Administrator
Susan Wiseheart
–born in 1941. I became anti-racist at a very young age and until feminism caught me, that was my main activist work besides peace work during Vietnam. I was an anti-racist, a hippy, a feminist, and a Lesbian in that order. It wasn’t long after coming out that I embraced separatism and I never gave it up, despite many old friends claiming that for them it was a “phase.” My 40 full years of attendance at Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival (yes, I went to all of them) added to my consciousness about many other isms. I learned so much about sexism, anti-Semitism, ableism, classism, looksism, speciesism, capitalism, ageism, and others on The Land and at my home in Grand Rapids, where we created an organization, Aradia, to do our work as Lesbians. My move to the Ozarks in 1989 was another life-changing event. I still live in the Ozarks, where I added environmentalism to my outlook in a much bigger way than it had been included before. I’ve been a contract worker for OLOC since 2007 and my education continues due to being an Old Lesbian engaged with other Old Lesbians. Another big part of my life was having two amazing children, one of each, who are fabulous supportive adults, one with children of her own, my wonderful grandsons.
Support Coordinator
Mev
–born in 1955. I’ve been a Lesbian community cultural worker and activist since I first came out in 1980. [Curious detail–I’m an XX, never-het Lesbian!] I produced a weekly Lesbian radio show for 10 years, worked in the Feminist Bookstore Movement for 20+ years, wrote dozens of articles and book reviews, and have created “good trouble” for many years. Currently, I am the Instigator/Lesbrarian for a developing Lesbian archive/library in Rhode Island called Wanderground. I aspired to join OLOC when I was in my 40s, after selling books on behalf of THE Amazon Bookstore at the OLOC Gathering in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1996. I waited (impatiently) until my partner turned 60 (two years ahead of me). I started volunteering in 2018 when I organized the OLOC chapter in Rhode Island. I then agreed to produce the Memorial Slide Show for the 2019 Gathering. Since then, I’ve assumed more responsibilities making use of my multiple talents … OLOC Support Coordinator (database management), Zoom Crew Facilitator, Email Designer, Strategic Planning participant, and several other miscellaneous responsibilities. Supporting OLOC with my talents has reinvigorated my commitment to Lesbian life, culture, activism, and community.
Web Design/Web Maintenance
Barbara Gottlieb
–born in 1950 in New York City, NY. I’m a graphic and web designer. I received a BFA from Syracuse University and studied art at Pratt Institute and the Art Students League. I worked at some of the major retail stores in New York in the advertising departments and moved to Los Angeles in 1982. I’ve have been here ever since. I served on the Board of the South Bay Gay and Lesbian Center in Torrance and edited and designed their newsletter. I’ve worked with a lot of the non-profits in the area: Los Angeles LGBT Center, Vox Femina, Outfest, One National Gay & Lesbian Archives, and The Palm Springs Women’s Jazz Festival. And now I’m the web designer for Old Lesbians Organizing for Change.
Proofreader/Copy Editor, The Reporter
Nancy E. Krody
–born in 1939 in Cincinnati, Ohio. I received a B.A. in political science and sociology from Ohio State University in 1960. I was often “the” Lesbian invited to speak to gay religious groups to help them understand why Lesbians were not breaking down the doors to get in. Or I was invited to speak to national church meetings because other Lesbians and gay men were unable to be publicly visible for fear of losing their jobs. I am the coordinator of the United Church of Christ Open and Affirming Coalition for the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference of the UCC. I’ve retired after 45 years as managing editor of the Journal of Ecumenical Studies at Temple University (1973-2018), but still do copyediting voluntarily for J.E.S. From 1999 to 2017, my life partner was Pat Szabo, M.D., with whom I lived in Springfield, Pennsylvania until Pat’s death. We were married on December 27, 2014. I’ve been copyediting the OLOC newsletter for several years.
Former Co-Editor, The Reporter
Jennice Thomas
–born in 1940. I’m a Lesbian; actually, I was born Lesbian, having a crush on Debbie Reynolds, with her photos covering my bedroom wall when I was 13, and first romance and sexual experience with my best friend in high school when I was 17. Actually, when I was just a little kid, I told my family—who insisted “when you get married . . .” — that I would never marry and clean up any man’s crumbs (my assessment of the work women did for men). I am a retired English professor. Feminist theory as it was developing in the 70s made graduate study in literature interesting enough to pursue a PhD. My dissertation, Coming Home to Mother: Feminist Utopian Visions, 1880–1980, attempted to explain the role that visions of feminist societies play in the development of feminist theory. A summer, 1975, at Sagaris, an experimental feminist university, and membership, 1980, in Spiral Womyn’s Land, were my attempts to glimpse a feminist future here and now. Since I’ve retired, I’ve occupied my time with helping to edit The Reporter for OLOC and serving as Vice President for five years of CCAL (the Center for Continuing Adult Learning). I also take classes at CCAL and taught a class in feminist utopia and a class on Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own.
Former Layout Artist/Designer, The Reporter
Malinda McCain
–born in 1940 in Indiana. I moved to Michigan after graduating from college and have lived here ever since, in a few different locations. I was nearly 40 years old when I realized I was Lesbian, but looking back, I see that I had many crushes on girls/women through the years. I just didn’t understand until I had Lesbian friends. I don’t remember how I first heard about OLOC – I became a supporter because I wasn’t quite the requisite age for membership at the time. Susan Wiseheart and I have been friends since our children were young (in the early 1970s), even home-schooling them together for a short time. An early event after coming out was discovering Alix Dobkin’s “Lavender Jane Loves Women” album – I practically wore out the vinyl playing it so much. In 1987, I met my partner, Janice Webster, and we were married in 2015. Around 1970, I became self-employed, doing copyediting for publishers and individuals, which I continue to do. Before that, I had done many different things, including publishing a newsletter about cats (“Fuzzy Friends”), working as a nurse, doing medical transcription, and teaching medical terminology. Now I am semi-retired; my favorite job is doing the layout of The Reporter. It’s fun – like working a puzzle!
Former Videographer/Photographer/
Memorial Slide Show Producer/Mailing List Guru
Cristina Vegas
–born in 1945 [written by Susan Wiseheart]. Cristina was in on the very beginnings of OLOC, despite not yet being 60, because her partner, Barbara Kalish, was “old enough.” The two of them attended all of the meetings and Gatherings, with Cristina videotaping and/or photographing the proceedings for many years. She provided her videos and photos to OLOC in the most generous of ways and eventually offered copies to our affiliates for very low prices. When the Lesbians who began the Memorial Slide Show went on to other projects, Cristina took it over and continued producing it from then until the 2017 Gathering, adding photos and dates, keeping track of it all, and giving it an appropriate sound track. Everything she did and does for OLOC was and is done out of love and caring for the organization and the Lesbians involved. We did not even tell you about how she maintained the @oloc.org mail and handled the Steering Committee email list for about a decade. All that and regular donations of money, too. OLOC thanks Cristina with all our hearts. She has been a champion OLOCer from before it had that name and we expect she will continue her involvement for a very long time to come.