Peter Frank has lived in Hudson, New York, since 2005 and has been involved in several Hudson-area community foundations since, following a career as a stylist and prop designer.

In his interview, Peter begins by describing his experience growing up and his early interest in the arts. He recounts his years in New York City, where he moved after college in 1981, and discusses his involvement in HIV/AIDS activism during this period.

Peter talks about his life in Hudson, including the ways his own community has shifted since he first moved to Hudson in 2005. He shares his involvement in the Fair and Equal campaign and the lessons he learned from this experience in future community organizing work.

Peter also discusses his decision to start Friends of Hudson Youth, explaining the need for more youth programming in Hudson and how he addressed it. He describes several significant community collaborations, including the Oakdale Plunge and the Pride Parade, and mentions his work with the Columbia County and Hudson Out-of School Time Collaborative and Berkshire Taconic Foundation. He concludes his interview by offering advice to youth interested in community-oriented work; he speaks about the Oakdale lifeguard program and expresses gratitude to his husband.

This interview might interest those researching or wishing to learn more about LGBTQ communities in Hudson during the 2010s and 2020s, youth-focused organizations and programming in Hudson, community foundations, and AIDS activism in New York City.

This interview was recorded for the Hudson Area Library's LGBTQ+ Collection in collaboration with Outhudson and with support from The Spark of Hudson.