Three Questions for Oliver Slate-Greene

One of the newest members of the GLBT Historical Society’s board of directors is Oliver Slate-Greene, a surfer, poet and queer-history enthusiast. As we welcome him onto the board, we presented him with a couple of questions to learn more about why he decided to join—and what aspects of LGBTQ history inspire him.

Why is working on the society’s board meaningful for you?

OSG: I am not known for my brevity, and the simplicity of this answer is surprising to me, but... it’s because images and history matter. They help us locate ourselves in time and space. And as we eke out a more equitable future—it’s going to become an increasingly sacred act to protect against revisionism, and to honor all those who came before and made all this possible.

Which topics in queer history are you eager to learn more about in the archives?

OSG: I’m a lover of all things femme, so I’m eager to learn more about the lives lived, and figures who channel that femme vibe/lifestyle. I want to learn more about the lived experiences of my BIPOC trans siblings. Also, I want to see pretty colors, interesting shapes, read sexy words... There’s a funny thing that happens naturally living outside of the rote straight/cis script - the world comes to life differently, senses get heightened. Both out of pleasure (yay), and for safety reasons (boo). This sensorial-steeped way of being pours out of queer folks and onto pages, into zines, on canvases, or photo paper, and it’s really quite captivating if you know where to look.

What figure in LGBTQ history inspires you? 

OSG: That would be Lou Sullivan, who said, “I wanna look like what I am but don’t know what someone like me looks like. I mean, when people look at me I want them to think—there’s one of those people that reasons, that is a philosopher, that has their own interpretation of happiness. That’s what I am.”

Oliver Slate-Greene is a member of the GLBT Historical Society’s board
of directors and serves as the head of growth for a venture studio in the
Bay Area.