I recently attended a meeting of OLOC, Old Lesbians Organizing for Change, an organization that encourages old Lesbians to fight ageism especially as it affects women and Lesbians. The group also encourages women to accept the word "old" as a neutral designation and to avoid words that are used as euphemism for old age i.e. senior or mature adult. The organization was founded in 1989 and many of its ideas stem from the inspirational presence and writings of Barbara MacDonald who is now deceased. MacDonald with her partner Cynthia Rich wrote the book " Look Me in the Eye: Old Women, Aging, and Ageism". Baba Copper (also deceased) who wrote the essay "Over the Hill" was another writer who inspired OLOC women to combat ageism. OLOC promotes consciousness raising and facilitates educational projects that focus on aging issues for old women and Lesbians. The organization supports a project that conducts oral herstories on old Lesbians in their 60's 70's and 80's and 90's.
The first conference in the world that gathered old Lesbians in one place was held on the campus where I teach( CSUDH) in S.. California in 1987. Working on the conference event was a highlight of my career and life. The event was called the First West Coast Celebration and Conference By and For Old Lesbians. Barbara MacDonald was the keynote speaker and her speech inspired women to empower themselves and to in a sense liberate themselves from the oppression of ageism. Shevy Healy was another Lesbian, a speaker and writer, who influenced the direction of OLOC in its early years. The organization continues on under new leadership. I was very impressed with the members of the steering committee who run the organization. They are a wonderful group of vibrant and intelligent old women not afraid to make waves. The SC is working on its next major conference. If you are interested in learning more about OLOC, go to the website listed here: http://www.oloc.org/
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I was Shevy Healy's therapy client about 30 years ago. She was a disaster. Came on to me, told me I was eliminating "50% of the world" by being straight. When I didn't respond to her verbal passes, she became totally hostile.
(Later explained to me by a REAL therapist as a response to my rejection of her--which I didn't understand at the time.
This was not only terrible for me, but today she wouold've been sued for sexual harassment. She was not only immoral, unethical, unfeeling, & ineffective as a therapist, but also quite dumb. She hardly deserves the glowing accolades being bestowed upon her now. She was unfit to hold the gay banner, which is being carried by much better people than she.
My regrets to her survivors for having said this, but her memory is so appalling to me that I had to speak the truth. (And I'm sure I wasn't the only "client/victim" who had such an experience with
this horrid woman.)
Peace (altho' I haven't held it)!
A Shevy-Survivor
Dear Anonymous who wrote about Shevy Healy,
I am sorry about what happened to you 30 years ago.
I would suspect and this only a guess that Shevy in her later years would have apologized for such outrageous and unethical behavior in her younger years. In her seventies and eighties, she did do important work for old lesbians. This does not negate your experience with her. I can only hope that you can now be at peace.
Sharon Raphael
Dear Anonymous,
P.S. Shevy Healy died several years ago.
SRaphael
Dear Anonymous,
I just checked and need to correct something. Shevy Healy died at age 79 and did not live into her eighties as I said in an earlier e-mail. I also just realized that you did know she had died so I apologize on both counts.
SRaphael
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