by David Isay
First published 2015
David Isay creates OutLoud, a three year initiative to record and preserve LGBTQ stories nationwide. The project honors his father, psychiatrist Dr. Richard Isay, who helped convince the mental health community that homosexuality is not a mental disorder. Dr. Isay remained closeted for decades before coming out to his son at 52. He married his partner Gordon Harrell in 2011 after 31 years together, then died suddenly from cancer in 2012. OutLoud launched on June 28, 2014, marking the 45th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. The initiative seeks stories from three key groups: LGBTQ youth, minorities, and those who lived before Stonewall. It aims to amplify voices often excluded from historical records and capture experiences that might otherwise be lost. The project travels across America to record individuals along with their families and friends, creating a diverse collection that enriches national history.
Genres: non-fiction, biography-memoir, 21st-century, activism, oral-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, personal-journey
Setting: America
Period: 2011, 2012, 2014
2 pages · Audio CD · Highbridge Co
Content warnings: mental-illness