Eve Rifkin Oral History Interview
In this long series of brief video clips, Eve Rifkin discusses a broad range of topics, including the nature of her relationship, the challenges involved in starting a family with her partner, and the process she went through in establishing a school.
A lesbian living in Tucson, Rifkin is the academic director of City High School in addition to one of its founding faculty members. She first moved to Tucson in 1994 with her ex-husband for academic purposes, becoming acquainted with bartending and wait staff in town. Subsequently, she took jobs as a substitute teacher and later went on to found City High with the help of two other friends.
The sociopolitical atmosphere surrounding the wider LGBTQ presence is also discussed. Tucson is held to be a gay-friendly place in a Republican-majority state where most cities tend to be the opposite. Rifkin expressed the tensions and disparities that exist between the much more accommodating Old Pueblo and the greater state of Arizona in terms of LGBTQ legislation and governance over the decades.
Her interview speaks to the social dimensions of the local LGBTQ community, detailing the challenges facing lesbians around the country from an educator’s perspective.
More information on City High School and Eve Rifkin can be found at these websites: