Monica Greene Oral History

Object number2006.001.0034

Date06/26/2006

ClassificationsOral Histories

Oral history interview subject Monica Greene

Oral history interviewer Stephen Fagin

ObjectOral history

Credit LineOral History Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza

MediumHi-8 videotape

DimensionsDuration: 27 Minutes

Terms

Collections

DescriptionVideotaped oral history interview with Monica Greene. A native of Mexico, Greene moved to Dallas in the 1970s and became a successful restraunter and local transgender activist. As a child, she briefly saw President Kennedy during a visit to Mexico City in 1962. Interview conducted at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza on June 26, 2006 by Stephen Fagin. The interview is twenty-seven minutes long.

Curatorial Commentary

In 1995, Dallas restaurateur Eduardo Greene transitioned to Monica. At a time when transsexuality was stigmatized, several years before the visibility of the trans community rose through Pride celebrations and mainstream media attention, Greene embraced her identity in public and in her restaurant advertising. She ran in a close race for Dallas City Council in 2005. As described in a 2010 profile in the LGBT newspaper, Dallas Voice: "For transgender people, Greene is an example of someone who successfully pursued her dreams both personal and in business. Her courage and candor as well as her culinary savvy have made her not just successful, but endeared her to thousands of friends and patrons."

In addition to this oral history, Monica Greene participated in a 2006 Museum public program, "Call to Action: The Gay Rights Movement in Dallas." The full program may be viewed on the Museum's YouTube channel: Call To Action: The Gay Rights Movement in Dallas - YouTube. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator