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Old Lesbians Organizing

for Change

2012 National Gathering in Boston, Massachusetts

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2011 Pacific Northwest Regional Gathering

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2010 National Gathering in Cleveland, Ohio

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2009 Regional Gathering in Columbia, South Carolina

OLOC Regional Gathering a Huge Success

The OLOC Regional Gathering got under way in Columbia, South Carolina, on Friday afternoon, July 17, 2009, with a mixer led by Dr. Jean Boudreaux ( Shewolf). This informal activity invited women to connect with new people, to set meeting times, and to gather contact information. 

After dinner, we were welcomed by a representative from Columbia’s mayor followed by an inspiring address by Harriet Hancock, who spoke on “Activism as We Age.” Harriet, who was instrumental in forming South Carolina Pride, PFLAG and the Harriet Hancock Center which supports LGBT programs, told her story of being awakened to LGBT concerns through her gay son’s coming out process.

OLOC’s Carole Stoneking was presented with the prestigious “Order of the Pink Palmetto Award,” and Paige Averette from East Carolina State University summarized her on-line study of Old Lesbians. The day concluded with an inspiring concert by Barbara Ester and Beth York. Old Lesbians deserve a good time and day one delivered.

Saturday opened bright and early with a line dancing workshop led by Sally Tatnall.  With our energy level high, we enjoyed a panel discussion on “Old Pride” presented by steering committee members, Myra Brahms, Carole Stoneking, Ruth Debra and Sally Tatnall. Small group discussions followed with everyone being given the opportunity to connect with our pride and share stories about our accomplishments. 

The afternoon offered a variety of workshops. Sally led a presentation and discussion on learning how to resist the untruths about ageism. Carole showed us the benefits of a relaxing massage. Barb Esterand and Beth York discussed the power of women’s music, including a journey into music of the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s.  Chris Roerden, author of Don’t Murder Your Mystery, explained the mystery of writing and publishing our stories.

After a late afternoon of unwinding in the pool and chatting with friends, we danced and partied to the music of DJ Tammy Rast, and singer Carol Brooks treated us to a performance of a song she had written and dedicated to Harriet Hancock.

The final day of the Gathering began with a large and varied brunch followed by a panel discussion on the importance of activism led by Mandy Carter. Panel members, Chris Roerden, Sally Tatnall, Judy Benson and Lavender talked about the impact activism has made on our physical, mental, and emotional health. 

The final activity of our weekend was a bus tour of Columbia which included a visit to historical sites, theaters, and the L Word, Columbia’s Lesbian bar.

Thanks to our steering committee for an excellent regional conference.
By Judy Benson, 1946, July 2009

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2008 National Gathering in Los Angeles California Dreaming Building a Better World for Every Old Lesbian July 30 - August 3, 2008 Hacienda Hotel Los Angeles, California

2008 National Gathering Photos Observations of an OLOC Virgin (September 2008)      As we say in OLOC, I’m Marcia Perlstein, age 63, from Puget Sound, Washington and SF Bay Area chapters of OLOC. My virginal national experience was the OLOC “California Dreaming” Gathering this summer.      At my first national gathering of OLOC I found passion, hopefulness, warmth and sincere efforts to educate ourselves about all the "isms" which permeate our larger culture and can find our way into our group. I’ve never been part of a group so attentive to the personal and political concerns of its members than our OLOC. We attempted to deal with ageism, racism, classism, and ableism. We talked openly about preparing for inevitable increasing disability and eventual death.      We were respectful of differences; moved seamlessly from heartfelt emotion to joyful celebration. We honored our founders, foremothers, steering committee, conference organizers and the folks who served our food and set up our rooms. We asked for what we needed from accessibility and practical concerns to hugs and "remember to tell me how beautiful my sparkling shirt is!"      The Memorial Service, led empathically and adroitly by our own Shaba Barnes brought our deceased sisters and late foremothers into the room with all of us. Though the workshops were too numerous to re-cap in this brief article, it is important to note the range, breadth and depth of knowledge, skills and compassion we have amongst us.      Suzanne Bellamy from Australia’s Lost Culture of Women’s Liberation was quirky,original, funny and outstandingly artistic. The talent show included playwright/actress Terry Baum’s excerpt of her one woman show; Ivy Bottini’s stand-up; Susan Wiseheart’s belly dancing. The rest of us had spirited vim, vigor and chutzpah underlying our moments at the microphone. Another veryspecial contribution was the 30-year reunion of the Los Angeles Women’s Community Chorus. They came together from points afar in honor of our gathering. OLOC singers assembled on site and sang several pieces with the chorus.      More talent was showcased through Mothertongue Feminist Theater, with their performance of their Disability script. In the usual tradition of this group, it was poignant, funny, courageous. They wrote and performed complex thoughts, casting a lens on the multi-faceted prism of living with grave difficulties. The performance generated an intimate conversation in a group of more than 200 women. People in the audience still remembered Mothertongue’s performance at the 1st National Lesbian Conference in Atlanta in 1991!      Other notable contributions continue long-term. The project with the greatest longevity is Arden Eversmeyerís Old Lesbians Oral Herstory Project.      The artfulness of the steering committee and other conference organizers was that their hard work, focus on abundance of detail appeared seamless but we all know the multitude of hours of contact and preparation this final result took.      While the details need to be determined, we are all aware that we will continue the work we’ve been doing for many years, for the life of our organization.

2006 National Gathering in Durham, North Carolina

Leave No Old Lesbian Behind!
August 17 to 20, 2006
Sheraton Imperial Hotel
Durham, North Carolina

The following women were speakers at the conference

Suzanne Pharr founded the Women's Project in Arkansas in 1981, was a co-founder of Southerners on New Ground in 1984, and was the director of the Highlander Center from 1999 to 2004. She is an organizer and political strategist who has spent her adult life working to build a broad-based social and economic justice movement. She works currently with Southerners On New Ground (SONG). Suzanne is the author of "Homophobia: A Weapon of Sexism," (1988) and "In the Time of the Right: Reflections on Liberation," (1996), both published by Chardon Press. Her books explore the links between all forms of oppression - race, gender, class, sexual orientation and age.

 

Mandy Carter, who was recently a keynote speaker at the national NOW conference in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the nation's leading African-American activists She has organized the grassroots in almost every major region of this country over the past 30 years. A noted speaker on LGBT rights and winner of the Stonewall Award, Mandy has served as a consultant for the National Black Lesbian and Gay Leadership Forum. Mandy recently concluded three years of work as the Executive Director of SONG (Southerners On New Ground) which was founded in the vision of black and white southern lesbians to build movements across the South that connect race, class, culture, gender and sexual identity.

Alix Dobkin 

 

Report on OLOC Gathering 2006, Leave No Old Lesbian Behind
by Jan Griesinger, 63

OLOC held its first national gathering in the Southern United States, August 17–20, in Durham, North Carolina. Southern women responded in large numbers: 54 of a total of 125 Old Lesbians attended the event from 26 states and one woman from Norway. Women came from Hawaii, Maine, Washington, Florida, New York, and many states in between. An additional 30 women came to the banquet, the concert by Alix Dobkin, and the dance. Scholarship funds to help women attend the Gathering came from 28 individual donors as well as the Gill Foundation, Silver Threads, National Center for Lesbian Rights, and the Astrea Foundation for Justice.

These generous donations made it possible for 21 Old Lesbians to attend the Gathering who could not otherwise have afforded doing so. For the first time, OLOC held an intergenerational dialogue for local Lesbians the night before the Gathering began. The meeting room was packed to overflowing with 62 women from their 20s to their 70s. Ageism was the topic and discussion was lively. Energy was high throughout the Gathering. Comments included: “We’ve never had anything like this before around here.” “This is the most organized conference I’ve ever attended.” “You were leaders without being authoritative.” “This conference is really exciting.” All are testimonies to the power of Old Lesbians joining together to sing, laugh, share stories, protest injustice, strategize for change, enjoy eating and dancing. Written evaluations are still being compiled.

We expect these evaluations to highlight those areas in which things were not done as well as they should have been and note improvements needed the next time around. Women in the session for the differently abled had many suggestions for making the Gathering even more accessible in the future. Suzanne Pharr and Mandy Carter engaged in a stimlating face-to-face dialogue on “Race and Class: Bringing Us Together or Keeping Us Apart.” This was followed by smaller discussion groups of women of color and white women meeting in different locations. OLOC acknowledges that it has a long way to go to be sure that women of color and poor women are truly welcome.

Workshops and discussions covered many topics of interest, including:
1. Lesbian Lives Aloud: Encouraging women to write their own experiences, and these were crafted into a presentation.
2. How to be Your Own Medical Advocate
3. Housing for Old Lesbians
4. Dare I Fall in Love Again and Do I Want To?
5. Loss and Grief
6. Differently Abled in Organizational Settings
7. Activism and You
8. Energy, Healing and You
9. Building OLOC Community
10. Lesbians Empowered to Resist Race and Class
11. Lesbian Land Communities
12. The Well-being of You
13. Mobilizing People of Faith as Allies to Our Movement
14. Timelines: Memoir Writing

An exciting panel presentation on “Ageism and Lesbophobia” included Shaba Barnes, Alix Dobkin, Mina Meyer, and Sharon Raphael.

There was a legal clinic to offer information on elder law rights. Three new videos shown during free time attracted a standing-room-only crowd. (See page 3 for more details.) The banquet buffet on Saturday evening in the hotel ballroom began a fine social evening that featured awards to prominent Old Lesbians and organizations: to Catherine Nicholson, founder of the lesbian magazine, Sinister Wisdom; to Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon (in absentia), founders of Daughters of Bilitis; to Ladyslipper Music; to Astrea, Lesbian Foundation for Justice; and to the National Action Foundation.

Saturday evening also included a concert by Alix Dobkin who had Old Lesbians standing on their feet with strong energy and admiration. Following the concert, the dance floor was very crowded. Big smiles were on all the faces.

A silent auction to benefit OLOC was held for the first time. Beautifully designed by Shaba Barnes, the auction raised $2,100. Successful bidders went home with fine crafts, gift certificates, a week at a Cape Cod cottage, and many other items. The event concluded with a Memorial honoring our foremothers planned by Shaba Barnes.

A fine visual presentation featured photos of many women whose names appear on our OLOC Memorial Plaque. Participants were invited to name and honor women in their own lives, placing a rose petal in a bowl of water as their names were called out.

 

My Gathering Experience
by Patricia Voelker

I wasn't sure what to expect when I googled "old lesbians" earlier this summer and stumbled across OLOC's website but, when I saw the conference would be close enough to drive, I knew I had to go.

This was the first gathering in which I, at 66, wasn't the oldest person — lesbian or not. That, in itself, brought personal challenges and insight. I thought I was the only "late bloomer" there until I brought up that issue in the fishbowl and discovered I was one among many. As more and more told of coming out… or having mothers who came out… in their 60's, I lost that alone feeling. I met one interesting woman after another. I heard so much laughter and spirited conversation that I had to leave the room occasionally just to rest my ears! The group who kept the hospitality suite stocked were a true blessing.

This was a wonderful, eye-opening experience. I'm so glad OLOC came South just when I was ready to attend. Alix's concert was great and I'd love to have the words to the "terrorist" song. All the meetings I attended were well-worth my time. The memorial spoke to a need deep in the heart of individual and group. Those who hurried to minister with grace and presence to one who was grieving freely for the first time were truly angels.

Lastly, I was surprised at the number of women who spoke of activism but aren't out. I'm told that's because it wasn't safe to come out when younger so they moved away from family to live an activist lifestyle. That's another part of my learning curve. For all I learned and for all I have yet to learn, I thank the lesbians of OLOC for your part in my education.

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Housing Workshop Report
Sally Tatnall, 64

In our session we talked about what we desired and how we might achieve those desires. We want Lesbian/Gay-friendly caretakers when needed, diversity and acceptance. We do not want to be isolated. We want the maintenance of living to be taken care of. We want mobility and the ability to stay in the area in which we currently live. We want to live with Lesbians and not have a corporate set-up. Most important was staying independent as long as possible.

For the most part, everyone in the session liked where she lived and was not willing to compromise very much to achieve all the desires she had. Some women live alone, others with a partner. There was talk of some Lesbians getting together to live and pay for the work they became unable to do as they aged. This raised the issue of private space vs. shared space.

Some women lived on land in the country and had other other Lesbians in their community. These women seemed well organized but were still anxious about declining old age. One of the land groups is already experimenting with adult day care. One question was, “How can I stay in the country?” The need for the city when we cannot do what we have to was clear. While most women are able to live their whole lives in the home of their choosing, there is still concern about being placed in a nursing home. The Lesbians in this session expressed an interest in OLOC’s acting as a clearinghouse for information on housing options.

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Videos Shown at the Gathering

The following three videos were shown and enthusiastically received at the recent Gathering:

High Heels on Wheels, by filmmakers Donna Cassyd and Leslie Sloan, about the Lesbians in the Roller Derby in the 1940s, 50s and 60s.

Fairness For All Families, distributed by the South Carolina Equality Coalition to fight against amending the state constitution to ban any form of legal recognition or protection for Gays, Lesbians, and their families. The election is this November.

The Dyke March, filmed by Cathy Cade of the march held in San Francisco the night before the giant, annual Gay Pride March. Multicultural and multiracial, it makes you want to attend the next one.