Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rainbow History Project Oral History Collection Description An account of the resource Eye-witness accounts of what we’ve seen and experienced provide a valuable resource to researchers and future generations to understand our past and how we arrived where we are today. Each interview in this collection has a narrator telling the story and a documenter guiding the process. Collected since the founding of the RHP, this collection is growing and is open to researchers. All interviews have been digitized and are described in the catalog; only some of them have transcripts available. None of the interviews stream online. To obtain access to an interview, you must request by contacting us directly, providing a brief description of your project and your research interests. Our email address is: info AT rainbowhistory DOT org One of our team will share the file from our Google Drive, and you can listen from home. Please be sure to have "Music Player for Google Drive" enabled on your machine to play the recording. www.driveplayer.com Table Of Contents A list of subunits of the resource. To see all interviews in the collection, click on "Items in the Rainbow History Project Oral History Collection" link below. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Rainbow History Project Various narrators per oral history Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview. Elizabeth Lyttle Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed. Jean Ponton Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound. No. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral history interview with Jean Ponton, 1953- Description An account of the resource Jean Ponton worked as a volunteer for Gay Fairfax TV, an important LGBT television show. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The interview belongs to the Rainbow History Project. The RHP release form was used and all rights are reserved. Subject The topic of the resource Jean Ponton (b.1953) Gay Fairfax TV Dr. Jean Ponton is a historian for the Defense Department who worked as a volunteer for Gay Fairfax TV beginning in 1990 while she was coming out as a lesbian and through Gay Fairfax’s transition to another show called Gay Spectrum. Dr. Ponton worked as a volunteer for gay and lesbian TV through 2000, when the last legacy program that spun off from Gay Fairfax ended. She usually operated a camera, but also did audio, lighting, and set design, as well as occasional floor directing and set directing. Gay Fairfax is important as a very early gay and lesbian TV show. Gay Fairfax began in 1990 and the first show aired in 1991. The Fairfax Lesbian and Gay Citizens Association, which advocated for equality for lesbians and gays, sponsored the show. It was aired by Channel 10 TV, a public access station run by Cox. Gay Fairfax TV received good support from Channel 10 throughout its airing lifetime. Gay Fairfax TV was produced entirely by volunteers, including its executive producers, Barry Forbes and Rob Wilson. Gay Fairfax TV was a public access cable television show in a “talking heads” format by and for the gay and lesbian community. The programming presented issues of importance to gays and lesbians throughout the country as well as local color. Its mission was to present positive images of gays and lesbians in a news and information magazine-format. It aimed to make a difference in the wider community, as well as for gays and lesbians. Dr. Ponton highlights how far gays and lesbians have come in our struggle for equality in the 25 years since Gay Fairfax’s first show. Topics covered on Gay Fairfax include gays in the military, commitment ceremonies (marriage was only a dream), gay adoption, and child custody. Organizations such as PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, SMYAL (Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League), DC Lambda Squares (square dancing), and the Gay and Lesbian Chorus also were showcased on Gay Fairfax TV. These issues and organizations were “upfront and personal” during Gay Fairfax’s lifetime.