Today we’d like to introduce you to Randell (randy) Hoffman
Hi Randell (Randy), we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a California kid through and through, born and raised in the Bay Area. I attended BYU-Idaho and came down to Salt Lake City a lot during my junior and senior years, ultimately student teaching and settling here. I came out in college and had to hide a lot of who I was in order to finish my degree. Incredibly passionate about history, I threw myself into to reading and researching Utah’s LGBTQIA+ history and culture since 2018. Today, we have recognized a deep need to centralize and professionalize this history work in order to create a reliable, go-to source for this information, as well as an institution who will safeguard Utah LGBTQIA+ history and artifacts. I believe strongly that communities should have access and knowledge of their own stories – whether they be academic dissertations and studies, or folklore and oral histories – and the artifacts which originated from their communities and histories as well.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As any BIPOC or LGBTQIA+ leader in the U.S. (not even just Utah) can attest, the last decade or so has not been easy. We face an uphill battle in saving our history. Two other colleagues and I began organizing more seriously around this work last summer (2024) in creating the Mildred Berryman Institute for LGBTIQ+ Utah History. Little did we know that the president in 2025 would literally erase Queer and Trans terminologies and stories from official government websites. There is a constant reassurance as we share these stories and advocate for Queer and Trans-inclusive local histories that this work is deeply wanted and needed by Utahns.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My bachelor’s degree is in History Education and I have taught middle and high school for since 2018. The education landscape has changed dramatically over the last ten years and is becoming less sustainable for educators. While I knew I did not want to teach forever because my main passion is history and community work, I finally made the decision to not go back to teaching and find a new line of work. unfortunately, “Historian” is not a lucrative career for which companies hire. History work may be my number one passion, but may still need to remain my side job of sorts with whatever career I end up working full-time in. I find community work, empowerment, and advocacy incredibly fulfilling and hope to find work within that area.
This is also the bio I use for events and introductions:
Randy Hoffman (he/him, they/them) is an educator, historian, preservationist, and quilter committed to making history accessible and relevant to diverse communities. As an independent researcher of Utah’s LGBTIQ+ history, Randy focuses on amplifying overlooked narratives and fostering spaces where historical preservation intersects with community empowerment. They hold a bachelor’s degree in History Education from Brigham Young University–Idaho and are currently pursuing a graduate degree in Archives and Records Management at San Jose State University.
Randy’s research interests span social histories, place-making, gender and Queerness, and community-based archival work. They are deeply involved in organizing and developing the Mildred Berryman Institute of LGBTIQ+ Utah History alongside other local historians. This initiative aims to centralize, professionalize, and safeguard the state’s LGBTIQ+ history, culture, and humanities for future generations.
A passionate advocate for the preservation of tangible histories, Randy serves on the Board of Trustees for Preservation Utah, where they contribute to the organization’s advocacy efforts.
In addition to their professional and nonprofit work, Randy is currently working on several writing projects, including an analysis of Utah newspapers’ portrayal of Oscar Wilde, the evolution of Utah’s LGBTIQ+ community and political organizations, and a biographical piece on Joe Redburn (a pivotal figure in Utah’s queer history).
Through all their work, Randy strives to honor the power of storytelling, foster inclusive spaces, and build connections between the past and present that inspire community growth and belonging.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
With so many others, I have learned of the power of community and solidarity. Even within Utah’s LGBTQIA+ past it is interesting. Gay and Lesbians Utahns struggled to developed organizations of any kind of lasting power throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Most organizations only lasted a few years, were brought with in-fighting, and rarely had a competent leader to take over once the founder left. The early 2000s and 2010s did not have the same kind of presence of advocacy and community organizations and businesses like the twentieth century had. During the pandemic LGBTQIA+ Utahns learned so much about community, organizing, and advocacy that is difficult to count the number of businesses, Pride celebrations, and advocacy coalitions int he state today. We figured out once again how to make community, protect one another, and support one another. It is so beautiful to liv during this time.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rrhoffman.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/queerutahhistory/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571119995036
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randell-r-hoffman-0abb3556/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@QueerUtahHistory
