Jean O'Leary
Jean O'Leary | |
---|---|
Born | Kingston, New York, U.S. | March 4, 1948
Died | June 4, 2005 San Clemente, California, U.S. | (aged 57)
Known for | Lesbian feminist and Gay liberation activist; founder of Lesbian Feminist Liberation and co-founder of National Coming Out Day |
Jean O'Leary (March 4, 1948 – June 4, 2005) was an
In 1977 O'Leary organized the first meeting of gay leaders at the White House and then organized the passing of a sexual preference resolution for NOW at Houston's Metropolitan Community Church.[1] Before becoming a lesbian and gay rights activist, she was a Roman Catholic religious sister. She would later write about her experience in a 1985 anthology, Lesbian Nuns: Breaking Silence.[2]
Early life
O'Leary was born in
Activism
In 1971 O'Leary moved to
In 1977 O'Leary organized the first meeting of gay rights activists at the
In November 1977, O'Leary was a speaker at the
O'Leary was among three openly gay delegates to the
During the early 1980s, O'Leary focused on building National Gay Rights Advocates, then one of the largest national gay and lesbian rights groups. It was one of the first to respond to the
She co-founded National Coming Out Day with Rob Eichberg in 1988.[6]
Radical lesbian feminism
In a speech given at the 1973 Christopher Street Liberation Day, O'Leary read a statement on behalf of 100 women that read, in part, "We support the right of every person to dress in the way that she or he wishes. But we are opposed to the exploitation of women by men for entertainment or profit."
In the early 1970s, O'Leary and other
O'Leary was referring to the Lavender Menace, a description by second wave feminist Betty Friedan for attempts by members of the National Organization for Women (NOW) to distance themselves from the perception of NOW as a haven for lesbians. As part of this process, Rita Mae Brown and other lesbians who had been active in NOW were forced out. They staged a protest in 1970 at the Second Congress to Unite Women, and earned the support of many NOW members, finally gaining full acceptance in 1971.[14]
Personal life
She and her
O'Leary died on June 4, 2005, in San Clemente, California, of lung cancer, aged 57.[3]
Legacy
[Jean O'Leary] helped the women's movement to recognize the universal cost of homophobia, and the gay movement to see that marginalizing the voices of lesbians would only diminish its power.
Season 2, episodes 4 and 5 of the podcast Making Gay History are about her.[15]
O'Leary, and her advocacy for the inclusion of lesbian and gay rights in the 1977 National Women's Conference, is portrayed by Canadian actress Anna Douglas in the FX television miniseries Mrs America.[16]
Notes
- ^ At the time, the term "gay" was commonly used to refer to all lesbian and gay people. Those we now refer to as transgender, and gay-identified bisexuals, were also included under this term if they participated socially in the lesbian and gay community. However, the umbrella terms "LGBT", "transgender", and "queer" were not yet in popular usage during these years.
References
- ISBN 9781451694123.
- OCLC 11573398.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
- OCLC 24797895.
- ^ "1977 National Women's Conference: A Question of Choices", 1977-11-21, The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia, American Archive of Public Broadcasting
- ^ "Robert Eichberg, 50, Gay Rights Leader". The New York Times. August 15, 1995. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
- ^ Jean O'Leary of Lesbian Feminist Liberation Speaks at 1973 NYC Pride (video). June 1973. Event occurs at 00:58. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
- OCLC 915505315.
- ^ Martin, Douglas (May 24, 2000). "Lee Brewster, 57, Style Guru For World's Cross-Dressers". The New York Times. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
- ^ Nichols, Jack (n.d.). "Lee Brewster Dies at 57: Pioneering Transvestite Activist". Gay Today. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
- OCLC 40668240.
- ^ OCLC 26854943.
- OCLC 1082454306.
- OCLC 14904421.
- ^ "Season Two". Making Gay History. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- ^ Channing, Cornelia (May 13, 2020). "What's Fact and What's Fiction in Mrs. America's Episode About Bella Abzug". Slate. Retrieved July 28, 2020.