Accordingly, Boulay’s PhD dissertation will use oral history interviewing to document the histories of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and Two-Spirit peoples living rurally in British Columbia from 1965 to the present. Her research examines the ways in which participation in or identification with post-war social movement activism – such as women’s liberation, anti-war activism, anti-colonial and anti-racist activism, and the back-to-the-land movement – shaped the possibilities of what she calls “queer ruralities.”
Of these histories, Boulay says the “most fascinating and important to document” are those that have so often been excluded from traditional canons due to systemic forms of oppression such as racism, sexism, settler colonialism and queer/transphobia: “When people share their stories with me, it is a profound act of trust and I see that as a huge responsibility. Sitting down to interview activists, listening to their life stories, and ensuring that the recordings end up in places where they will never be lost – I find these facets of my work the most rewarding.”