Oral history interview with Tony Kushner, 2017

Biographical Note

Tony Kushner is a Columbia alumnus and a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright. He is active within the New York Civil Liberties Union and an advocate for LGBTQ rights

Scope and Contents

Tony Kushner begins his interview by talking about his childhood in Lake Charles, Louisiana and how, from a very young age, he always knew that he was attracted to men. Kushner discusses his attempts to become straight through therapy sessions, and how his denial about his sexuality impacted his time at Columbia University. Kushner analyzes how his experience going to a racially integrated school in Louisiana impacted his views on campus race relations, compared with Northern classmates who had not attended integrated high schools. He also discusses how attending Columbia introduced him to the theater scene in New York City. Kushner describes in depth his experiences being gay and a playwright and addresses his play "Caroline, or Change." He then analyzes the 2017 political situation and what it means for the gay community. Kushner concludes his interview by discussing what it means to him to be an artist and what responsibility he believes artists have to the general public

Subjects

• Columbia University--Alumni and alumnae--Interviews.
• Dramatists--Interviews.
• Gay college students.
• Gay community--United States.
• Howard, Jean E. (Jean Elizabeth), 1948- interviewer.--http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/ivr
• Interviews.
• Kushner, Tony--Interviews.
• Oral histories (literary works)
• Theater--New York (State)--New York.

Access Conditions

Copyright by the Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, 2017