Food History

Both of my capstone projects during college were in food history. In March 2025, I presented a modified version of my major capstone titled "A Comparative History of Casseroles and Hot Dishes in American Foodways, 1912–1952" at Posters at St. Paul (the Minnesota state university system student research conference), held at the state capital building:

On May 1, 2026, I will present at the Queer Food Culture conference at McGill University (Montréal, Quebec) on the history of District 31 Victoria's, a queer fine dining restaurant that operated on the rural border of Minnesota and North Dakota from the early 1980s to the 2000s.

Queer, Trans, and Intersex Histories

I've been part of three projects that focus on queer, trans, and intersex histories: Transgender Ancestors, the Greater Minnesota Two-Spirit & LGBTQIA+ History Map, and the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project. I describe them in detail under the headings below.

Outside of these projects, I've also created and occasionally update two reference maps (hosted on Google My Maps): Map of Queer History Map Projects and the map City Ordinances Criminalizing People in "a Dress" or "Disguise" "Not Belonging to" or "Becoming of" "His or Her Sex," 1848–1986.

I've also presented on queer history. In September 2025, I gave a brief summary of Minnesota's queer history along with Leila Stallone at the event "Queer Northfield, Then and Now" (later reviewed by local press)," hosted at Northfield Public Library (Minnesota). In May 2026, I will present at the Queer Food Culture conference at McGill University (Montréal, Quebec) on the history of District 31 Victoria's, a fine dining restaurant and community space on the rural border of Minnesota and North Dakota.

At Northfield Public Library (Northfield, Minnesota), September 2025

Transgender Ancestors

The wiki Transgender Ancestors is a research and writing guide for genealogists hosted on Wikitree I created in 2022. It also serves as a list of life narratives of historic trans people accessible to the public.

Over the years, I've received many thanks for what I research and share. Many people have emailed me about my project Transgender Ancestors, and I find it meaningful that people get joy from the life stories of trans and gender nonconforming people of the past. Many people have shared their own stories with me, and I treasure that.

I've also been officially recognized for my work; in August 2024, the Dane County Board of Supervisors co-awarded the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project (see the last heading on this page) and myself a Certificate of Recognition. I was recognized for my work preserving the queer history of Wisconsin, especially the trans history of the state through Transgender Ancestors.

I'm honored that I've been part of reviving and preserving the trans histories of everyday people for future generations.

Certificate of Recognition from the Dane County Board of Supervisors (Madison, Wisconsin)

Greater Minnesota Two-Spirit & LGBTQIA+ History Map

I was an intern on the map project at the Minnesota Historical Society from September 2024 to August 2025. I helped research, copywrite, and design the Greater Minnesota Two-Spirit & LGBTQIA+ History Map in ArcGIS StoryMaps, which officially launched May 2025 and continues to update.

I presented on this project three times with the team, highlighting stories from the map and research methods. The first presentation was at Winona State University in Winona in March 2025, and was co-hosted by the Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies Department there. The second ("LGBTQIA+/Queer History in the Local Museum" on the MALHM conference schedule) was at the Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums (MALHM) Annual Meeting in White Bear Lake on April 24, 2025. The third ("Historical InQUEERies" on video) was at the Goodhue County History Center in Red Wing on June 13, 2025.

Leila Stallone and Luis Valderrama (two co-creators of the map) and I wrote the "EyeWitness" feature "Rising Moon: Lesbians Living off the Land in Central Minnesota" for the fall 2025 issue of Minnesota History.

In June 2026, I will join the team in presenting on the map at the LGBTQ+ History Association's biannual Queer/Trans History Conference, held in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

At the Goodhue County History Center (Red Wing, Minnesota), June 2025

Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project

From November 2023 to January 2026, I was a Community Advisor for the Milwaukee-based nonprofit Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project. During my time, I represented the project at pride festivals in Duluth, Minnesota, and Eau Claire, Wisconsin. I also wrote two blog posts on 19th century trans men: my first post "Edgar Burnham: A Transformation of Sex in Civil War-Era Wisconsin" and my second post "Francis Dubois/Frances Outcault: A Queer Second Chance at Life."

As discussed in the "Transgender Ancestors" section of this page, in August 2024, while I was Community Advisor, the Dane County Board of Supervisors awarded the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project a Certificate of Recognition as well as me, mentioning myself and my project on trans family history by name.

Midwestern Histories

Nearly all of my work in food and queer history focuses on the Midwest, especially the Upper Midwest—Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

Outside of queer and food histories: in March 2024, I launched the digital archive North Star Speedway for a set of race tracks and drag strips on the same land/operating under the same name that existed in Mounds View and Blaine, Minnesota, from 1950 to 1979, using Omeka.net.