June Berry

June Berry

Author: Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ Oral History Project September 13, 2024 Duration: 1:16:04

June Berry worked at the Pikes Peak Library District until recently, and is a phenomenal labor organizer and activist. Berry shares stories of surviving the medical system and DIYing her own trans healthcare. In a full circle moment for this Project, Berry shout outs several of this Project's featured queer and trans narrators for their role in shaping her experience of Colorado Springs over the years.

Interviewers: CC students EmRhys Jenkins and Lennea Gregg. Season 6 of the COS LGBTQ+ Oral History Project is directed by Dr. Rushaan Kumar, Colorado College, in collaboration with students in his class titled “LGBTQ Social Movements in the US”, taught in Spring 2024.


Tucked into the foothills of the Rockies, Colorado Springs holds a complex and powerful story, one often told through a narrow lens. The Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ Oral History Project shifts that perspective entirely, turning the microphone over to the people who lived it. This isn't a polished historical overview, but a living archive of intimate conversations. You'll hear directly from longtime LGBTQ+ residents, their voices carrying the weight and warmth of personal memory. They share stories of creating community in unexpected places, of resilience in the face of being labeled a national battleground during the culture wars, and of the quiet, daily triumphs that often go unrecorded. This podcast prioritizes narratives from underrepresented queer and trans communities, ensuring the full tapestry of the city's identity is preserved. Each episode feels like sitting down with a neighbor who has seen the city transform, offering a crucial, firsthand account of the struggle to simply make a home. Listening feels like an act of preservation, honoring a past that actively shapes the present. Through these personal histories, the project builds a more complete and human understanding of a place and its people.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 59

Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ Oral History Project
Podcast Episodes
Amanda Udis-Kessler [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:48:16
Interview with Amanda Udis-Kessler for the Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ Oral History Project, conducted by Colorado College students Lilith Shapiro and Spencer Torres.
Carolyn Cathey [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:26:14
Interview with Carolyn Cathey for the Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ Oral History Project, conducted by Colorado College students Liza Scher and Zara Ahmad.
Nat Stein [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:34:23
Interview with Nat Stein for the Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ Oral History Project, conducted by Colorado College students Gillian Lasher and Cedar Bennett.
Tre Wentling [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:29:35
Interview with Tre Wentling for the Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ Oral History Project, conducted by Colorado College students Mazlyn Freier and Catherine Edds
Lucius Hines [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:32:00
Interview with Lucius Hines for the Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ Oral History Project, conducted by Colorado College students Chloe Dillon and Naomi Bram.
Rev Nori June Rost [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:53:19
Interview with Rev. Nori June Rost for the Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ Oral History Project, conducted by Colorado College students Haley Loper, Max Coury, and Samson Heyer.
Stoney Bertz [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01:35
Interview with Stoney Bertz for the Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ Oral History Project, conducted by Colorado College students Cedar O'Dowd and Caroline Sharp.
Ash Stephens [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:29:06
Interview with Ash Stephens for the Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ Oral History Project, conducted by Colorado College students Zivia Berkowitz and Daniel de Koning.