Les, Scott, Thea, and Amanda GrantSmith
In 1997, Les and Scott GrantSmiths’ marriage was on the rocks. They had been together for ten years and were raising two children. But Les was hiding something: although he was born female, he felt like a man in the wrong body. Keeping this secret caused Les to fall into a deep depression and withdraw from the rest of the family.
Finally, Scott confronted Les, and the GrantSmith family changed forever.
Les also spoke with his daughters, Thea and Amanda, about what his transition was like for them.
Originally aired March 7, 2012, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Nathan Hoskins and Sally Evans
Nathan Hoskins knew from an early age that he was gay, but growing up in rural Kentucky in a family that did not tolerate homosexuality, he learned to keep it a secret.
At StoryCorps, he tells his friend Sally Evans a harrowing story of just how dangerous life was for him.
Originally aired January 13, 2012, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Chris Whitney and Erin Kuka
Chris Whitney tells his friend Erin Kuka about being diagnosed HIV positive early on in the AIDS crisis.
Samantha Liebman and John Byrne
John Byrne is a high school English teacher in New York. He describes his classes as rowdy—and he’s known for encouraging students to be themselves. But, as he told former student Samantha Liebman, when he was a young teacher 30 years ago, he had a very different style.
Originally aired June 24, 2011, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Note: StoryCorps founder Dave Isay went to high school at Friends Seminary, where John teaches. That did not factor into choosing this story for broadcast.
Rob Littlefield
Rob Littlefield remembers being bullied in junior high school for being gay.
Stefan Lynch Strassfeld and his friend Beth Teper
Stefan Lynch Strassfeld was raised by gay parents in the early eighties. Now 38, he came to StoryCorps to talk with his friend Beth Teper about growing up as AIDS began to spread.
Originally aired December 3, 2010 on NPR’s Morning Edition.
David Wilson
David Wilson was a plaintiff in the 2004 court decision that legalized same sex marriage in Massachusetts.
Wilson’s journey to that landmark case started 10 years earlier — when he lost his first partner, Ron Loso, to a heart attack. The EMT’s who arrived on the scene were suspicious of David and called the police. Later, when he got to the hospital, officials would not release any information about his partner.
That injustice led to Wilson becoming a plaintiff in the 2004 court decision.
The first weddings, which included David’s own, began taking place on May 17, 2004, after same sex marriage became legal in Massachusetts.
Originally aired October 15, 2010, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Kendall Bailey and his friend Don Davis
Kendall Bailey (R) talks to his friend Don Davis (L) about his dismissal from the U.S. Marines under the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy.
Scott Miller and Jackie Miller
Jackie Miller and her husband adopted their son, Scott, on May 25, 1971. Thirty-seven years later, Scott and Jackie came to StoryCorps to talk about their relationship, and for him to find out more about her decision to adopt him. During their conversation, Scott learned something he never knew before about his mother.
Click here to watch “Me & You,” an animation of Scott and Jackie’s story.
Originally aired June 11, 2010, on NPR’s Morning Edition.
Genna Alperin and MJ Seide
MJ met her partner in the early 1990s. Her partner had been married to a man and raised children.
MJ soon embraced her new extended family, especially her granddaughter, 12-year-old Genna Alperin.
MJ tells Genna what happened once she fell in love.
Originally aired February 12, 2010, on NPR’s Morning Edition.