Each spring semester since 2007, the students in the Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies at Rice University have participated in the Community Research Project.  Approximately 16 people are interviewed each year, and in the spring of 2013, we anticipate a total of 100 interviews will have been collected.  The students select the interviewees from a list of hundreds of Houstonians who have made contributions to the LGBT community and volunteered to be interviewed by the students.  The students then spend a month researching their selections, and once their background reports are completed, they conduct the interview with their chosen community members.  Students then share their work with the class at the end of the semester, and invite their interviewees to attend the presentations.

Since 2007, the students' projects have been incorporated into the History Tent at the Pride Festival in June.  In 2010, several of the students' projects were displayed as Wikipedia pages.  We anticipate that by the end of the summer of 2012, a number of the videos will be posted to Rice's YouTube channel; stay tuned to this webpage for further details and links.

The students' collective body of work stands as a testament to the vibrancy of the Houston LGBT communities, and provides a crucial witness to the enduring relevance of sexuality, gender identity, and gender expression as issues of social justice.  Over time, links to the students' work will be added to the list below.  Even if the Community Research Project continues for decades, this list will always be in some way incomplete.  It will always be missing someone you know.

The Community Research Project has been reviewed by Rice University's Institutional Review Board regulating research with Human Subjects.  Questions about the project, or suggestions for potential interviewees may be directed to the Principal Investigator, Brian Riedel.