Interview with Hannah, 16-17, White British, middle class. Women, Risk and Aids Project, Manchester, 1989. Anonymised version (Ref: ABC09)

This interview is part of the Women, Risk and Aids Project (1989-90) archive which was created as part of the Reanimating Data Project (2018-20).Anonymised transcript of an interview with a young gay woman (Hannah) living in Manchester who is going to take her 'A' levels. She found high school to be a patronising experience. She has recently come out as gay (she realised she was gay when she was 13), and thinks this contributes to some of her 'conflict' at school and feelings of being 'different', though does have one good friend who she has known for around ten years and 'understands' her. She also has older sisters, the eldest one is a lesbian, and she thinks they have influenced her heightened political awareness. She feels positive and supported in her relationship with her eldest sister and her family is, overall, quite open to discussion around social and intimate topics. The only Sex Education she received at school was in Religious Studies, which was very homophobic, though they did watch one show about AIDS (which served to enhance stigma and stereotypes around AIDS and homosexuality). There has been little to no opportunity for her to discuss safe sex practices within a lesbian relationship, but believes they are low-risk group.