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Oral history interview with Holly Mulcahey

 Collection
Identifier: SR4147

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Holly Mulcahey was conducted by Erin Sexton on November 11, 2000. Sexton conducted the interview for the Gay and Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest as part of Professor Ann Mussey's senior capstone class on LGBTQ history at Portland State University.

In this interview, Mulcahey discusses the history of It's My Pleasure, a women's bookstore and lending library in Portland, Oregon, that was inclusive of lesbians, bisexual women, and transgender people. She discusses how the store evolved from its beginnings in 1991 to the time of the interview, in 2000. She talks about harassment she experienced at the bookstore’s first location on Hawthorne Boulevard, about working with other women’s bookstores in Portland, and about the increasingly expensive rent at It’s My Pleasure’s second location on Hawthorne. She then discusses moving to the business’s location at the time of the interview in 2000 on Northeast 64th Avenue and Sandy Boulevard. She talks about running the store, including holding events and collaborations with other businesses. She also briefly discusses her life and career before opening the bookstore, as well as her involvement in the women’s spiritual community. She speaks about her identity as a lesbian and her relationship with the broader LGBTQ community. She shares her hopes for the future of It’s My Pleasure and for the LGBTQ community. She closes the interview by talking about some of the sex toys sold at the bookstore.

Dates

  • 2000 November 11

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/.

Biographical note

Holly Mulcahey was born in Illinois in 1943. She earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from the University of Illinois. After graduating in 1968, she taught school in Los Angeles, California. She came to Portland, Oregon, in 1978, and in 1991, she opened It's My Pleasure, a women's bookstore and lending library.

Extent

.1 Cubic Feet (1 audiocassette (52 min., 44 sec.) + transcript (21 pages))

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Oral history interview with Holly Mulcahey conducted by Erin Sexton on November 11, 2000, for the Gay and Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest (GLAPN). In the interview, Mulcahey discusses the history of It's My Pleasure, a women's bookstore and lending library in Portland, Oregon, that was inclusive of lesbians, bisexual women, and transgender people.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Pat Young, May 2002 (Lib. Acc. 24728).

General

Forms part of the Gay and Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest (GLAPN).

Creator

Title
Guide to the oral history interview with Holly Mulcahey
Status
Completed
Author
Sarah Stroman
Date
2021
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library Repository

Contact:
1200 SW Park Ave.
Portland OR 97205 United States
5033065204
5033065240