LGBT Family Story | Diary from the Civil War: 4 Generations of Queer Pride in Nashville
Ghoulie
[{'start': '0.240', 'end': '3.919', 'text': "Hey y'all. I'm Gully and I've got a"}, {'start': '2.480', 'end': '7.440', 'text': "story that'll take you on a journey"}, {'start': '3.919', 'end': '10.080', 'text': 'through time. Imagine a dusty diary'}, {'start': '7.440', 'end': '12.320', 'text': 'hidden since the Civil War found in a'}, {'start': '10.080', 'end': '14.400', 'text': 'Nashville attic. That little book'}, {'start': '12.320', 'end': '16.960', 'text': 'brought four generations of the Thompson'}, {'start': '14.400', 'end': '19.520', 'text': 'family together, revealing secrets,'}, {'start': '16.960', 'end': '22.119', 'text': 'healing wounds, and shining a light on'}, {'start': '19.520', 'end': '24.880', 'text': 'their pride. This is Nashville,'}, {'start': '22.119', 'end': '27.599', 'text': 'Tennessee, where a great great grandma,'}, {'start': '24.880', 'end': '30.679', 'text': 'a grandma, a mom, and a queer teen'}, {'start': '27.599', 'end': '33.120', 'text': "uncover their family's truth. Grab some"}, {'start': '30.679', 'end': '35.040', 'text': 'tissues. Smash that like button and'}, {'start': '33.120', 'end': '37.360', 'text': "stick with me. This one's going to hit"}, {'start': '35.040', 'end': '40.160', 'text': 'you in the fields and keep you hooked'}, {'start': '37.360', 'end': '42.920', 'text': "till the very last page. Let's start"}, {'start': '40.160', 'end': '46.399', 'text': 'with Evelyn Thompson. In'}, {'start': '42.920', 'end': '48.559', 'text': '2023, she was 94, a great great'}, {'start': '46.399', 'end': '50.879', 'text': 'grandmother living in a cozy Nashville'}, {'start': '48.559', 'end': '53.840', 'text': "home. the kind of lady who'd share"}, {'start': '50.879', 'end': '56.640', 'text': 'stories of the old days over sweet tea.'}, {'start': '53.840', 'end': '59.120', 'text': "Everyone knew her as a family's rock."}, {'start': '56.640', 'end': '61.800', 'text': 'But Evelyn carried a secret that went'}, {'start': '59.120', 'end': '64.479', 'text': 'back to her childhood. Back in'}, {'start': '61.800', 'end': '67.439', 'text': '1935, Nashville was full of big band'}, {'start': '64.479', 'end': '70.080', 'text': 'music and church picnics. Evelyn was'}, {'start': '67.439', 'end': '73.280', 'text': 'six, living on a small farm with her'}, {'start': '70.080', 'end': '75.119', 'text': 'grandmother, Ruth. Ruth was a seamstress'}, {'start': '73.280', 'end': '78.720', 'text': "who'd lived to the tail end of the Civil"}, {'start': '75.119', 'end': '81.200', 'text': 'War. Born in 1850 to a family of free'}, {'start': '78.720', 'end': '84.080', 'text': 'black folks, Ruth often spoke of a'}, {'start': '81.200', 'end': '86.159', 'text': 'diaries she kept during the war, a book'}, {'start': '84.080', 'end': '89.439', 'text': 'filled with stories of survival and'}, {'start': '86.159', 'end': '92.000', 'text': "love. But she'd always stopped short,"}, {'start': '89.439', 'end': '94.320', 'text': 'her eyes distant, saying some things'}, {'start': '92.000', 'end': '96.400', 'text': 'were too heavy to share. Evelyn'}, {'start': '94.320', 'end': '99.439', 'text': 'remembered Ruth humming a strange tune'}, {'start': '96.400', 'end': '102.400', 'text': 'while sewing a melody that felt like a'}, {'start': '99.439', 'end': '105.439', 'text': 'secret code. Ruth passed when Evelyn was'}, {'start': '102.400', 'end': '107.560', 'text': '10, and the diary was never found. But'}, {'start': '105.439', 'end': '111.200', 'text': "Evelyn never forgot her grandmother's"}, {'start': '107.560', 'end': '114.320', 'text': "words. There's love in our roots. Child,"}, {'start': '111.200', 'end': '117.680', 'text': "even if it's buried deep. As Evelyn grew"}, {'start': '114.320', 'end': '120.079', 'text': 'up, she felt drawn to women, a feeling'}, {'start': '117.680', 'end': '122.000', 'text': "she couldn't name in the 40s. She'd"}, {'start': '120.079', 'end': '124.799', 'text': 'sneak glances at her friend Dorothy'}, {'start': '122.000', 'end': '127.840', 'text': 'during church, their hands brushing in'}, {'start': '124.799', 'end': '130.479', 'text': "the pews. But Nashville back then wasn't"}, {'start': '127.840', 'end': '133.360', 'text': 'a place for two women to love openly.'}, {'start': '130.479', 'end': '136.120', 'text': 'Evelyn married a man, raised a family,'}, {'start': '133.360', 'end': '139.840', 'text': "and buried her truth, just like Roose's"}, {'start': '136.120', 'end': '142.200', 'text': 'diary. In 2023, Evelyn was sorting'}, {'start': '139.840', 'end': '144.920', 'text': 'through her attic, looking for old'}, {'start': '142.200', 'end': '148.239', 'text': 'photos, when she found a box of Roose'}, {'start': '144.920', 'end': '151.520', 'text': 'things. Inside was a letter, yellow with'}, {'start': '148.239', 'end': '153.840', 'text': "age, written in Ruth's shaky hand. It"}, {'start': '151.520', 'end': '156.080', 'text': 'said, "My diary holds our family\'s'}, {'start': '153.840', 'end': '158.879', 'text': 'heart, hidden where the oak meets the'}, {'start': '156.080', 'end': '162.160', 'text': "river. Evelyn's hands trembled as she"}, {'start': '158.879', 'end': '164.560', 'text': 'read it. She knew that oak, a massive'}, {'start': '162.160', 'end': '168.560', 'text': 'tree by the Cumberland River where Ruth'}, {'start': '164.560', 'end': '170.800', 'text': 'used to take her fishing. At 94, Evelyn'}, {'start': '168.560', 'end': '173.120', 'text': "couldn't make the trip herself, but she"}, {'start': '170.800', 'end': '175.280', 'text': 'called her daughter Margaret and told'}, {'start': '173.120', 'end': '178.239', 'text': 'her about the letter. "We need to find'}, {'start': '175.280', 'end': '181.040', 'text': 'that diary," she said. "It\'s time to dig'}, {'start': '178.239', 'end': '184.680', 'text': 'up our roots." Now, let\'s talk about'}, {'start': '181.040', 'end': '188.400', 'text': "Margaret Thompson, Evelyn's daughter. In"}, {'start': '184.680', 'end': '191.360', 'text': '2023, Margaret was 70, a retired nurse'}, {'start': '188.400', 'end': '193.920', 'text': 'living in East Nashville, known for her'}, {'start': '191.360', 'end': '196.319', 'text': 'sharp wit and love of gardening. But'}, {'start': '193.920', 'end': '199.280', 'text': "Margaret carried a pain she'd buried"}, {'start': '196.319', 'end': '201.280', 'text': 'since her youth. Back in the 60s,'}, {'start': '199.280', 'end': '204.319', 'text': 'Nashville was buzzing with civil rights'}, {'start': '201.280', 'end': '207.120', 'text': 'marches and rock and roll. Margaret was'}, {'start': '204.319', 'end': '210.560', 'text': '14, a quiet girl who loved writing'}, {'start': '207.120', 'end': '213.120', 'text': "poetry. She'd spend hours at the library"}, {'start': '210.560', 'end': '215.920', 'text': 'where she met Anna, a girl with a laugh'}, {'start': '213.120', 'end': '218.319', 'text': "that made Margaret's heart race. They'd"}, {'start': '215.920', 'end': '220.080', 'text': 'write poems together. There were words'}, {'start': '218.319', 'end': '223.920', 'text': "full of dreams they couldn't speak out"}, {'start': '220.080', 'end': '226.640', 'text': "loud. But this was the ' 60s, y'all. Two"}, {'start': '223.920', 'end': '228.959', 'text': 'girls holding hands in Tennessee. That'}, {'start': '226.640', 'end': '231.560', 'text': "was a risk Margaret wasn't ready to"}, {'start': '228.959', 'end': '236.239', 'text': 'take. When Anna asked her to run away to'}, {'start': '231.560', 'end': '238.879', 'text': 'Chicago, Margaret froze. She said no and'}, {'start': '236.239', 'end': '240.879', 'text': 'Anna left, leaving Margaret with a'}, {'start': '238.879', 'end': '243.519', 'text': 'broken heart and a notebook full of'}, {'start': '240.879', 'end': '246.560', 'text': 'poems she never shared. Margaret'}, {'start': '243.519', 'end': '249.439', 'text': 'married, had Clara and tried to forget,'}, {'start': '246.560', 'end': '252.000', 'text': 'but those poems stayed in her drawer, a'}, {'start': '249.439', 'end': '254.640', 'text': 'reminder of the love she let slip away.'}, {'start': '252.000', 'end': '256.799', 'text': 'When Evelyn called about the diary,'}, {'start': '254.640', 'end': '259.440', 'text': 'Margaret was hesitant. Digging up the'}, {'start': '256.799', 'end': '263.120', 'text': 'past felt dangerous, like opening a'}, {'start': '259.440', 'end': '265.680', 'text': 'wound. But Evelyn insisted, saying, "Our'}, {'start': '263.120', 'end': '267.919', 'text': 'family story needs to be told." So'}, {'start': '265.680', 'end': '270.560', 'text': 'Margaret agreed, and they drove to'}, {'start': '267.919', 'end': '273.680', 'text': 'Cumberland River, where that old oak'}, {'start': '270.560', 'end': '276.000', 'text': 'still stood. They searched for hours,'}, {'start': '273.680', 'end': '279.199', 'text': 'digging around the roots, until Margaret'}, {'start': '276.000', 'end': '281.759', 'text': 'found a rusty tin box, buried deep.'}, {'start': '279.199', 'end': '284.080', 'text': "Inside was Ruth's diary, its pages"}, {'start': '281.759', 'end': '286.479', 'text': 'brittle, but readable. As Margaret'}, {'start': '284.080', 'end': '289.040', 'text': 'flipped through it, she found a passage'}, {'start': '286.479', 'end': '291.280', 'text': 'that stopped her cold. Ruth had written'}, {'start': '289.040', 'end': '294.800', 'text': 'about loving a woman named Eliza during'}, {'start': '291.280', 'end': '297.759', 'text': 'the war. A love they hid to survive.'}, {'start': '294.800', 'end': '299.840', 'text': "Margaret's eyes filled with tears. Her"}, {'start': '297.759', 'end': '302.880', 'text': 'great great grandmother had love like'}, {'start': '299.840', 'end': '305.600', 'text': "she did. And suddenly Margaret didn't"}, {'start': '302.880', 'end': '309.039', 'text': 'feel so alone. She called her daughter'}, {'start': '305.600', 'end': '311.199', 'text': 'Clara and said, "You need to see this."'}, {'start': '309.039', 'end': '314.000', 'text': "Our family's got more love in it than I"}, {'start': '311.199', 'end': '318.120', 'text': 'ever knew. Next up is Clara Thompson,'}, {'start': '314.000', 'end': '321.600', 'text': "Margaret's daughter. In 2023, Clara was"}, {'start': '318.120', 'end': '323.360', 'text': '45, a history teacher in Nashville, the'}, {'start': '321.600', 'end': '326.240', 'text': "kind of mom who'd spent hours"}, {'start': '323.360', 'end': '329.120', 'text': 'researching for her classes. But Clara'}, {'start': '326.240', 'end': '332.400', 'text': 'had her own questions about who she was.'}, {'start': '329.120', 'end': '335.600', 'text': "Back in the '9s, Nashville was all about"}, {'start': '332.400', 'end': '339.120', 'text': 'country music and big dreams. Clara was'}, {'start': '335.600', 'end': '341.120', 'text': '15, a shy girl who loved history books.'}, {'start': '339.120', 'end': '343.400', 'text': 'She had crushes on girls since middle'}, {'start': '341.120', 'end': '345.919', 'text': "school, but she'd push those feelings"}, {'start': '343.400', 'end': '348.240', 'text': 'down, scared of what her family might'}, {'start': '345.919', 'end': '350.720', 'text': "think. She'd see couples at school"}, {'start': '348.240', 'end': '353.759', 'text': "dances and wonder why she couldn't be"}, {'start': '350.720', 'end': '356.720', 'text': 'like them. Clara married young, had Leo'}, {'start': '353.759', 'end': '358.880', 'text': 'and focus on her career, but deep down'}, {'start': '356.720', 'end': '361.680', 'text': 'she felt like she was hiding. When'}, {'start': '358.880', 'end': '364.240', 'text': "Margaret showed her Ruth's diary, Clara"}, {'start': '361.680', 'end': '367.360', 'text': 'was floored. The diary told stories of'}, {'start': '364.240', 'end': '369.120', 'text': "Ruth and Eliza, two women who'd found"}, {'start': '367.360', 'end': '371.080', 'text': 'each other in the chaos of the Civil'}, {'start': '369.120', 'end': '373.919', 'text': "War. They'd met in"}, {'start': '371.080', 'end': '376.400', 'text': '1864, working as seamstresses for Union'}, {'start': '373.919', 'end': '378.400', 'text': 'soldiers, and her love had been a quiet'}, {'start': '376.400', 'end': '380.800', 'text': "rebellion against a world that didn't"}, {'start': '378.400', 'end': '383.680', 'text': 'accept them. Ruth wrote about sewing'}, {'start': '380.800', 'end': '386.560', 'text': 'secret messages into clothes. Notes of'}, {'start': '383.680', 'end': '389.520', 'text': 'love that only Eliza could read. Clara'}, {'start': '386.560', 'end': '392.400', 'text': 'read those pages over and over, feeling'}, {'start': '389.520', 'end': '395.840', 'text': 'a connection across time. She knew she'}, {'start': '392.400', 'end': '398.319', 'text': 'was queer and at 45 she was ready to'}, {'start': '395.840', 'end': '401.520', 'text': 'live that truth. But the diary ended'}, {'start': '398.319', 'end': '403.919', 'text': 'abruptly with a note saying, "Our story'}, {'start': '401.520', 'end': '406.160', 'text': 'continues in a locket." Clara remember'}, {'start': '403.919', 'end': '409.520', 'text': 'her grandmother Evelyn talking about a'}, {'start': '406.160', 'end': '412.000', 'text': 'family locket lost years ago. She'}, {'start': '409.520', 'end': '414.800', 'text': "decided to find it. To finish ROF's"}, {'start': '412.000', 'end': '417.479', 'text': 'story, Clara spent weeks searching,'}, {'start': '414.800', 'end': '419.919', 'text': 'visiting antique shops, talking to'}, {'start': '417.479', 'end': '423.280', 'text': 'historians, even tracking down old'}, {'start': '419.919', 'end': '426.240', 'text': 'family friends. Finally, she found a'}, {'start': '423.280', 'end': '429.440', 'text': 'locket in a small shop on Second Avenue.'}, {'start': '426.240', 'end': '432.160', 'text': "It's silver tarnished but intact. Inside"}, {'start': '429.440', 'end': '434.560', 'text': 'was a tiny note from Eliza to roof'}, {'start': '432.160', 'end': '437.199', 'text': 'saying, "Our love will echo through'}, {'start': '434.560', 'end': '440.560', 'text': 'generations." Clara took the locket to'}, {'start': '437.199', 'end': '443.759', 'text': 'her son, Leo, and said, "This is who we'}, {'start': '440.560', 'end': '446.639', 'text': "are, kiddo. We come from love, and it's"}, {'start': '443.759', 'end': '451.280', 'text': 'time we honor it." All right, y\'all.'}, {'start': '446.639', 'end': '454.840', 'text': "Meet Leo Thompson, Clara's son. In 2023,"}, {'start': '451.280', 'end': '457.280', 'text': 'Leo was 18, a freshman at Vanderbilt'}, {'start': '454.840', 'end': '459.840', 'text': 'University. Leo was a history buff like'}, {'start': '457.280', 'end': '463.039', 'text': "his mom. But school hadn't always been"}, {'start': '459.840', 'end': '465.160', 'text': 'easy. Kids had teased him for years,'}, {'start': '463.039', 'end': '468.880', 'text': 'calling him names because of his rainbow'}, {'start': '465.160', 'end': '470.880', 'text': 'pins. Leo stood tall, though, inspired'}, {'start': '468.880', 'end': '473.360', 'text': 'by the stories his mom told about their'}, {'start': '470.880', 'end': '476.319', 'text': 'family strength. When Clara showed him'}, {'start': '473.360', 'end': '478.680', 'text': 'the diary in the locket, Leo felt a fire'}, {'start': '476.319', 'end': '481.919', 'text': 'light up inside him. Here were his'}, {'start': '478.680', 'end': '483.599', 'text': 'ancestors, Ruth and Eliza, loving each'}, {'start': '481.919', 'end': '486.240', 'text': 'other in a time when it could have cost'}, {'start': '483.599', 'end': '489.280', 'text': 'him everything. Leo read about their'}, {'start': '486.240', 'end': '491.039', 'text': 'secret messages, their stolen moments,'}, {'start': '489.280', 'end': '494.080', 'text': 'and he knew he had to do something to'}, {'start': '491.039', 'end': '496.240', 'text': "honor them. Leo had an idea. He'd been"}, {'start': '494.080', 'end': '498.720', 'text': 'working on a history project at school,'}, {'start': '496.240', 'end': '501.039', 'text': "and he decided to turn Ruth and Eliza's"}, {'start': '498.720', 'end': '503.759', 'text': 'story into a presentation for'}, {'start': '501.039', 'end': '506.080', 'text': "Nashville's annual history festival. He"}, {'start': '503.759', 'end': '508.319', 'text': 'spent weeks putting it together, using'}, {'start': '506.080', 'end': '511.280', 'text': 'the diary, the locket in stories from'}, {'start': '508.319', 'end': '513.760', 'text': 'Evelyn, Margaret, and Clara. He called'}, {'start': '511.280', 'end': '516.760', 'text': 'it Roots of Pride, a tribute to his'}, {'start': '513.760', 'end': '520.000', 'text': "family's queer history. In December"}, {'start': '516.760', 'end': '522.560', 'text': '2023, Leo presented the festival with'}, {'start': '520.000', 'end': '526.160', 'text': '500 folks gathered in a downtown'}, {'start': '522.560', 'end': '528.080', 'text': 'Nashville auditorium. He stood on stage'}, {'start': '526.160', 'end': '530.560', 'text': 'holding the diary and told the story of'}, {'start': '528.080', 'end': '533.200', 'text': "Ruth and Eliza of Evelyn's hidden"}, {'start': '530.560', 'end': '535.920', 'text': "feelings, Margaret's lost love, and"}, {'start': '533.200', 'end': '538.920', 'text': "Clara's courage. He share how their love"}, {'start': '535.920', 'end': '542.240', 'text': 'had shaped him. a queer kid in'}, {'start': '538.920', 'end': '545.120', 'text': '2023. Proud to carry their legacy. The'}, {'start': '542.240', 'end': '547.839', 'text': 'crowd gave him a standing ovation. Tears'}, {'start': '545.120', 'end': '550.000', 'text': 'in their eyes. Evelyn, Margaret, and'}, {'start': '547.839', 'end': '552.959', 'text': 'Clara were in the front row holding'}, {'start': '550.000', 'end': '555.360', 'text': 'hands, their pride shining brighter than'}, {'start': '552.959', 'end': '558.800', 'text': "ever. That presentation didn't just"}, {'start': '555.360', 'end': '560.640', 'text': 'honor the past, it changed the future.'}, {'start': '558.800', 'end': '563.279', 'text': 'Local schools started teaching about'}, {'start': '560.640', 'end': '565.680', 'text': 'queer history, and the festival added a'}, {'start': '563.279', 'end': '567.040', 'text': 'Roots of Pride exhibit visited by'}, {'start': '565.680', 'end': '569.440', 'text': 'thousands.'}, {'start': '567.040', 'end': '572.320', 'text': "Leo's project showed Nashville that love"}, {'start': '569.440', 'end': '575.680', 'text': 'runs deep through every generation, no'}, {'start': '572.320', 'end': '578.240', 'text': "matter the time. So, what's the big"}, {'start': '575.680', 'end': '581.440', 'text': 'takeaway from the Thompson family? Roots'}, {'start': '578.240', 'end': '583.959', 'text': "hold us together, y'all. From Ruth in"}, {'start': '581.440', 'end': '586.640', 'text': 'the 1860s to Leo in'}, {'start': '583.959', 'end': '589.279', 'text': '2023. Love has been a thread that ties'}, {'start': '586.640', 'end': '592.160', 'text': 'this family across four generations.'}, {'start': '589.279', 'end': '595.920', 'text': "Evelyn's memories at 94, Margaret's"}, {'start': '592.160', 'end': '598.640', 'text': "courage at 70, Clara's truth at 45, and"}, {'start': '595.920', 'end': '600.640', 'text': "Leo's pride at 18. They show that our"}, {'start': '598.640', 'end': '603.279', 'text': 'past shapes who we are and who we can'}, {'start': '600.640', 'end': '607.120', 'text': 'be. One family story can light up a'}, {'start': '603.279', 'end': '609.519', 'text': "city, a heart, a whole dang world. I'm"}, {'start': '607.120', 'end': '611.440', 'text': "throwing it to y'all. What's one piece"}, {'start': '609.519', 'end': '614.959', 'text': "of your family's history that makes you"}, {'start': '611.440', 'end': '617.360', 'text': 'proud? Drop it in the comments. It might'}, {'start': '614.959', 'end': '620.320', 'text': "just spark something beautiful. That's"}, {'start': '617.360', 'end': '622.640', 'text': "the Thompson family story, y'all. A"}, {'start': '620.320', 'end': '625.519', 'text': 'journey that turned Nashville into a'}, {'start': '622.640', 'end': '628.079', 'text': 'celebration of pride through time. If it'}, {'start': '625.519', 'end': '630.800', 'text': 'hit you in the fields, smash that like'}, {'start': '628.079', 'end': '633.600', 'text': 'button, subscribe, and ring the bell for'}, {'start': '630.800', 'end': '636.720', 'text': 'more Gully Pride stories. Tell me your'}, {'start': '633.600', 'end': '638.880', 'text': "family story in the comments. I'm Gully,"}, {'start': '636.720', 'end': '642.959', 'text': "and I'll catch youall next time. Keep"}, {'start': '638.880', 'end': '642.959', 'text': 'digging. Keep loving.'}]