Projects
Martin-Lyons Old Lesbian Pride Award
Created to honor Phyllis Lyon, 1924-2020, and Del Martin, 1921-2008—activists, pathfinders, and OLOC affiliates—the $500 Award will be presented to a Lesbian 70 years or older whose life and work have impacted and will continue to impact the lives of Old Lesbians.
The recipient of the Del Martin Phyllis Lyon award is honored at our Gatherings. Nominations may submit nine months before the Gathering convenes.
Del and Phyllis were out, proud, and unapologetic when few were. They forged an enduring image that continues to inspire generations of Lesbians around the globe. In 1955, with others, they co-founded The Daughters of Bilitis, the first US Lesbian organization, and they also published the groundbreaking monthly newsletter, The Ladder, the first nationally-distributed Lesbian publication. In 1972, they co-wrote the equally groundbreaking book Lesbian/Woman. Their writing and tireless activism on behalf of women earned much praise, many awards, and an invitation to the White House, and drew upon the great strengths of Lesbian tradition, advancing our visibility and pride and carrying that heritage forward.
In April 2020, following Phyllis’s death, the Award was renamed from the Del Martin Old Lesbian Pride Award to the Martin-Lyon Old Lesbian Pride Award to reflect the fact that their work was done together as partners.
2023 Award
Linda L. Wilson, 1949, has been the Production and Stage Manager of the National Women’s Music Festival (NWMF) since 1987. She has filled numerous other positions for women’s music events and festivals around the country through Willow Productions, including in Kansas City, Missouri, where she lived for many years. She serves on the Board of Directors of Women in the Arts (which produces NWMF) and produced and hosted WomanSong on KKFI 90.1 FM every Saturday for 32 years, where she featured the music of international, national, and local women in all genres of music.
Linda has been at the forefront of women’s music and culture and continues to provide the soundtrack for countless Lesbians, old and young.
Previous Winners
- 2022 Award: Elana Dykewomon, 1949–2022
- 2019 Award: Ruth Berman, 1934, and Connie Kurtz, 1936-2018
- 2017 Award: Carol Anne Douglas, 1946
- 2014 Award: Arden Eversmeyer, 1931 & Joan Emerson, 1935
- 2012 Award: Joy D. Griffith, 1935
- 2010 Award: Kathy Glass, 1932-2014, and Carmah Lawler, 1929-2020, (partners for 32 years)
Memorial Slide Show
OLOC 2023 Memorial Slide Show (20 minutes).
Created by Mev Miller for the OLOC 2023 International Gathering in Tempe, AZ. This slideshow includes suggestions/notices provided since the Gathering in 2019. It also includes a nod to Alix Dobkin who, in previous Gatherings, would introduce the Memorial presentations by singing Bright Morning Star.
Created by Mev Miller for the OLOC 2023 International Gathering in Tempe, AZ. This slideshow includes suggestions/notices provided since the Gathering in 2019. It also includes a nod to Alix Dobkin who, in previous Gatherings, would introduce the Memorial presentations by singing Bright Morning Star.
Send tributes to:
OLOC
P.O. BOX 100129
Cranston, RI 02910
or email us at info@oloc.org
OLOC 2019 Memorial Slide Show (26 minutes).
Created by Mev Miller for the OLOC 2019 Gathering in Columbus, OH.
It includes a composite of Memorials created between 2006 – 2019 Gathering.
Music and lyrics available here…
You can memorialize your Old Lesbian friends and mentors who have died. We may have missed someone or have incomplete information or no photo. If you can help with any of these things, please let us know at info@oloc.org. We especially need the years of birth and death, and the most recent photo available. Thank you.