Lorelei Erisis interviewed by Schuyler Fohrhaltz-Burbank March 30, 2020 via the Zoom platform.

Narrator:
Lorelei Erisis was born in 1972 in Northampton MA. She grew up on Cape Cod and was part of a working class family. She spent some of her summers at the Rowe camp in Western MA. After graduating from Barnstable High School, Lorelei moved out to Northampton. Following her time in Northampton as a teen and young adult, Lorelei moved around the country, gaining an education in acting, mime work, improvisational and sketch comedy. She studied at the Piven Theater Workshop, The Second City in Chicago and The Second City Conservatory in LA.

Returning to Northampton in 2008, Lorelei became involved in the push for civil rights protections for trans people in Massachusetts. In 2009 she became a board member of the new 501 c3 NoHo Pride. She would go on to be the MC of that years rally and celebration. She became the first winner of Miss Trans New England in 2009. Currently she writes “Ask a Trans Woman” for the Rainbow Times and is the Assistant Director of Admissions for the Smith College School for Social Work. She is currently engaged and lives in Northampton.

Abstract:

In this interview, Lorelei discusses her life story along with the various big moments in it that left a lasting mark on her. She talks about her introduction to the queer community and how her own identity has shifted over time. Her transition and her work as an actor and improvisational comic are highlighted along side her work with NoHo Pride starting in 2009. Lorelei also discusses the issues and challenges she as faced, as well as the issues the trans community still face today.

Interviewer:
Schuyler Fohrhaltz-Burbank is a Grad Student at Simmons University School of Library and Information Science. She is studying to get her masters in Archival Management. She is also a Trans Woman.

Please note: this interview mentions employment discrimination, bullying, transphobia, suicide, violence and death.