Madison, Wisconsin: University Archives and Records Management Services
Summary
These are oral history interviews conducted by Chloe Foor with Ken Scott. In his first oral history interview, Ken talks about growing up in a small town and in a Catholic family. He went to UW-Madison for college where he studied journalism and was part of the marching band. He talks about struggling to understand his sexuality, and he even dated a few women and considered becoming a priest. Around this time, he was recommended by the woman chaplain at St. Paul’s University Catholic Center to attend Integrity/Dignity, a group for LGBTQ+ Christians. It is also around this time that the AIDS crisis began. He talks a lot about the outreach and activism that Integrity/Dignity did during the AIDS crisis, eventually helping local parishes do the same for their own members. In his second interview, Ken begins with where he left off during the AIDS crisis. He talks about a personal relationship he had with someone who had AIDS and who eventually died because of it. Afterwards, Ken spent some time in Poland, which was just behind Madison in the wave of AIDS. Just before he left for Poland, he met his now-husband Brian at a Ten Percent Society dance at Memorial Union. Brian visited him in Poland for a few months, and when Ken returned to America, they moved in together. Soon after that, they had a Holy Union Ceremony, then became domestic partners, and finally married. Ken also talks about coming out experiences to his parents, extended family, and friends. He wraps up the interview talking about how his relationship with the Catholic Church and religion in general has changed through the years.