Oral History Interview with Frank Blackburn

Frank Blackburn was born in Jersey City, New Jersey but moved to the DC area when he enlisted in the Navy as a doctor. He discusses an early relationship he had with another man when he was in the Navy, his marriage to a woman, his subsequent divorce, and his coming out to his family. He talks about how he met his partner, Nicolas Shi, and how they started seeing each other, how they started living with each other, how they came out to their families, and how they got married. 

Frank and Nicolas joined Asians and Friends, one of the oldest active gay support and social groups for Asian Americans in the nation. He talks about how it started as Washington Bridge and later became Asians and Friends. He also talks about tensions in the early form of the group due to the fetishization of Asian men by some early members. Frank talks about some places they would visit like Friends, Lost and Found, Tracks, JR’s, Lambda Rising, and Badlands. 

Frank talks about being a doctor in DC, both in the Navy and in a private practice. He talks about homophobia in the workplace and being outed by a coworker. He also talks about treating one of the first AIDS cases in Washington DC and the impacts that AIDS had in the community. 

• Nicolas Shi (RHP - Oral History)
• Nicolas Shi (Logan Circle - Oral History)