Val Little

The recording features an interview with Val Little by Jac Lynch, covering Val's life and involvement in the lesbian and queer communities, education, and performance arts during the 2010s. This summary encapsulates the main points of their conversation.

Val Little shares their upbringing in New Plymouth, their experience attending mixed and single-sex schools, and the influence of having a teacher parent. Despite a relatively normal school life, filled with sports and plays, a move to university in Auckland sparked a significant change. While initially half-jokingly acknowledging a focus on social activities like drinking, Val reveals an appreciation for the broader perspectives gained from studying humanities, despite an aversion to English literature.

The topic transitions to Val's discovery of their sexual identity - having originally refuted friends' suggestions about being a lesbian, it was not until moving to Wellington and leaving a challenging relationship that Val began to explore this aspect of their life. This exploration was catalyzed by interactions with the lesbian community, notably at the National Library, and pivotal experiences such as attending a women’s dance that felt like home.

During the 1990s, Val was actively involved in the queer scene in Wellington. They mention creating a lesbian recreation festival and engaging in debates about extreme feminist views, separatism, and the importance of lesbian visibility - a topic that still brings mixed feelings given modern dynamic changes.

Val talks about their induction into the queer performance scene, discussing the allure of drag and the Topp Twins, a pioneering icon for them. They also led the creation of a Wellington-based Drag Kings troupe, embracing the art of performance and its challenges to gender norms.

Their role as a DJ, intertwined with an unfortunate shooting incident during their first gig, culminates in the moniker DJ Bullitt, a play on their astrological sign and surname. While the story showcases both humor and resilience, it also reflects Val's passion for music and performance.

Val also discusses their meaningful experiences with wildlife preservation and their trip to Thailand, volunteering at elephant sanctaries. This shifted their focus toward the ethical treatment of animals and raised questions about the impact of poverty on animal exploitation.

Lastly, Val explains their involvement in the Butch on Butch photo exhibition. They contemplate the complexity of gender identity, the fluidity of masculine and feminine qualities, and the ways in which the project challenged their own perceptions.

Overall, the recording provides insight into the life of Val Little, their contributions to LGBTQ+ visibility, performance art, and community discourse, all woven into the narrative of personal growth, social change, and self-exploration. The interview also touches on themes of belonging, sexuality, identity, defiance of gender norms, and community engagement, which remain relevant to contemporary queer discourse.

This summary is created using Generative AI. Although it is based on the recording's transcription, it may contain errors or omissions. Click here to learn more about how this summary was created.

Val Little

2010s, accomodation, alcohol, androgynous, animals, aotearoa new zealand, arts, auckland, australia, billy idol, binary, blue note bar, butch, butch on butch (exhibition/series), cathy sheat, confidence, dance, diva (magazine), doods (dykes out of debt), drag, drag kings, elephants, eminem, family, feminism, femme, glenda gale, hockey, identity, internet, jac lynch, jenny morgan, jools topp, kapiti coast district, lesbian, library, lynda topp, lyttelton, masculinity, melbourne, modeling, monogamy, music, national library of new zealand, new age, new plymouth, parody, paul simon, performance, persona, politics, pound nightclub, poverty, recreation festival (wellington), relationships, san francisco, school, self defence, separatism, shooting, single sex schools, sociology, teaching, thailand, the drag kings (wellington), tomboy, topp twins, transcript online, university, university of auckland, val little, visibility, volleyball, wellington, wildlife sanctuary, women's dance

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