THE LAVENDER EFFECT® Oral Histories Project

Workshop, All Ages
ONE Gallery


626 N Robertson Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069

THE LAVENDER EFFECT® presents a community workshop on documenting authentic video testimonies of queer individuals who were integral participants or witnesses to a historic LGBTQ+ event or movement. Workshop participants will learn how to document testimonies that teach current and future generations about a proud but fragile existence.

The 2.5-hour workshop will be facilitated by Founder/Director/Activist Andy Sacher and feature a presentation of excerpts from three Oral Histories Project (OHP) collections, “Pioneers of Pride,” “Young City at War: Stories from West Hollywood during the AIDS Epidemic,” and “Beyond the Binary,” alongside a preview of new OHP initiatives.

The workshop will engage participants in techniques for interviewing LGBTQ+ and allied elders, including Pre-Production, Production, and Post-Production techniques, with opportunities for small group practice and reflection. Introduction to Transcripts & Paper Edits will follow; and the session will conclude with a discussion about the importance of exhibiting content and inspiring others.

Participant Bios


Andy Sacher (Facilitator) has been visioning a better future for over 30 years. In the early 1990s he was employed at Walt Disney Imagineering as a Concept Architect and Exhibit Designer. Projects that followed included flagships for Steven Spielberg’s GameWorks franchise. Andy directed and produced websites and behind the scenes content for Jerry Bruckheimer Films, HBO, and FOX Home Video. He also produced interactive educational exhibits for California Academy of Sciences. Andy joined and mentored the LGBTQ+ activists to design, produce, install, and program Lavender LA, an award-winning pop-up exhibit on LA’s LGBTQ+ history. In 2012 he founded THE LAVENDER EFFECT®.


This program is organized by THE LAVENDER EFFECT® as part of the 2023 Circa: Queer Histories Festival, presented by One Institute. The Oral Histories Project (OHP) was inspired by the Shoah Foundation’s Visual Histories. This OHP was originally launched in 2012, thanks to support from the City of West Hollywood, Wells Fargo, and California Humanities.

  • THE LAVENDER EFFECT® is a nonprofit project of Community Partners Advancing the Future of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Allied (LGBTQ+) Heritage & Culture! Our Oral Histories, Educational Seminars, PRIDE Explorer® app and Participatory Experiences reach a global audience to share authentic stories of diverse LGBTQ+ people.