Old Lesbians Organizing for Change A quarterly Founded publication of OLOC in 1989 March 2016 Vol 26 #1 OLOC: Gathering Across Differences

By Charlene Ball, 1943 The tenth OLOC National Gathering will take place October 5–9, 2016, in Atlanta, Georgia. National OLOC will partner with ZAMI NOBLA (National Organization of Black Lesbians on Aging) and the recently formed Atlanta chapter of OLOC to produce the Gathering, which will be held at the Holiday Inn Airport North. Registrants for this April 2015 Atlanta. See you in October 2016? Gathering only must be Lesbians age 40 or over, and one workshop track will be I applaud OLOC’s decision to address restricted to Lesbians who are 60 or over. class. I believe that dealing with class in ways (See article on workshop proposals, p. 5.) that honor everyone’s class backgrounds and The theme of the Gathering this year is perspectives is essential if we are to be “Gathering Across Differences: Lesbians in the effective in creating a world where peace and South Take the Lead,” and our four areas of justice are possible for everyone. focus are “Organizing, Expanding, Listening, Following is a quotation by Felice Yeskel: Transforming.” Our keynoters, special Class is the last great taboo in the United features, and other specifics of the program States. . . Even in this period of growing are being worked out, and we will let you economic inequality, we hardly ever talk know about them just as soon as we about class. complete the process. Sometimes I think of class as our collective, What’s Class Got To Do With It? national family secret. And, as any therapist By Dorothy Emerson, 1943 will tell you, family secrets are problematic. . . I’ve been aware of class practically all my life, Most of us believe that the United States is a mostly because at age seven my family moved classless society. . . We have been taught to the edge of an upwardly-mobile suburban from childhood myths and misconceptions community that gave me advantages, despite around class mobility and the American dream. the fact that my family’s class status didn’t Many of us are confused about class and change much. Thanks to scholarships to don’t tend to think about it as consciously as Pomona College and later to Harvard Divinity we might our race, ethnicity, gender, religion, School, I’ve had an elite education, but I’ve age or sexual orientation. Nonetheless, our never made it beyond the lower end of the class identity has a huge impact on every professional middle class economically, aspect of our lives from parenting style to although I have upper middle-class status how we speak, from what we dare to dream educationally. For the past three years I’ve to the likelihood we will spend time in prison, had the opportunity to address class issues from how we spend our days to how many directly by facilitating Unitarian Universalist days we have. Class Conversations. ~ Felice Yeskel in Class Lives OLOC is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. The OLOC Reporter is published by Old ANNOUNCEMENTS Lesbians Organizing for Change:  www.oloc.org; e-mail: [email protected] The Del Martin Old Lesbian Pride Award  PO Box 5853, Athens, OH 45701; Created to honor Del Martin—activist, pathfinder, 888-706-7506 and OLOC member who died at age 87 on August 27, This Newsletter Brought to You By: 2009, in San Francisco, the city of her birth—the Co-Editors: Jennice Thomas, 1940, and Susan $1,000 Award will be presented to a Lesbian 70 years Wiseheart, 1941. Proofreader and copy-editor: Nancy Krody, or older whose life and work have impacted and will 1939. Content review: Alix Dobkin, 1940, Jan continue to impact the lives of Old Lesbians. Griesinger, 1942, and Sally Tatnall, 1937. Del was out, proud, and unapologetic when few were. Design/layout: Malinda McCain, 1940. She and her lifetime partner, Phyllis Lyon, forged an The mailing crew and all of the writers and photographers. enduring image that continues to inspire generations Deadline for the next issue: May 1, 2016. of Lesbians around the globe. Limit submissions to 300 words. Contact us for Guidelines: a style guide. We may edit articles for clarity  Nominations not to exceed 500 words, describing and/or length. Send articles to OLOC at [email protected] or OLOC, PO Box 5853, Athens, the outstanding accomplishments and/or achieve- OH 45701. ments of the nominee, should be sent by e-mail by Current Steering Committee Members April 15, 2016, to [email protected] or to OLOC’s Ohio Contact List mailing address. Nominations must be postmarked Co-Directors: by April 15, 2016, if sent by regular mail. Alix Dobkin, 1940, Woodstock, NY, [email protected], 845-679-7586  The Award will be given to an Old Lesbian over the Sally Tatnall, 1937, Lyndhurst, OH, age of 70 at OLOC’s tenth National Gathering to be [email protected], 216-862-0598 held in Atlanta, Georgia, October 5–9, 2016. Steering Committee Members:  Nominations are worldwide and for an Old Lesbian Jan Griesinger, 1942, Athens, OH, in any field of endeavor. [email protected], 740-448-6424 Ruth Debra, Operations Coordinator,  Nominee’s life and work must impact the lives of 1944, Palm Springs, CA, [email protected], Old Lesbians. 760-318-6794  Nominees must be alive at the time of nomination. Bonnie Wagner, 1942, Woodstock, NY, bonnie @oloc.org, 845-679-7710 or 845-417-1481 OLOC News Pat Cull, 1942, Oakland, CA, [email protected], OLOC wants to thank two non-Old Lesbians who 415-637-5002 spent several hours stuffing OLOC’s December fund- Ali Marrero-Calderon, 1948, Oakland, CA, and Bayamon, Puerto Rico, [email protected], raising letter: Heather Conner and Janeen Martin. 510-365-6745 Thank you, Heather and Janeen! Paij Wadley-Bailey, 1939, Montpelier, VT, Lesbian Connection reported in its January/ [email protected], 802-224-0406 February 2016 issue that there was a New York City OLOC Membership (10-23-2015): National Dyke March last June. It said, “Edie Windsor partici- OLOC welcomes as members Old Lesbians who have reached their 60th year. pated and her presence there created a warm feeling despite the unrelenting rain.” Edie is a long-time Who We Are: OLOC is an organization of Old Lesbians. We are dedicated to OLOC member, age 86. preserving and enhancing the Lesbian voice New Book Published by OLOC Member as well as increasing Lesbian visibility in a world that stifles it and threatens to erase it. Carol Anne Douglas has published Lancelot: Her Story, a novel in which Lancelot is a woman disguised as a man. OLOC Mission: To eliminate the oppres- sion of ageism and to stand in solidarity Guinevere is a Lesbian whose father required her to against all oppressions. marry. The book shows how women negotiate a degree OLOC Vision Statement: OLOC will be a of autonomy under patriarchy. It also has an anti-war theme. cooperative community of Old Lesbian It is available in both electronic and print form. Contact feminist activists from many backgrounds your favorite bookstore or the publisher working for justice and the well-being of all Hermione at hermionebooks.weebly.com/. Old Lesbians.

March 2016 www.oloc.org Toll free 888-706-7506 Page 2 Chapter News Champlain Region (Vermont and New New Mexico Chapter York) OLOC Chapter By Jay Daza, 1948 By Louise Brill, 1946 Our chapter has continued to support and We are excited about going to the National participate in the Department of Justice Ad- Gathering in Atlanta in October, especially vocates and Stakeholder program (see since some of us went to the last two Nation- “Update” by Maria Bautista). al Gatherings where we had a really good Our financial support of Casa Q continues, time and learned a lot. including the second donation of a three-year Christine Pattee came for a visit and has commitment for this homeless shelter for now interviewed four of us and one other local LGBT teenagers. Additionally, we continue to Lesbian for the Old Lesbians Oral Herstory interview 70+-year-old Lesbians for the Her- Project. story Project. Plans have also begun to re- The check-ins we do first at every meeting new last year’s effort to have OLOC volun- continue to be critical for our ongoing con- teers provide outreach and social interaction nection with each other and for creating and with Lesbians in Albuquerque nursing homes. nurturing our sense of community. Finding We also had the pleasure of co- out about each other’s political and social sponsoring, with National OLOC, an Alix goals, no matter how much time it takes, is Dobkin concert in Albuquerque that had a the foundation for all the other things we do. great turnout, including a strong contingent of Two of our members went to the Boston Old Lesbians from Santa Fe. Climate March, one dressed as a Concerned New activities that the chapter has begun Carrot for the Climate. Others participated in include: an outreach program to other cities Black Lives Matter events and an anti-Trump in New Mexico to increase membership and, demonstration and saw great signs there: more importantly, provide support to older “Bovines Against Blowviators” (it is a word in Lesbians outside the Albuquerque metro ar- the dictionary and means a big blowhard); ea; a monthly Games Afternoon; and a “Don’t Give In To The Fear, Muslims monthly Movie Discussion Group. (Refugees) are Welcome Here”; “New Ben & A new community-based project is also in Jerry’s ice cream flavor: Dump Trump.” A its early planning stage, utilizing the Project restaurant offered a new sandwich for Visibility materials (first developed 12 years ago $20.16: “lots of baloney on white bread.” No and updated in 2010) by the Boulder Area one was buying it, literally. Agency on Aging in conjunction with the Hudson Valley (New York) Chapter Northern Colorado OLOC chapter. Project By Retts Scauzillo, 1953 Visibility provides training to nursing home We will have our first event of 2016 on caregivers around issues of cultural sensitivity Sunday, April 10, at the LGBTQ Center of the related to LGBT patients. Hudson Valley. We plan to show Acting Our Finally, we are investigating uses of tech- Age (with free popcorn and soft drinks) fol- nology to enhance communication and to lowed by a Spring tea dance with DJ Retts. provide more opportunities for participation in We are looking forward to having a very community and social events. productive year by getting all our members to OLOC is a Wolfe Video affiliate. join National OLOC and to attend the Gather- Use this link to order from Wolfe, and OLOC will receive cash to ing in October in Atlanta. One item on our support our work: agenda is to organize a Lesbian archive at wolfevideo.com/default.asp?R=1344 our Center. This would be a wonderful project Wolfe Video is Lesbian- for our members. owned-and-operated.

March 2016 www.oloc.org Toll free 888-706-7506 Page 3 Update on New Mexico OLOC and Albu- Puget Sound OLOC is working with other lo- querque Police Department cal seniors’ groups to protest these chang- By Maria Bautista, 1947 es—and the ageism they represent. In April 2014 the US Department of Justice Aganita Varkentine of Puget Sound OLOC found that the Albuquerque Police Depart- is collaborating with PSARA (Puget Sound ment had a pattern and culture of using ex- Advocates for Retirement Action) in develop- cessive force, unconstitutional policing, and ing a workshop on Social Security and Medi- civil rights violations. For the first time in the care for representatives of various minority history of the Department of Justice, commu- groups aimed at building a statewide network nity forums were organized. New Mexico to press for Social Security/Medicare reform. OLOC member Maria Bautista was asked to Puget Sound OLOC also sent representatives facilitate the forums with help from Nyira to talk to our legislators at the State Capitol in Gitana and Ann Nihlen, also New Mexico Olympia for Senior Lobby Day on February OLOC members. 25, 2016. New Mexico OLOC, as part of a larger coa- Thanks to a GiveCamp award that supported lition, filed an Amicus Brief (Friend of the a weekend of website development, the new Court) to bring to the judge’s attention the dis- Puget Sound OLOC website features a new parities that were left out, and argued for their logo, an interactive calendar, recent Chapter inclusion. Maria Bautista and Nyira Gitana newsletters, our collaborative organizations, volunteered as community outreach coordina- resources, and more. See it at www.psoloc.org. tors and scheduled Round Tables so that the In addition, we have a new Facebook presence monitor, James Ginger, PhD, could meet with and a plan for greater use of social media to smaller groups. reach out to local Old Lesbians. Puget Sound (Washington) Chapter By Kathy Prezbindowski, 1943; Gloria Stancich, OLOC Chapters 1935; Ellen Kritzman, 1937; Aganita Varkentine, OLOC chapters and groups as of Feb. 28, 2016, 1940; and Deirdre Knowles, 1947 are Arizona (meeting in Central Arizona); Coachella At our Puget Sound OLOC quarterly meet- Valley/Palm Springs, San Francisco Bay Area, and ing on January 16, we celebrated our ninth Radical Lesbian Crones (also Bay Area), California; anniversary. About 20 women viewed the vid- Northern Colorado; Washington, DC; Atlanta, eo Light of Change. The discussion that fol- Georgia; Boston and Northampton/Pioneer Valley, lowed focused on ways we can continue our Massachusetts; St. Louis, Missouri; Albuquerque, activism even as our lives change. New Mexico; Hudson Valley, New York; Cleve- We are working in coalition with other local land and Central Ohio; Champlain Region of Ver- and state groups to stem the rising tide of mont and New York; and Puget Sound Area, Washington. ageism locally and nationally. Threats to OLOC would love to have more groups/ Medicare, Social Security, and the funding of chapters across the US. We are ready to hear services for seniors are major concerns. Lo- from you if you are interested in pursuing this. cally, United Way has severely reduced mon- ies to senior centers. Senior Services of King Have a photo to send with your article? Please County (Seattle) changed its name to “Sound send JPGs at 300 dpi without cropping or other- Generations” to better position it for funding. wise modifying. Watch for an article in the next The organization explained, “While our cur- issue with more details. rent name has served us well since Senior Services was founded in 1967, attitudes have changed.” The new name “provides a broader description of who we serve. . . people who may benefit from our services but who might never consider themselves to be ‘seniors.’”

March 2016 www.oloc.org Toll free 888-706-7506 Page 4 Want to offer a workshop at the October 5–9, 2016, Gathering in Atlanta? Gathering Across Differences: Lesbians in the South Take the Lead Organizing, Expanding, Listening, Transforming Call for Workshop Proposals Proposals for workshops for the 2016 OLOC/ZAMI NOBLA National Gathering in Atlanta, Georgia, will be accepted until May 15, 2016. We hope you will consider sharing your ex- pertise and experience with us! Preference will be given to workshops relating to our theme: Gathering Across Differences: Lesbians in the South Take the Lead, and to one or more of our focus areas: Organizing, Expanding, Listening, Transforming. Please send: 1. Workshop title. 2. Workshop description (one short paragraph). 3. Presenter’s name, age at date of Gathering, phone, e-mail, race/ethnicity/disability status, and a brief (50-word) biography. Please submit information exactly as you want to see it in the program. We may edit for length. 4. Maximum number of workshop participants. 5. Which of the four foci—Organizing, Expanding, Listening, or Transforming—best fits your workshop? 6. Materials/equipment/room set-up that you need. Limited assistance is available for supplies and/or equipment. 7. Do you need accommodations for disability or other assistance? 8. Social media connections—website, Facebook, Twitter, any other. 9. We will have a track dedicated to Lesbians 60 and over. Do you wish your workshop to be included in this track? Workshop presenters must register for the Gathering and do not receive pay. Send proposals by e-mail to [email protected] or by snail mail to ZAMI NOBLA, PO Box 90986, Atlanta, GA 30364 on or before May 15, 2016. No exceptions! You will be informed by July 1, 2016, whether or not your workshop has been accepted.

OLOC Members Have a Congressional Bill  Require the Assistant Secretary of Aging to Named for Them oversee data collection for LGBT adults, The Ruthie and Connie LGBT Elder their needs, and efficacy of state aging Americans Act of 2015, which is named to resources to meet those needs. honor LGBT activists Ruthie Berman and  Require the long-term care ombudsperson Connie Kurtz, would amend the Older to collect and analyze data regarding LGBT Americans Act (OAA) to better care for Old discrimination. LGBT Americans. Specifically, this bill would: Congratulations Ruthie and Connie and  Include LGBT older adults among women, thank you for your work on our behalf! rural, and racial and ethnic minorities as a population with the greatest economic and Next SC meeting social needs under the OAA. The next National OLOC Steering Committee meeting will be held March 9–14, 2016.  Permanently establish the National Resource If you have topics you want the Committee to Center on LGBT Aging to provide critical address, let us know at least two weeks ahead resources, information, and tools for aging of time by e-mail to [email protected], a note to the service providers to better address the PO Box in Ohio, or a phone call to 888-706-7506. needs of LGBT seniors.

March 2016 www.oloc.org Toll free 888-706-7506 Page 5 New Steering Committee Members OLOC 2015 Financial Report In October 2015, Ali Marrero-Calderon INCOME (1948) and Paij Wadley-Bailey (1939) were Individual donations 37,624 welcomed as full members of the Steering Grants* 12,250 Committee. They had served as provisional Dues from chapters 1,326 Steering Committee members from April to National Gathering 2016 October, including attending two full meetings. financial assistance 505 Ali was born in Puerto Rico Bequest 5,103 and raised as an Army Brat in Donation for Long Beach chapter 5,000 the US. Active in the Lesbian From previous MN chapter 1,935 community in California’s San Atlanta concert 2,964 Francisco/Oakland Bay Area Other 674 since 1969, she was one of Total $67,381 the first Dykes on Bikes there EXPENSES in 1976. She has been work- ing for the rights of People of Staff Color since the Briggs Initiative and helped - Administrative Coordination 22,577 coordinate security at the International Wom- - Program Coordination 2,800 en’s Conference in Houston in 1977. She is - Stipends Co-Directors 6,100 married to her partner of 15 years, Doris Muñiz, Outreach (newsletter, conferences) 10,952 another Puertoriqueña. She wants to work Ally with ZAMI NOBLA 2,360 toward parity for Lesbians of Color, especially Chapter development 2,069 more visibility for Latina/Caribbean Lesbians. Oral Herstory Project 3,015 She would love to see more Old Latina/ Atlanta concert 4,325 Caribeña Lesbians in OLOC and her goal is Supplies, equipment 3,581 to start a group for them. Steering Committee meetings 18,239 Paij Wadley-Bailey has travelled the world Other 2,552 from Lillehammer to Denmark, Geneva to Total $78,570 England, Cuba to South Africa, and Rwanda to Germany, advocating for peace, freedom, and *OLOC is supported in part by grants from the justice for everyone. She is/was Carpenter Foundation and Horizons Foundation. Director of the Vermont Anti-Racism Action Team; co-founder of Cham- OLOC is committed to: plain OLOC; National Outreach  addressing what it means to be old and Director, Stonewall 25th Anniver- to be Lesbian sary; 35-year crew member for the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival;  finding ways to gather groups of Old and recorder for Women’s Interna- Lesbians together for ongoing support tional League for Peace and Free-  challenging oppression in all of its forms, dom, to name a few involvements. Paij is an including but not limited to ageism, able- eco-feminist, bulldagger, pacifist, and great- ism, racism, anti-Semitism, classism, grandmother. She retired 10 years ago as ad- sexism, transphobia, lesbophobia and junct faculty at the University of Vermont and homophobia (these are not listed in or- Goddard College. She taught ESL at the Berk der of importance) School in New York City. Paij was raised in West Hills, Connecticut, and has been living  supporting the rights of all immigrants in Central Vermont for 43 years. She was interviewed for the Old Lesbian Oral Herstory OLOC’s Steering Committee welcomes Project (OLOHP) in 2014 and the interview constructive feedback and suggestions from members by way of mail, phone, will be part of her memoir. or e-mail.

March 2016 www.oloc.org Toll free 888-706-7506 Page 6 Media Library News Take the Power: From the creators of One Thanks to donations from OLOC members Fine Day. Kay Weaver sings the title song and others, our Media Library has expanded! while video images of 1980s women illustrate Letter to Anita, the heart-wrenching true the theme. story of Anita Bryant's anti-gay campaign, its Madeleine L’Engle: Star Gazer: An honest shattering effect on one Florida family, and self-portrait of the award-winning author of A the redemptive power of forgiveness. Donated Wrinkle in Time. by OLOC member Ronni Sanlo, the subject World of Light: A Portrait of May Sarton: A of the story. huge treat to see and hear May Sarton in her Desert Hearts: A Lesbian classic starring 60s, giving advice about creativity, being a Lesbian, and her work. Helen Shaver and Patricia Charbonneau. th Based on a novel by Jane Rule, it is “a soulful Berenice Abbott: A View of the 20 Century: portrayal of relationships between women.” This was filmed when amazing and famous If These Walls Could Talk 2: Starring photographer Abbott was 91/92. She talks Vanessa Redgrave, Chloe Sevigny, Michelle about her life, accompanied by music and Williams, Ellen DeGeneres, and Sharon images. Her thoughts on aging and old women Stone, it includes the stories of three couples are worth the entire movie. over three decades. Passionate, steamy, and (Martha requests that if you want any of funny. This and Desert Hearts donated by an these or Ishtar’s other films, you not copy anonymous donor. them but order them from her at The updated version of Project Visibility ishtarfilms.com/mm5/merchant.mvc? (we have had the old one for a long time), a Screen=PLST&Store_Code=ISHTAR or film to bring awareness and a face to the issues 800-428-7136. If you mention OLOC, Martha of aging for LGBTs that is aimed at service will waive the shipping costs. Enter the online providers to LGBT elders. Includes a manual form, and even though the shipping cost and PowerPoint. Updated 2010. Boulder comes up, she will not charge the card with it. County [Colorado] Area Agency on Aging’s There is a place to enter code or a contact Nancy Grimes, LGBT Program Specialist, where you can put in OLOC’s name.) saw to the donation. We also recently purchased: Martha Wheelock donated several of her Acting Our Age: A Film About Women wonderful movies to our Media Library. Growing Old: This classic film offers empow- Votes for Women: Celebrates the magnifi- ering insights about womyn and aging. Por- cent campaign, the ultimate victory, and the traits of six womyn in their 60s and 70s, in- path that contemporary women are taking in cluding OLOC co-founder Shevy Healey. In politics. candid interviews, they display both a vibrant Katherine Mansfield’s The Thistle Hotel, strength of spirit and an inspiring zest for life. Based on the life of Ms. Mansfield. The Passionate Pursuits of Angela Bowen: One Fine Day: An Inspiring Celebration of the OLOC member Jennifer Abod, PhD, made American Woman — Past and Present: To the this excellent film about Angela, a classical song “One Fine Day” by Kay Weaver, a series ballerina, legendary dance teacher, black Lesbian of photos of famous and not-famous women. feminist activist organizer, writer, and professor. Thank you to the donors of films and money who help us expand our collection. Save the date for the ZAMI NOBLA/ OLOC National Gathering, If you are a member of National OLOC who wants to be on OLOC’s National Yahoo e-mail list, Oct. 5–9, 2016, at the you can subscribe by going to groups.yahoo.com/ Holiday Inn Airport North neo/groups/NationalOLOC/info. If you have any in Atlanta, GA. problems, contact [email protected].

March 2016 www.oloc.org Toll free 888-706-7506 Page 7 Memorials Barbara Jean Seegert, Frey, and Susan Wiseheart, and they all 1948–2015 drove together from Springfield, Missouri. By Lynne Derus, 1951 Though she said hotel events were not really Despite challenges from her “thing” (she preferred camping), she en- dyslexia to renal cell carci- joyed it enough that she not only returned to noma, Barb lived fully and several, she also convinced three other Old zestfully. She was always Lesbians from the Ozarks to attend. She was active in disability rights, one warm, welcoming, compassionate, and kind year serving as an accessi- as her life path. She ran the Over 40s tent at bility coordinator for the National Women’s the Michigan festival, was a moving force be- Music Festival and once as disability repre- hind Midwest Wimmin’s Festival, began the sentative on the planning committee for the social group “Out in the Ozarks,” attended National Lesbian Conference. Landyke Gatherings several times, and was She felt honored to be considered a genuine involved in several other communities, in- ally to people of color. She used her white cluding supporting feral cat colonies and privilege whenever she could to make a dif- working for the welfare of animals. She is ference in others’ lives. Her Ojibway friends gravely missed by many! gave her a name meaning “good with her Amoja ThreeRivers, 1946–2015 hands.” And she was good with her hands. Amoja wrote the book Cultural Etiquette, A She excelled at every art or craft she turned Guide for the Well Intentioned. She founded to, from oil painting and copper enameling to the Womyn of Color Tent at the Michigan building a deck in one weekend. festival and at other womyn’s festivals. She She was delighted to be in Lesbian community. was “an American-born African, Choctaw, She and Anita Stahl were Lesbian Connec- Tsalagi, Ojibway Jew.” She was “into Juda- tion contact dykes for years and welcomed ism, Buddhism, quantum physics, linguistics, campers on their land. She loved festivals and speculative fiction, microbiology, and history, the lifelong friends she made there. especially Indigenous and African.” She was She had a varied employment history: a bright light to everyone in her life and is Apple computer consultant, potato harvester, deeply missed by all who knew her. early-childhood home teacher, Christmas- You can find more about Amoja at carolyn- tree planter, dishwasher, and lab dispatcher, gage.weebly.com/blog/cultural-etiquette-a- among many others. She always had a great guide-for-the-well-intentioned-by-amoja-three story to tell about every experience. -rivers She loved nature; as a small child she spent school days among the trees before entering formal schooling at age nine, and OLOC works for change by she would always say that she was “part supporting: tree.” She loved adventures, from thrift-  comprehensive immigration reform shopping and dumpster-diving and bicycling  elimination of violence against women long distances to hang-gliding and cruising the  enactment of universal single-payer Baltic in luxury with Olivia Cruises. Everyone healthcare for all who met her, even briefly, remembers her by  an end to corporate “personhood” her loving smile.  an end to any curtailment of voting rights Pat Patton, 1940–2015  the Black Lives Matter and Black Patsy died in late October, not long before Women’s Lives Matter movements we went to press for the last issue, so we promised a bit more information about her. She attended her first OLOC Gathering in 2004 in Houston with Alix Dobkin, Lucille

March 2016 www.oloc.org Toll free 888-706-7506 Page 8 Memorials Jeanne Córdova, co-founded/chaired the Butch Voices LA 1948–2016 Conference and co-founded Butch Nation; and OLOC member Jeanne published three books, including her award- Córdova was born in Germa- winning autobiography When We Were Out- ny and grew up in California. laws: A Memoir of Love and Revolution, After high school, she planned from which she read at the 2014 National to become a nun. Instead, Gathering in Oakland despite her illness. she became a social worker. Jeanne was one of the facilitators of a She earned both her BS in Social Welfare and workshop at the 2008 OLOC Gathering. MSW from UCLA. In graduate school, she She is survived by her spouse, Lynn Ballen. was president of the Los Angeles chapter of (If you missed seeing Jeanne Cordova’s eloquent Daughters of Bilitis. letter about her dying and want to read it, you can Jeanne started The Lesbian Tide, the first request it from [email protected] or by writing to national Lesbian newspaper. She founded the OLOC, PO Box 5853, Athens, OH 45701.) first Lesbian community center in Los Angeles and co-organized the International Women’s More about these two in next issue. Year Conference in Houston, the first national Rosemary Hathaway, 1929–2015 Lesbian conference, a gay and Lesbian cau- One of OLOC’s founders and longest-time cus at the 1980 Democratic National Conven- members, Rosemary died after a long illness. She tion, and the No on California Proposition 64 attended many OLOC events over the years. (LaRouche) campaign, and helped fight the anti-gay Proposition 6 Briggs Initiative. Carole Stoneking, 1937–2016 She started the Community Yellow Pages, the Carole served on the OLOC Steering Com- largest and most comprehensive LGBT direc- mittee in the early 2010s. At the 2009 OLOC tory in the US; created and published Square Regional Gathering in Columbia, South Caro- Peg Magazine (LGBT culture and literature); lina, she received the Pink Palmetto for her began LEX, The Lesbian Exploratorium, leadership in OLOC and for promoting issues devoted to Lesbian culture and history; of aging in the LGBT community.

OLOC Receives Monetary Donations Thank you to Nancy Krody for a contribution in honor of Gerry Woodroffe's birthday (hope it was a good one, Gerry!) and to Susie Sweetree, who contributed in memory of Pat Patton, who died in October 2015.

“The instinct to say, ‘See, we’re just like you,’ is frightening. It means we accept the lie that the world is okay if only we can get in on the goodies. If they’ll give us insurance, let us have babies, and wear red ribbons at the Academy Awards all is right with the world. That instinct to meld into the mainstream has to be consciously fought in order for social change to really be profound.” ~ Jewelle Gomez

If you now receive The Reporter in print and want to switch to electronic, please let us know at [email protected]. The electronic version arrives sooner, is in full color, can be made as big as you want so it's easier to see and read, and costs us less.

March 2016 www.oloc.org Toll free 888-706-7506 Page 9 Food Stamps Profit the Rich Classic Feminist T-shirt Makes Comeback In keeping with OLOC’s current focus on The original “The Future is Female” t-shirt the issue of class, here is a story about food design was made by Labyris Books, the first stamps from the Indian Summer 2015 edition women's bookstore of the excellent Mother Warrior’s Voice put in New York City. In out by Welfare Warriors (welfarewarriors.org/), 1975, photographer led by OLOC member Pat Gowens in Liza Cowan took a Milwaukee. picture of Alix Dobkin, We all know how Walmart keeps its work- her girlfriend at the ers in poverty and depends on government time, wearing the t-shirt. Fast forward to welfare to supplement their low pay. Then Walmart makes a mint selling their workers groceries paid for with food stamps. So Walmart profits double off taxpayers—and 2015, when graphic workers’ misery. designer Rachel Berks, who sells Banks also rake in millions off food stamps. feminist products Remember when the banks lobbied Congress from her studio-store, to change from paper to plastic food stamps? Otherwild, re-created JPMorgan is the country’s largest processor the shirt and began of food stamps. An employee stated, “This is selling it, with 25% of a very important business to JPMorgan in profits going to Planned Parenthood. Here are terms of its size and scale.” According to the then-and-now photos of Alix wearing this company’s most recent quarterly filing, the iconic shirt. Liza is an OLOC member and Treasury and Securities Services (the division Alix is now our Co-Director. that includes the food stamp business) brought Ageism in $5.47 billion in net revenue for 2010. By Susan Wiseheart, 1941 So JP Morgan helped gut the economy, got Here are a few ageist terms from a memoir saved with billions from US taxpayers and is I was reading about residents of a nursing now profiting from the misery of the poor at the home, written by one of them. expense of the American taxpayer again. old bird senile old bat L-Fund Annual Gala hag old bag The annual L-Fund Gumbo Gala was held game old bird old biddy on February 20, 2016, honoring Lucy and Gail spinster old witch (Lucy DeBardeban and Gail Christian) who a woman of a received the Bobreta Franklin Community certain age Service Award for their many years of work with the Lesbian community. The L-Fund is a Do you have others you would like to add nonprofit organization supporting Lesbians in to a list of ageist terms? It helps us to have the Palm Springs, California, area. Steering good examples when we go out and talk Committee member Ruth Debra is one of the about ageism and how it affects old people, founders and an active organizer. especially Old Lesbians.

“Please stop debating about whether or not I aged OLOC T-Shirts Denim Shirts well. Youth and beauty are not accomplishments, Sweatshirts Cloisonné Lapel Pins they’re the temporary happy by-products of time Buttons And More! and/or DNA.” ~ Carrie Fisher, regarding peoples’ Go to www.oloc.org/market/ comments on how she has aged after they saw her market.html. in The Force Awakens

March 2016 www.oloc.org Toll free 888-706-7506 Page 10 03/2016

OLOC NONPROFIT PO Box 5853 U.S. POSTAGE PAID Athens, OH 45701 ATHENS, OH PERMIT NO. 82 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Time to Renew? If your label says 2016.03 (meaning 2016 March) or earlier, your membership or support has ended and it is time to renew.

2016 ZAMI NOBLA/OLOC National Gathering Atlanta, GA, October 5–9, 2016 Holiday Inn Airport North Hope to see you there!