Oral History Interview with Fran Levine, 1952-
Description
Oral history with Fran Levine, co-owner of Soho Tea & Coffee at 2150 P St NW, Washington, DC in Dupont Circle, the oldest independent Tea and Coffee house in DC who identifies as a lesbian woman. Interview by Autumn Eastman.
Date
Rights
Coverage
1980s--
Fran Levine is co-owner of Soho Tea & Coffee at 2150 P St NW, Washington, D.C., in the Dupont Circle area. Soho is the oldest independent tea and coffee house in D.C. and the only one left in Dupont.
She describes the changes Dupont Circle from the late 1980s to present, both as an independent business owner and in the LGBTQ community that congregates there. She speaks about various LGBTQ spaces in Dupont Circle such as bars, dance clubs and how Soho served as a gathering space.
She discusses the AIDS epidemic in terms of how the LGBTQ community reacted and how people who were diagnosed with the once-unknown disease were treated by health care professionals.
She additionally describes her personal life, the challenges of coming out in the 70’s and 80’s and how it still impacts her life today. She speaks to themes the loss of gay gathering spaces and continued dispersion as LGBTQ lifestyles are more accepted and integrated into mainstream ways of life.
She also discusses the role of Millennials in LGBTQ acceptance.
Interview by Autumn Eastman.
Fran Levine is co-owner of Soho Tea & Coffee at 2150 P St NW, Washington, D.C., in the Dupont Circle area. Soho is the oldest independent tea and coffee house in D.C. and the only one left in Dupont.
She describes the changes Dupont Circle from the late 1980s to present, both as an independent business owner and in the LGBTQ community that congregates there. She speaks about various LGBTQ spaces in Dupont Circle such as bars, dance clubs and how Soho served as a gathering space.
She discusses the AIDS epidemic in terms of how the LGBTQ community reacted and how people who were diagnosed with the once-unknown disease were treated by health care professionals.
She additionally describes her personal life, the challenges of coming out in the 70’s and 80’s and how it still impacts her life today. She speaks to themes the loss of gay gathering spaces and continued dispersion as LGBTQ lifestyles are more accepted and integrated into mainstream ways of life.
She also discusses the role of Millennials in LGBTQ acceptance.
Interview by Autumn Eastman.
Interviewer
Interviewee
Location
Washington D.C.
Transcription
No.
Original Format
ma4, 25 MB
Duration
51:48
Citation
“Oral History Interview with Fran Levine, 1952-,” Rainbow History Project Digital Collections, accessed December 20, 2024, https://archives.rainbowhistory.org/items/show/1615.
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