, and most importantly, love. ❤️
October 11, 2018
Short and lovely stories of queer humans and their lives - I especially liked the segment on Stonewall. Just wanted more.
March 27, 2019
It was interesting but not nearly enough. I'd be pulled into one story and then it'd be over and onto the next. I wanted to dive into the stories so much more than was allotted .
February 29, 2020
Really inspiring, authentic collection of stories. I like the included radio documentaries at the end.
August 2, 2021
This was so beautiful
October 11, 2021
I started crying immediately and it’s a beautiful and often sad and often empowering collection of memories. The documentary at the end was v fascinating. Stonewall, whew.
May 1, 2023
Compelling! Very relatable and eye opening. Made me tear up!
June 10, 2024
It was shorter than I expected but still can bring tears to your eyes listening to people love one another
July 24, 2023
This short audiobook collects a range of interviews and stories from queer people. The range of stories from devastating (see the boy who’s mom took him into the woods and said she’d shoot him out there if he was gay) to uplifting (see the teen who’s farmer dad told him not to hide because he’s not in the wrong) was interesting, and it was interesting hearing about the Stonewall interview project as well. Lots of voices missing, though.
February 16, 2017
By turns, this made me cry and made me feel pure joy. So many incredible stories here - my only wish was that there were more.
My deepest thanks to all of those who chose to share their stories with this project.
My deepest thanks to all of those who chose to share their stories with this project.
August 13, 2017
Not...really a book, so it feels weird for it to be on Goodreads. HOWEVER. So enjoyable, so uplifting, and, while we shouldn't always be telling queer youth "it gets better," this recording provides some great context to the decades of trials and triumphs of the queer community. In the first half, we hear from a lesbian veteran who wasn't allowed to participate in her wife's memorials (but who was accepted by her wife's mother), a son of an evangelical household who eventually gained the love of all of his siblings (even if his parents still won't acknowledge him), and the first gay man in California who was allowed to adopt a child.
The latter half is made up of interviews of survivors of the Stonewall Riots. Mostly from the queer community, but also a few lines from the police officers involved. And thank GOODNESS it makes good note that the main movers were trans-women of color! Especially cool, considering the recording was done on Stonewall's 20th anniversary, in 1989. Not exactly the most enlightened time.
As regards purchasing this...I'm not sure? I feel like it's not bad as a gift, because no one really focuses on how much someone spent on a gift vs the enjoyment they get from the gift. But for myself, I don't think I'd have spent the $20 on the audio CDs. I was lucky to find this in a Humble Bundle, so it was all of a part of the original price, for me. I'd say, if you want to listen, but are balking at price, as I did, check if your public library has a copy. It seems to be widely purchased in most progressive communities.
The latter half is made up of interviews of survivors of the Stonewall Riots. Mostly from the queer community, but also a few lines from the police officers involved. And thank GOODNESS it makes good note that the main movers were trans-women of color! Especially cool, considering the recording was done on Stonewall's 20th anniversary, in 1989. Not exactly the most enlightened time.
As regards purchasing this...I'm not sure? I feel like it's not bad as a gift, because no one really focuses on how much someone spent on a gift vs the enjoyment they get from the gift. But for myself, I don't think I'd have spent the $20 on the audio CDs. I was lucky to find this in a Humble Bundle, so it was all of a part of the original price, for me. I'd say, if you want to listen, but are balking at price, as I did, check if your public library has a copy. It seems to be widely purchased in most progressive communities.
February 11, 2016
I love the StoryCorps sessions on NPR. It is an oral history - a personal history- of everyday people. They not only leave behind a piece of themselves for the future generations of their family but also share it with the listeners of NPR. It enriches all our lives.
StoryCorps: Outloud focuses on the LGBTQ community. All of the stories will move you - tears of sadness, rage and joy. I especially loved the dad in the first story. The mother from Kentucky filled me with such sadness. Threatening your own son with shotgun. I don't understand her actions and, I am so glad her son found love and built a life on his own terms.
StoryCorps: Outloud focuses on the LGBTQ community. All of the stories will move you - tears of sadness, rage and joy. I especially loved the dad in the first story. The mother from Kentucky filled me with such sadness. Threatening your own son with shotgun. I don't understand her actions and, I am so glad her son found love and built a life on his own terms.
June 8, 2016
4-4.5 stars
I often wanted more of their stories (presumably the originals were longer and edited down into a collection?)... but it was an emotional rollercoaster of nodding, frowning, laughing, aww-ing, and crying. It was overall full of serveral beautiful and painful interviews/conversations, but as a whole the collection felt a bit choppy and inorganically jointed. Perhaps I don't listen to enough talk radio shows and have an unrealistic expectation in that regard, but that's where I am...
I often wanted more of their stories (presumably the originals were longer and edited down into a collection?)... but it was an emotional rollercoaster of nodding, frowning, laughing, aww-ing, and crying. It was overall full of serveral beautiful and painful interviews/conversations, but as a whole the collection felt a bit choppy and inorganically jointed. Perhaps I don't listen to enough talk radio shows and have an unrealistic expectation in that regard, but that's where I am...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews