Rebels & Survivors
The life stories from four of our lesbian "ancestors"
by Pokey Anderson
copyright by Pokey Anderson and O.L.O.C., Inc.

Once upon a time, we had not surfed the Internet, or sent people up in space. We had not flown on an airplane, we had not dropped atomic bombs, we had never heard of the ERA. We hadn’t been through the Great Depression, or fought Hitler. We didn’t know what an interstate highway was, or a Xerox copy. We hadn’t seen Ellen or Will & Grace on TV, because we had never seen a television. We had never marched for gay rights.

And yet, women born in the early part of the 20th century managed to somehow get educations, support themselves, and live their lives intimately connected to other women. Gay or lesbian organizations or communities were basically nonexistent in the U.S. until after about 1948. But, that didn’t stop these women.

Through the efforts of Arden Eversmeyer and Old Lesbians Organizing for Change (O.L.O.C.), a number of oral histories have been taken of these women who are now in their 70s and 80s. (Favorite cheer of O.L.O.C. gals marching at pride parades: "Two, four, six, eight! How do you know your grandma’s straight!") Having these histories and the wonderful pictures that go with them is like looking through a collective lesbian family album. Since most of our biological ancestors were not gay or lesbian (or we never got to hear about it), we can turn to stories like these to begin to answer the question, "What was it like, a generation or two or three ago, to be queer?"

Arden conducted these interviews in the last few years, and several of the subjects are no longer living. She started in Houston with her oral history project, and is now touring the country gathering stories of our lesbian forebears.

Each story is unique, but a few similarities shine through. Most of these women have courageously stood up for something when it would have been a lot easier to remain silent. Many of them have been incredible anchors and caretakers in their families when no one else would do it, bringing new meaning to the term "family values." In addition, in listening to their stories, one gets a sense of tremendous resilience, accompanied by a finely developed sense of humor.

Here, then, are a few highlights of their stories:

Helen Cathcart

Maria Mariano

Fran Eaton

Betty Rudnick

About the Oral Herstory Project

Pokey Anderson’s activism in Houston stretches back over 25 years, including co-founding the Gay/Lesbian Political Caucus, co-hosting the Breakthrough show, and managing Inklings Bookshop for nearly a decade. Pokey is now an independent financial planner in Houston.