Gathering 2023_no date
OLOC Gathering 2023
Love, Laughter, and Resilience

November 15-19, 2023

DoubleTree by Hilton Phoenix Tempe
2100 South Priest Drive 85282
Tempe, AZ 85282

The OLOC Gathering welcomes Old/Elder Lesbians who have reached their 55th year.
Women of all ages are welcome to attend evening programs.

For FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) CLICK HERE

Workshop Schedule, Descriptions, and Presenter Bios — Please download to your devices.

Pre-Gathering Events – Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023
Pre-Gathering events are FREE and INCLUDE lunch.

Lesbians of Color Day

Wednesday November 15, 2023
TIME: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

LOC Day is for Lesbians who identify and have lived differently because of their Color/Ethnic background to be guided in building strength together by learning how our cultural upbringings have united or separated us.

LOC Day includes:
1 night hotel room on Tuesday, Nov. 14

Facilitated by Maria ‘Papusa’ Molina, Ph.D.

MORE DETAILS ABOUT PAPUSA

White Lesbians Examine Unconscious Racism Day

Wednesday November 15, 2023
TIME: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

What’s included
Lunch will be provided

Facilitators:
Arden Tucker, a Black lesbian, is a healer, AMFT, speaker, panelist, trainer, and facilitator who holds a Master’s of Science in Counseling and a BA in Psychology. She is certified by Community Healing Network (CHN)/ Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi) to facilitate Emotional Emancipation Circles (EEC) and Safe Black Space (SBS)healing circles. Equally important she is and has been a mental health consumer advocate, locally and state wide, for over 29 years. Arden fights for the rights of LGBTQ, BIPOC, and Disability Rights by serving on national, state, county, and local commissions, councils, committees and collaboratives. In an effort to help continue their respective anti racism work, Arden has collaborated with UCDavis Hospital, Boston College, Yale University, and Pro Publica investigative news outlet.  She works to advance racial healing, cultural humility and sensitivity by facilitating workshops, seminars, and webinars. Arden works to lift the voices of marginalized communities wherever she has a seat at the table. She is a firm believer in – “If they won’t give you a seat at the table, bring your own chair!” Arden practices self-care by drawing, reading, browsing in bookstores, and binging on good Norwegian detective series. Arden can be contacted at hopeequalslife@yahoo.com

Renee Harcum, about Renee coming soon.

OLOC TALENT SHOW!

Thursday, November 16.
We need your talents! We’re inviting you! So..Bring it!

This year is the first face to face Gathering since the Pandemic! In honor of Indegenous Peoples month, in Tempe, AZ. November 15-19 2023. Love, Laughter and Resilience. We’re having a Talent Show. Come and show off what you got!

Award-Winning Documentary Screening

Nelly & Nadine
Friday Nov 17, 2-3:30pm

Nelly & Nadine is the unlikely love story between two women falling in love on Christmas Eve, 1944, in the Ravensbrück concentration camp. Despite being separated in the last months of the war, Nelly and Nadine manage to later reunite and spend the rest of their life together. For many years their love story was kept a secret, even to some of their closest family. Now Nelly’s grandchild, Sylvie, has decided to open Nelly and Nadine’s unseen personal archives and uncover their remarkable story.
Streaming on Amazon now! Free with a Prime membership.

KEYNOTE Address
Bettina Aptheker
Friday, Nov. 17 at 7:30 pm

Bettina Aptheker (1944), Lesbian, who received her Ph.D. in History of Consciousness from UC Santa Cruz, has been honored with the Award for Excellence in Education by the California chapter of the National Organization for Women. She was recently named a prestigious University of California Presidential Chair in Feminist Critical Race and Ethnic Studies at UC Santa Cruz. For more than four decades, Bettina Aptheker, UC Santa Cruz Distinguished Professor Emerita, gave UCSC students an unforgettable immersion in feminist history.

Aptheker embodies her credo “the personal is political” in her books as well as her courses, and her latest work, Communists In Closets: Queering the History 1930s–1990s (Routledge) is already drawing rave reviews. She lives in Santa Cruz with her wife, Kate Miller.

Laugh Fest
with Karen Williams (1952)

Saturday, Nov. 18 at 7:30 pm

Karen Williams has the unique distinction of being the nation’s first openly Lesbian Black comic to include specifically Lesbian material in her act. Her solo comedy special “I Need a Snack” filmed live in Hollywood — and produced by Andrea Meyerson of AllOut Films — is a LOGO TV favorite and available on DVD.

Other
Activities
to Expect…

  • Workshops
  • Films
  • Chapter Coordinators’ Meeting
  • New Chapters Organizing
  • Caucuses
  • Memorial Slide Show
  • Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Plenary
  • Choir (Practice & Performance)
  • Dancing
  • Laughter – Fun – Discussions – Old Lesbians – and so much more….

Best Lesbian event I have attended in so many years. Real live intelligent, thinking Lesbian feminists looking at real issues while having fun. Friendliest bunch of women I have met in many years.

— Rand Hall, 1945

Details & Registration Information

Registration Fees
The registration fee covers all programming and several meals:

  • Snacks (Thursday & Friday)
  • Lunch (Saturday)
  • Dinners (Thursday & Friday)

WHOLE GATHERING (Wed. – Sun.) – Registration Fees
Early #1 – Pay BEFORE August 1 – $350
EXTENDED to SEPTEMBER 15
Early #2 – Pay BEFORE October 1 – $400
Full Price or Pay AFTER October 1 – $500
Fee for those receiving Financial Assistance (When confirmed) – $100

BY THE DAY
Thursday (WHOLE Day
with Dinner) – $100
Thursday – Dinner ONLY – $50
Friday (WHOLE Day with Dinner & Keynote) – $100
Friday – Dinner & Keynote ONLY – $50
Saturday (WHOLE Day with Comic & Dance) – $125
Saturday – Comic & Dance ONLY – $75
Saturday – Dance ONLY – $25

Registration does not cover lodging, transportation, or the rest of your meals.

Financial Assistance is available with request (see below).

Please consider making a contribution for your scooter if needed while at the hotel; we will try to assign hotel rooms nearest the Convention Center.

Important Gathering Participation Information

Download Communitiy Agreements

Community Agreements for
2023 International Gathering
Acuerdos comunitarios para
Encuentro Internacional 2023

Download Dialogue Etiquette

GET INVOLVED!

Thank you to all the volunteers that helped make the 2023 Gathering so successful!

Visit the 2019 Gathering photo galleries

Thanks to everyone for making my first Gathering one of the best adventures of my Lesbian life!

— Laurie, 1941

The 2023 OLOC International Gathering is brought to you by many volunteers and the Steering Committee.
Contact: info@oloc.org

Past Gatherings

2022 Gathering

LEARN MORE

2019 Gathering

LEARN MORE

2017 Gathering

LEARN MORE

2014 Gathering

LEARN MORE
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