LESBIAN ACTIVISM CHANGING the WORLD S G E N a I

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WORKSHOP SCHEDULE & Description THURSDAY; 11am-12:30pm LESBIAN ACTIVISM GETS PERSONAL • Broadway Room As activists we sometimes forget that “the personal is political” and think we have to suffer our “personal problems” alone. In this workshop we’ll re-define the personal struggles we face as Old Lesbians as political problems needing activist solutions. Jane Arlene Herman (1948, Jewish) is a disability activist and a radical therapist for political activists and community organizers. She shares her Jewish, feminist, dyke, fat-friendly home in Northern California with her wife and their butch, roller-derby star niece. PASSIONATE PURSUITS PATHWAYS • Ballroom G The film “Passionate Pursuits of Angela Bowen” which depicts Bowen’s life with rare historic footage, photographs and interviews will be screened. Bowen’s candid and compelling stories allow us to understand how her race, class background, gender, age, and sexuality contributed to her decisions, missions, and strategies for survival. Jennifer Abod (1946, Caucasian Jewish) is an award winning audio/video documentarian. Her works include The Edge of Each Other’s Battles: The Vision of Audre Lorde; Look Us in the Eye: The Old Women’s Project; Ra- dio Profile of Audre Lorde. Abod was a singer in the New Haven Women’s Liberation Rock Band, a radio broadcaster and a professor. Angela Bowen PhD (1936 African American) is a classical dancer, teacher, mentor, professor and author who has influenced and inspired untold numbers speaking out as strongly for the arts and Black and women’s rights as she has for LGBT rights. Bowen’s book, Out of the Blue: Aleta’s Stories, is five stars on Amazon. LESBIAN HEALTH 2014: HOW ARE WE AND WHAT ARE WE DOING ABOUT IT • Main Ballroom, limit 40 This workshop will explore perspectives and current work as it relates to Lesbian health and wellness: including historical overview, health conditions and disparities, access to health care services, research efforts, the Affordable Care Act, non-traditional healthcare alternatives, resilience, and the work of the Lesbian Health and Research Center at UCSF. We will encourage discussion that examines health as an individual circumstance, a community phenomenon and as a vehicle for social change. Maria Cora (1953, Puerto Rican of African descent) is the Associate Director of the Lesbian Health and Re- search Center at the University of California, San Francisco. She has been a leader and cultural activist in the pursuit of health and well-being in our communities for 30 years. She is an artist, a filmmaker, poet, and musi- cian. She is a vocalist with women’s salsa and jazz bands. Maria was the recipient of a Lesbian of Achievement and Vision award. Diane Sabin, DC (1953, Jewish) is the Executive Director of the Lesbian Health and Research Center at the University of California, San Francisco, and Clinic Administrative Director of the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at UCSF. She has been a community activist for over three decades and has served on many boards of Lesbian organizations and foundations. She had a chiropractic clinic in San Francisco for seventeen years. Rev. Trinity A. Ordona, Ph.D. (1951, Filipino American) Trinity is a college instructor, ordained minister, spiritual counselor, energy healer and community leader. She was the Associate Director of the Lesbian Health and Research Center from 2002-2004 and has worked with survivors of sexual violence. She has a 40-year history of national and international civil rights activism in communities of color and queer communities. p-21 zing fo ni r C ga h r a n O LESBIAN ACTIVISM CHANGING THE WORLD s g e n

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THURSDAY; 11am-12:30pm r Michele Eliason (1953, White) is an Associate Professor in the Health Education Department of San Francisco State University. She has a background in nursing and psychology and has had clinical and research experience in hospitals, clinics community-based treatment agencies and a women’s prison THE IMPORTANCE OF ECO-FEMINISM IN THE 21st CENTURY • Ballroom F Ecofeminism traces the dual and intertwining oppressions of women and nature and the importance of a new relationship to nature and the vital role of women in creating a sustainable culture. We will look at the importance of cultural diversity and the devastation caused by environmental racism. Peggy Luhrs (1945, Euro-American, Italian, German, French, Mohawk Indian), a feminist activist since the 1970s, is the director of Burlington Women’s Council for 10 years. She taught Ecology and Feminism at the Insti- tute of Social Ecology and was part of the UN conference on Women in Beijing. She participated in the Green- ham Common and Seneca Peace camps. HOW TO CHALLENGE AGEISM • Room 207 What do we hear and what do we want to say? This will be a discussion of how ageism affects us. Jan Griesinger (1942, Euro-American) is the co-director of OLOC. She is the co-founder of the Susan B. Anthony Memorial Unrest Home Womyn‘s Land Trust. LET’S LAUGH IT OFF: ADVENTURES IN LAUGHTER YOGA • Room 206, limit 20 “We will be laughing out loud for the fun of it; along with stress/tension relief”. This workshop will be great for a change of pace, time to yuk it up! We will combine comic relief with gentle movements. Bring your creativity and find ways for laughter to be your guide Vickie Lew (1945, American Chinese) describes herself as a bi-coastal smiley face. She has been teaching yoga and fitness in senior settings since she returned to the Pacific Coast from the Boston area eight years ago. She has worked in construction, early childcare education and yoga instruction. EAR REFLEXOLOGY FOR SELF-HELP • Room 205, limit 30 Ear reflexology is a way to help your body to increase circulation, relax, and come to a better balance. A person can learn to work with her own ears or a friend’s to improve body balance. This hands-on workshop is fun and a great way to get to know someone else. Janet Stetser (1937) has been a professional reflexologist since 1983. She is a certified in hand, foot and ear reflexology. She enjoys helping others to learn how to take care of themselves. KEEPING OURSELVES SAFE INTO THE FUTURE; PREVENTING FRAUD AND ELDER ABUSE • Room 204, limit 25 This workshop will review all types of elder abuse. We will look at California and federal laws. We will look at financial scams and fraud with a focus on the scammer’s technique of creating emotional upset. We will also discuss the impact of a caregiver’s homophobia on an Old Lesbian’s quality of care. There will be small group discussions to focus on personal experiences and to develop strategies for prevention and recovery from victimization. Ginny Garrett (1946, Euro American) has been an Adult Protective Services Investigator for the past 15 years. She has worked as a medical social worker with an emphasis on older adults and families. She welcomes the op- portunity to share what she’s learned about elder abuse with the hope of preventing Old Lesbians from becoming victims.

THURSDAY: 2pm-3:30pm zing fo ni r C ga h r a n WHAT’S MY BODY UP TO NOW? • Room 206, limit 20 O s g e n

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THURSDAY: 2pm-3:30pm • WHAT’S MY BODY UP TO NOW? (cont’d) vision; for others it may be cognitive or a chronic condition such as pain or fatigue. We will share ideas for successfully dealing with attitudes and prejudices around disability, both within ourselves and from others. Pnina Tobin (1942, white Jewish) is a Lesbian feminist activist grandmother, who works as a certified Life Coach and Educator with women, parents and grandparents. She also developed programs to prevent child sexual abuse. Pnina organized Disability Access at two OLOC Gatherings. Marg Hall (1947, white Irish Catholic) spends much of her time engaged in political activism, self-care, and fixing things around her house. She stopped working as a carpenter and building inspector in her 50’s because of disability. She is a former nun who came out as a Lesbian many years ago. Simi Litvak (1942, Jewish) has been a disability rights activist, policy researcher/analyst and occupational therapist for more than 45 years; she wants to bring independent living movement philosophy and disability pride to old people with chronic conditions and disabilities. She is a Fat Activist and has been pursuing “Health at Every Size” all her life A CALL TO RECLAIM OUR TRADITIONAL ROLES AS LEADERS, HEALERS AND TEACHERS; THE MEANING OF THE MAYAN CALENDAR PREDICTION FOR LGBT PEOPLE TODAY • Ballroom G Based on a study of the Mayan calendar of 2013, combined with research on the history of homophobia in the Americas, this workshop will present an interpretation of the meaning of this significant metaphysical event and its specific importance to LGBT people in the world. Rev. Trinity A. Ordona, Ph.D. (1951, Filipino American) Is a former Associate Director of the Lesbian Health and Research Center. She works with survivors of sexual violence from under served populations using non- discursive healing modalities from Western and Eastern traditions. Trinity is a college instructor, minister, energy healer, and national and international leader in communities of color and queer communities. FAT LIBERATION—SNAPSHOTS OF A CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT • Main Ballroom The Fat Underground began as a group of women, mostly Lesbians, using the tools of radical therapy and feminism, writing a manifesto to challenge the medical myths about the harms of fat, and confronting attitudes about fat people to develop the Fat Liberation Movement. This movement has blossomed into an understanding of the effects these prejudices have on self-esteem and eating disorders. A new movement has now developed called “Health at Every Size”. How do we keep activism alive? Lynn Ellen Marcus (1950, Jewish Caucasian) has been a social justice activist all her adult life, from the grass roots 70s to her work with marginalized clients as a therapist. She is grateful for the foundations of liberation politics that continues to inform her personal and political decisions.

INTERRUPTING RACISM; AN INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP • Ballroom F We are all so good at thinking of the perfect thing we should have said…a day later, but is there some way we can prepare ourselves so that we won’t be caught off-guard by the racist joke, the ignorant observation, or the insensitive comment. This hands-on workshop will give participants the tools to interrupt racism as it happens. Carolyn Gage (1952, white) is a playwright, performer, director and activist. The author of nine books on Lesbian theatre and sixty-five plays, musicals and one-woman shows. She specializes in non-traditional roles for women, especially those reclaiming famous Lesbians whose stories have been distorted or erased from history. “BITCHFEST: A COMEDY ABOUT AGING” • Room 207 This improvisational theatre workshop is based on 40 years of art activism. Chelsea wants to make people laugh about things that are not always funny.

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“BITCHFEST: A COMEDY ABOUT AGING” (Con’t) r Chelsea Bonacello (1952 German/French/English/Native) has done Lesbian theater and has been lead singer in a Lesbian Punque band. She started a people’s cabaret, a women’s theater ensemble, a film festival and has produced events for four decades. Chelsea also plays cello and does art exhibitions. LIFE AND DEATH AFTER 60 • Broadway Room, limit 20 This participatory workshop will discuss how the knowledge of death changes one’s life as one becomes older. We can discuss the death of those we’ve loved and how we grieved. These experiences and the knowledge of our own coming death may make us less afraid or bolder, and may lead us to focus on doing what is important to us. Carol Anne Douglas (1946, white Irish American} is a Lesbian feminist writer. She worked on the staff of “Off our Backs” from 1973-2008. She participated in founding a Washington DC Area chapter of OLOC. WHY IS IT SO HARD TO TALK ABOUT CLASS? • Room 205, limit 30 No one chooses the class she is born into, yet it affects our entire lives. Our race, ethnicity, and immigrant status underlie our class upbringings. Entitlement, privilege, guilt, shame and anger characterize our class actions, reactions and attitudes. This workshop will use our histories and group exercises to challenge silences around classism. Lois Rita Helmbold (1945, Pennsylvania Dutch/Polish/Lithuanian) was raised working class by a fundamentalist preacher father and homemaker mother. She was first politicized by the Civil Rights Movement. She is a retired Women’s Studies professor, historian, writer, artist and activist. She is tired of class dynamics not being recognized and discussed, and upper middle class behavior being taken as the norm. 43 YEARS AS LESBIAN ACTIVISTS; HOW THE MOVEMENT CHANGED US AND HOW WE COLLECTIVELY CHANGED THE WORLD • Room 204 Mina and Sharon will present “snapshots “of activities that helped to make a difference in their lives and the lives of others in the Gay and Lesbian Feminist Movement. They began as 30-year-olds at the Gay Women’s Cen- ter and faced diverse challenges, dealing with sexism, racism, and anti-Semitism. Sharon Raphael (1941, Jewish) has been a Lesbian Activist since 1971. Since 2008, she has been legally married to Mina Meyer. Both have worked together since 1971. Sharon is a Professor Emerita of Sociology. She created the Older Adult Center on campus and sponsored the LGBT Association for students and faculty. Mina Meyer (1940, Jewish) has been an activist in the Lesbian/Gay community for the past 42 years. She did her Master’s thesis on “The Older Lesbian”, the first in any social science field. She has served in leadership roles in many Lesbian and Gay organizations, including as a Co-director of OLOC. She and Sharon have written many articles, given speeches, marched in parades and protests, started organizations in the Gay and Lesbian communities, and worked for the civil rights of Gays and Lesbians.

FRIDAY: 11am-12:30pm OLD LESBIANS IN THE CURRENT ENVIRONMENT • Broadway Room, limit 15 Small group discussion on how Old Lesbians are really faring in the new age of “equality and acceptance”. How did being or becoming lesbian affect our financial resources? Has growing up in a homophobic era still left us with the scars of internalized homophobia and hesitation to “come out” to many in our community, to doctors, legal professionals, or in senior care facilities? Do we have opportunities to make new friendships and create support networks in communities where Old Lesbians are largely invisible? Cheryl Larsen (1949, Caucasian) has facilitated small group thematic weekly discussions for years. Prior to joining the OLOC Steering Committee, she had a lengthy career at the United Nations addressing, at the global level, many forms of discrimination, prejudice, and violence, particularly against women. p-24 zing fo ni r C ga h r a n O s g e n a i LESBIAN ACTIVISM CHANGING THE WORLD

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FRIDAY: 11am-12:30pm (con’t) WOMEN’S HISTORY IS A LESBIAN ISSUE (and AN OLD WOMAN’S ISSUE) • Ballroom G Max will give a short visual talk, and will discuss why women’s history is important to us and to our movement. Recovering women’s history was an important theme in early Women’s Liberation and Women’s Studies. The backlash against feminism has caused a troubling shrinkage. Lesbian history is also women’s history…knowing we are not what they have told us fortifies our ability to overturn the barriers we face as old women and Lesbians. Max Dashu (1950, Euro-American) founded the Suppressed Histories Archives in 1970 to document women’s global history and heritages. Her legendary slide shows use images to teach about female power, mother-right, ancient iconography, patriarchy, conquest, racism and other systems of domination. ASHE: THE POWER THAT SETS US FREE • Ballroom F Using Audre Lorde’s essay, “Uses of the Erotic, the Erotic as Power” as a backdrop, this panel will discuss the intrinsic power of Old Lesbians—“free people, free people” Leslye Huff (1950, African American) is a life-long black Lesbian feminist activist. She is an attorney, the spouse of Amina and the mother of two sons. (Amina) Mary Ostendorf (1937, culturally Irish and German, likely Caucasian) She is an RN, MsN nurse. She is an advocate for the rights of all people and the co-parent of two sons. Bishop Dr. Yvette Flunder (African-American, Cherokee) and spouse of Shirley Miller. She is the bishop of a radically inclusive church. Mother Shirley Miller (African American) and spouse of Yvette. DISCUSSION GROUPS • Main Ballroom Participants have small group discussions on selected topics and share their experiences, thoughts and insights on the topic selected. The discussions, using first names only, are recorded for the Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project. Each small group is facilitated by an experienced moderator. This is a very participatory workshop. Some of the topics previously used were: Girl Scouting, Spirituality & Sexuality, and Coming-out of Traditional Marriage. Deirdre Knowles (1947) is a member of the Puget Sound chapter of OLOC and has over 40 years’ experience facilitating discussion groups. She organized the discussion groups at the Legacy Conference sponsored by the Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project (OLOHP). She is a psychotherapist with a practice near Seattle. ADDITIONAL FACILITATORS: Gloria Stancich, Sue Weinheimer, Ann Henry, Aganita Varkentine DOING IT FOR OURSELVES (DIFO): A HEALTH PROGRAM FOR OLD LESBIANS Ballroom H, limit 30 A grant from the National Institutes of Health enabled me to address “weight-related health risks“ in Lesbians/ bisexual women over 40. I developed a grass-roots, Lesbian-centered holistic program with a “Health at Every Size” Foundation to circumvent the federal emphasis on weight. DIFO involves weekly group sessions from a personal coach with the goal to increase the quality of life for participants who set their own goals. Mickey Eliason (1953, White) comes from a working class background in the rural Midwest. She is a professor of Health Education at San Francisco State University. She has been a Lesbian community activist since the 1980s.

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Y e ! a s WORKSHOP SCHEDULE (cont’d) r FRIDAY: 11am-12:30pm (con’t) BOTH SIDES OF SOLIDARITY: UNDERSTANDING WHITE PRIVILEGE FROM THE INTERSECTIONS OF OPPRESSION • Room 207, limit 40 This is an interactive workshop examining individual and organizational hurtful interactions from both oppressed and privileged points of view. Participants will gain greater understanding and sensitivity regarding being better allies across intersections of identity (e.g. race, class, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender}. Although the focus will be white privilege, participants will see how their social positions help or hinder their ally-ship of others. Dr. Nancy Arvold, Ph.D., MFT (1942, White) is a psychotherapist and educator specializing in multi-racial and multi-cultural issues and awareness in relationships, organizations, and society. Understanding the power of white privilege, racism and intersections with other “isms” is central to her work. SEXUALITY AS A HEALTH PRACTICE: EXERCISES TO IMPROVE PELVIC TONE, ENHANCE ORGASM • Room 206, limit 15 The workshop will start with the intention to benefit sexual response. Adopting a healthy practice is taught through use of techniques including visualization, coordinated breath and communication regarding sexual response. All attendees should be ready to perform simple exercises. Chloe Karl (1945, Northern European) is an Occupational Therapist who has explored a variety of pelvic floor exercise programs for her own healing. She has presented “Enhancing Orgasm, a Body Exercise Workshop” at a women’s health/OLOC program in Boston. LESBIANS IN PRISON • Room 205 This workshop will introduce the mental, physical and spiritual challenges regarding “older” Lesbians in prison, rarely discussed. The lifestyles of women in prison are difficult to maintain without disciplinary action. There will be discussion about how the systems use sexual preferences to extract information, particularly with political prisoners. Life and love go on regardless of rules. The women inside the walls control the social structure. Bo Brown (1947, white) and Ida Robinson (1951, Black) Bo was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for bank robbery, and Ida was sentenced to 20 years for air piracy. Both served a substantial amount of these sentences. Upon their release from prison, they have continually served those women prisoners still inside, and those re-entering society after long-term sentences.

OLD LESBIANS EXPLORING FRIENDSHIPS AND SISTERHOOD • Room 204, limit 30 For many Old Lesbians our experiences of activism, community, and sisterhood have intricate links. This workshop will explore various questions such as: What do we value about friendships? Do Lesbian friendships differ from others? How does friendship fit in with Lesbian communities and the concept of sisterhood? Bring your questions and answers. Lavender (1945, Mongrel, Australian) is keen to listen to old Lesbians talk about their lives. While her forebears came from Scotland, she feels part of the global state of Lesbiana. She works in a regional university and is part of Aboriginal Reconciliation and other community activities. She lives in New South Wales and welcomes OLOC visitors.

Be sure to listen and look for announcements & schedule updates.

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s r WORKSHOP SCHEDULE (cont’d) Friday: 2pm-3pm RADICAL LESBIAN FEMINISM • Broadway Room For female-born Radical Lesbian Feminists and those who are interested in finding out about our movement, which was the energy creating the best of our Lesbian Feminist culture and continues around the world, across all generations. I moderate three Radical Feminist facebook groups and our members range from their twenties to eighties. Our politics are focused on fighting patriarchy and creating the most egalitarian, inclusive, and diverse Lesbian communities possible. Bev Jo: (1950, mostly European-descent with some Native American ancestry, working class, disabled) I’m a working-class Lifelong Lesbian activist, in the Bay Area Lesbian Feminist community since 1970. I worked on one of the first Lesbian Feminist conferences in 1973 and many other projects, including Dykes and Gorgons in 1973, co-wrote Dykes-Loving-Dykes, and have been printed in anthologies, and now have a blog. SEX, SEXUALITY AND OLD AGE • Ballroom G, limit 30 This workshop will delightfully explore some of the physical, behavior and attitudinal changes that occur with aging with a sense of humor. The participants will consider the stages of sexual life with a focus on later years; ponder the effect disabilities and conditions have on sexual attitudes and activities; and share personal thoughts on their own aging process. Margaret Mann (bi-racial} lives in Honolulu, Hawaii where she works as a self-employed counselor and volunteers as a docent at the Honolulu Museum of Art. She is the author of “A Dramatically Different Direction”, a poignant, funny and heart rendering autobiography by an old, bi-racial Lesbian, UU Buddhist in a wheelchair. CREATIVITY IN AGING • Room 207 This workshop will enable participants to reflect on their experiences as artists, in particular on how growing old affects work as creative makers and doers. A wide range of creative expression is welcomed; participants can bring examples of work or performance for a show and tell, focusing on changes we notice. Ann Parsons (1936, Caucasian) is an English faculty member and (almost) founding member of the Women’s Studies Program at the University of Utah. She has a lifelong engagement in crafts, jewelry-making, hat-making and dancing. ReeAnn Dixon (1939, Caucasian) did human resources work for manufacturing companies for over 40 years. She enjoys photography, small business computer installation, and loves to walk. LOOOOONG-TIME LESBIANS • Main Ballroom, limit 25 Each woman will be invited to describe where and when she came out. For those who came out in the 60’s before women’s liberation was a gleam in anyone’s eye, how did early coming out shape your life, politics and activism? Carol Seajay (1950, Euro-American-white, working class Irish) came out at 15. She has been in love with women and books ever since. A HERITAGE OF LESBIAN ACTION AGAINST TRANSSEXUALS • Ballroom F Lesbian activism has not always changed the world for the better. Some prominent Lesbian feminist publications and organizations (along with the fundamentalist right wing) have been encouraging opposition to transsexual women’s rights since the early 1970’s. We will show slides of examples, consider some of the effects, and discuss possible reparation. mariKo (1945, white/European-American) is a founder of Gay Women’s Liberation in Minnesota. She became a pioneer in blue-collar tradeswomen’s wars. She has participated in peace and freedom movements, including advocacy for transsexual rights. She is a landyke at heart. p-27 zing fo ni r C ga h r a O n Old Lesbians Organizing for Change s g e n

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Y e ! a s r WORKSHOP SCHEDULE (cont’d) Friday: 2pm-3pm Ann Valliant (1945, U.S. Southern White) is a longtime activist for civil rights, anti-war, and women’s and gay liberation. Her attraction to masculine women brought her into community with transsexual women since the 1990s. RACHEL CARSON RETURNS • Room 206 This is a one-woman show about Rachel Carson. Her personal breakthroughs, her importance to the environmental movement and her relationship with Dorothy Freeman (her close friend and, some believe, her lover) will be presented. Lilith Rogers (1946, Caucasian of Irish, Norwegian, Austrian and Jewish descent) just loves women and words. She has self-published several books of poetry including PERSIMMONS AND OTHER LESBIAN EROTICA, five children’s picture books featuring two moms and is currently working on her memoir. Watch her become Rachel Carson on YouTube CAREGIVER SUPPORT • Room 205, limit 20 We will have a circle for Lesbian caregivers to present their work as caregivers. The group will provide support and encouragement. Chelsea Bonacello (1952, German/French/English/Native) has been a caregiver since 2009, when her partner had a stroke. As the dementia progresses, it gets more and more difficult. JOURNAL WRITING AS SELF THERAPY: (CHANGING THE WORLD, STARTING WITH ME) • Room 204 Participants will be given tools to connect with their inner lives including: dreams, fears, hopes and concerns. We will experiment with ways to mine our musings and put them on paper. Marcia Perlstein (1945, Caucasian, Jewish) is a licensed Marriage, Family and Child therapist. She is both a writer and an editor. She is a radio interviewer for KPTZ for “Under the Rainbow”, where she casts light on the triumphs and concerns in the GLBT community.

Saturday 11 am-12:15pm WHAT DID YOU SAY? HEARING LOSS: YOURS, MINE, AND EVERYONE ELSE’S • Main Ballroom This workshop will use a fishbowl technique. The goal is to encourage women with hearing problems to come out of the closet about it and to work toward ditching the shame and isolation that often accompany hearing loss. Information on statistics applying to our age group, research, and some basic suggestions for im- proving comprehension, will be presented. Carol Seajay (1950, Euro-American-whitebread working–class Irish), fortunately, likes books-because her hearing isn’t what it was. She started noticing hearing problems in her 40s and now wears two hearing aids. She worked at A Woman’s Place, started Old Wives Tales (1976), published Feminist Bookstore News (1976-2000) and, briefly, “Books to Watch Out For”.

Photographs and video will be taken. If you don’t want to be included, you are responsible to let the photographers know that.

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r WORKSHOP SCHEDULE (cont’d) Saturday 11 am-12:15pm EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT OLD LESBIAN ACTIVIST ACADEMICS BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK • Broadway Room Peg and Sharon will share experiences about how being Lesbian Feminist activists has impacted the academic part of themselves and how academia has changed or resisted change as a result of activism. This participatory workshop will focus on the value conflicts, obstacles and opportunities that provide challenges for those who attempt to or succeed in pushing the boundaries and mission of the academy. Margaret Cruikshank (1940,Irish/German) recently retired from the University of Maine Women’s Studies program, where she taught courses on women’s aging and LGBT studies. Her books include Learning to be Old and Fierce with Reality. Sharon Raphael (1941, Ashkenazi Jewish) has been a Lesbian activist since 1971. She is a Professor Emerita of Sociology. She has published numerous articles on Lesbian aging. THE L WORD • Ballroom F This workshop will be a discussion of the L in the LGBTQ community, the values implicit in a Lesbian identity and what it means to us all. Alix Dobkin (1940, Jewish) While I was on concert tour in the 1980s I met some OLOC founders & they helped me look forward to turning 60, so I joined OLOC in 2000, the Steering Committee in 2006, & became Co-director five years later. Woodstock, NY is my home, near my daughter and three grandchildren. I’ve produced six records, three CDs, a song book, & My Red Blood: A Memoir of Growing Up Communist, Com- ing Onto the Greenwich Village Folk Scene, & Coming Out in the Feminist Movement, a 2009 Lambda Literary Award finalist DO MIDDLE EASTERN WOMEN NEED SAVING? EXPLORING ATTITUDES TOWARD ARABS AND ISLAM Room 207, limit 20 We will examine attitudes toward Muslims with a focus on Western concerns for the welfare of women. We will look at the history and origins of Arabo-and Islamophobia and consider reasons for the emphasis on “saving” Muslim and Arab women that accompanies much of US involvement in the Middle East today. Chivvis Moore (1944, Caucasian, mostly Irish) lived in the Middle East; Egypt, Syria, Israel and Palestine for over 16 years, including 9 years in the West Bank. She worked in the Institute of Women’s Studies, Birzeit University. She currently works through Ayadi with Muslim immigrants in downtown San Francisco. TELL YOUR STORY • Ballroom G The words of gay martyr Harvey Milk ”Come out, come out wherever you are!” ring true today particularly among Lesbian Baby Boomers entering their senior years. By creating a space for women to tell their personal stories in creative nonfiction, Old Lesbians can re-fashion senior housing, senior health, senior work and senior financial security to suit their particular needs. Using right-brain writing techniques allows any novice or experienced Older Lesbian to access the wealth of imagery, sensory memory and experience to “tell their story.” Kathleen Moran Archambeau (1949, American Caucasian in Bi-national Marriage) is the successful author of Climbing the Corporate Ladder in High Heels, featured twice in Forbes and endorsed by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. She has taught writing communication and leading change classes at NDNU-Belmont HNU- Oakland and USF for more than 20 years Old Lesbians Organizing for Change

EMAIL: [email protected] • WEBSITE: www.oloc.org • PHONE: 888-706-7506 p-29 WORKSHOP SCHEDULE (cont’d) Saturday 11 am-12:15pm DEATH AND DYING • Room 206, limit 18 Can we talk about it? Aspects to be covered via personal and experiential means: physical, emotional, practical, legal and social issues. Ruthie Berman (1934, Jewish) Connie Kurtz (1936, Jewish) Together as friends 50 years, lovers 39 and married lovers, 3 years. Ruthie and Connie have been LGBT activists since coming out in 1974. As litigants with two other couples, they won domestic partnership benefits for all New York City employee in the 1980s. There is an award winning documentary about their lives: Ruthie and Connie: “Every Room in the House”. OLDER LESBIANS AS LEADERS IN THE MOVEMENT AGAINST THE ISRAELI OCCUPATION: SPECIAL FOCUS ON BOYCOTT, DIVESTMENT AND SANCTIONS • Room 205, limit 25 The workshop will highlight opportunities for Old Lesbians in the BDS movement, giving examples of links to other non-violent organizing involving older Lesbians, e.g. Women in Black; explain our special contribution in boycott, divestment and sanctions work; showcase organizing involving several large corporations, e.g. Hewlett- Packard, and provide links to BDS work throughout the U.S. Nancy Stoller (1942, White, Jewish) has been involved in civil disobedience, anti-war, and anti-racist work since she was 17 and living in the South. She has traveled to Israel, the West Bank and Gaza and is currently active in the BDS movement as well as in other non-violent resistance to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory. CLASS: BUILDING BRIDGES ACROSS THE GREAT DIVIDE • Room 204, limit 25 This workshop for Lesbians of all classes will look at how our class background defines us; keeps us separated, and how…it will explore the impact class has on the aging experience- encourage and assist us to speak up, speak out and look at how to be allies to each other, reducing the great divide. Fai Coffin (1940, Ashkenazi Jewish, working class) is a lifelong activist in civil, women’s and welfare rights. She is a community organizer to fair housing, women-in-trades and -unions at the University of Pennsylvania. She co-founded GRIT (Girl Renovators in Trades). She is a member of Dyke Community Activists in Seattle.

Saturday: 3PM-4PM JOURNAL AND MEMOIR PROJECTS: ARCHIVING LIVES AND ACTIVISM IN ARCHIVAL COLLECTIONS AND ONLINE • Broadway Room We will share experiences creating an online archive of personal journals from the seventies, that highest period of activism, to counter the revision of that time and to counteract false impressions, particularly regarding diversity. We will discuss the importance of individual memorabilia to special archival collections. Carolyn Weathers (1940, white) is a memoirist and a former librarian with the Los Angeles Public Library. She has been a Lesbian activist for 44 years, a small-press publisher of Lesbian books, and has collected memorabilia since fourth grade. She is currently working with archival collections. Batya Weinbaum (1952, Ashkenazi Jewish) became a feminist writer in the 70s in New York City. Her first book, The Curious Courtship of Women’s Liberation and Socialism was published in 1979. She has been journaling since the early 70s as well as publishing articles, reviews, stories, fiction, a memoir, and the journal “Femspec”. IS LESBIAN FEMINISM REALLY DEAD? • Ballroom G Younger generations largely see “Lesbian feminism” as past ideology. How can we re-examine and re-situate this philosophy in 2014? What is Lesbian feminism and what is its place as a world view? Is it now over and, if so, what has taken its place as a guideline for how to live an authentic dyke life? Jeanne Cordova (1948, Chicana) is an activist, publisher, author, and pioneer founder of the Lesbian movement in Southern California. She is the founder/publisher of the first gay yellow pages, “Community Yellow Pages”, the nation’s largest LGBT business directory. She wrote the Lammy Award-winning memoir When We Were zing fo ing f ni r C niz or Outlaws more than 20 years ago. ga h a C r a g h n r a O O n s g g e s n e n a a i i

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a s p-30 EMAIL: [email protected] • WEBSITE: www.oloc.org • PHONE: 888-706-7506 r WORKSHOP SCHEDULE (cont’d) Saturday: 3PM-4PM PLAYBACK THEATRE AS CREATIVE LESBIAN STORY TELLING IN ACTION • Ballroom F Participants will learn the techniques of Playback Theatre, a time-honored means of acting out stories, and will tell and listen to each other’s stories, before they take on the roles of the different characters in the stories. Jean Taylor (1944, non-Aboriginal Celtic Australian) is a radical Lesbian feminist non-Aboriginal Celtic p-31Australian writer and political activist based on Wurundjeri country in Melbourne, Australia. Her latest book is Stroppy Dykes: Radical Lesbian Feminist Activism in Victoria during the 1980s. Be sure to listen and look for announcements & schedule updates. HOW DOES BEING WHITE IMPACT MY DAILY EXPERIENCE? • Room 207 For those of us who are white, we often experiences ourselves as racially “regular” or “normal” while we are clear that being Lesbian makes us other. Our goal is to understand that, simply by birth, being white gives us un- earned access to power, resources, and decision-making. We will explore ways of using our systemically-granted access to make changes in our organizations and our personal lives. Francie Kendall, Ph.D. (1947, white), a nationally known consultant, has worked for over 40 years in the fields of racial justice and organizational change. Her books include Diversity in the Classroom and Understanding White Privilege: Creating Pathways to Authentic Relationships. TALKING ‘ BOUT A (POST PATRIARCHAL) (R)EVOLUTION • Room 206 The political right’s war on women shows that the patriarchy still wants to keep women “barefoot and pregnant”. As Old Lesbians we have insights on how institutional misogyny structures our society and how internalized sexism and heterosexism make it difficult to overcome this oppression. We will present issues involved and have a discussion on organizing projects we can support to advance a post-patriarchal (r)evolution in the U.S. today. Susan Chacin (1945, European-American) started organizing against the Vietnam War, but in 1966 found feminism: the key to OUR liberation. With roots in Socialist Feminism, she strongly agrees with Audre Lorde that “we can’t use the master’s tools to tear down the master’s house.” She describes herself as a “bisexual lesbian”, and lives in Berkeley with her spouse of 26 years, Ginny Garrett. PLAY WRITING FOR OLD DYKES • Room 205, limit 15 Participants will write a scene or monologue about an experience of activism, which can be based on actual life stories or imagination. We will read our writing aloud, after which, we will talk about how the scene worked as theater. Terry Baum (1946, Caucasian) has taught play writing at colleges, conferences and to the community. Dos Lesbos, which she co-wrote, inspired the first anthology of Lesbian plays. She is part of the Crackpot Crones, does solo plays, sketch comedy and improvisation. “HICK: A Love Story”, written and performed by Terry, opened July 10 in San Francisco. OUR LESBIAN LIVES: OPPRESSION, TRANSFORMATION AND CULTURAL CHANGE IN OUR LIFETIMES • Room 204 Chana will read from her memoir Riding Fury Home. As a child, Chana was a caretaker of her depressed and suicidal mother. She was unaware that her mother’s anguish was based on her love affair with another married woman, and psychiatric treatment aimed at curing her of her Lesbianism. The memoir will trigger discussion about our experiences from gay invisibility to years of community building and Lesbian activism and visibility. Chana Wilson (1951) is a psychotherapist, former radio producer, and author of the award-winning memoir: Riding Fury Home. She began her career in broadcast journalism with the pioneering 1970s KPFA radio collective “Lesbian Air.” Her stories and essays have appeared in multiple anthologies, print and online journals, and as “Editor’s Pick” on “Salon”. Chana currently blogs for the “Huffington Post” in “Gay Voices”.

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e ! a s r EMAIL: [email protected] • WEBSITE: www.oloc.org • PHONE: 888-706-7506 p-31