Oral History Clip, "I've got pictures to prove it!" Diane F. Germain, San Diego, California, 2018/10
[caption: Diane F. Germain, “I’ve Got Pictures to Prove It!”]
Germain: Well, there’s a funny thing that happened to me when I was first coming out as a lesbian down here in San Diego. That means I was acting like a lesbian in public. I used to go to a bar called The Club that was down near the airport. Little bit of a skeezy area, but this was our club. And I went there one night, and I was just watching the women play pool, and I had a few dances with people I knew. And I didn’t know, even as an adult woman, how to approach women, how to ask them for dates. I hadn’t had that experience all my life. So we were all fuming around with each other, trying to figure it out.
So I was sitting at the bar on a stool next to a friend of mine, and we were talking about this and that. And I was kind of showing off, trying to be more of the lesbian than I really was. So while I was in this mode of showing off, I see this tall woman with strawberry blonde hair–large, and taller than me–come by, and she was headed for the door, to go out. So I said to her, “Oh my! Don’t tell me that you’re leaving!” And she turned around, and her face was like sunshine–smiling, eyes twinkling. That’s exactly what she wanted to hear, apparently. And she said, “Well, I was, but maybe I’ll stay!” So I said, “Fine, that’s great! Come and sit with us.”
I find out that she’s a teacher from Chicago. And we talked and laughed. I liked her a lot, mostly because she had this beautiful face [laughs] So, we spent some time knowing each other, and I said, “How long are you in town?” She said, “Just, you know, three days.” And I said, “Where are you staying?” She said, “Well, there’s this little, like, kind of a student, uh, housing–hotel– What do you call those little places? Hostels, for students.” And I said, “Ooooo, that’s not a very nice place to be.” I said, “You shouldn’t stay there. I’ll go with you and get your bags. You can stay at my apartment.” And she said “Okay!”
So we got in the car. I couldn’t believe my excitement because I knew what was going to happen. And so you’re kind of thinking, like, [sings] “Tonight’s the night! Tonight’s the night! This is really gonna happen!” So I really enjoyed the anticipation.
We got her stuff. We put it in the apartment, and sure enough, this was one of the first times I was lying in bed naked with another naked woman. And no one was around; and we could do what we wanted, and we certainly did!
[caption: How do we preserve our stories?]
So the funny part about it was she stayed for about three days and three nights. And I had a wonderful time with her. And I’ve got pictures to prove it! So I’m happy about that. And then, unfortunately, she went away, back to Chicago. But I have a good memory of that time with her.
[caption: Help us to make history mazerlesbianarchives.org/donate]
[caption: Thank you to Diane F. Germain, Julie Botnick, and Angela Brinskele]
[END OF VIDEO]
Diane F. Germain talks about coming out in San Diego and meeting a lover from Chicago at a local bar.
Interview: Diane F. Germain
Videography: Angela Brinskele
Editing: Julie Botnick
Interviewee: Diane F. Germain
Interviewer: Angela Brinskele
Transcriber: Janice C.
Transcriber: Dave P.
Formatter: Serena R.
Recording Date: Unknown
Release Date: December 31, 2018
Location: San Diego, California
Interview Length: 00:03:36