While checking my older posts I made here, I ran across info I posted on Old Lesbians Organizing for Change (OLOC) way back in 2009. i decided to recheck the site and discovered some new information. These women have made great progress and I applaude them in their efforts...what a neat thing to see for us "oldies but goodies who are gay and gray" and are often forgotten about as the years pass us by.
They have an oral herstory (not history) project they created at OLOHP. (Neat...I used this tag in my printed book WAC Major: Herstory). They state that "there is an urgency inherent in the nature of the OLOHP. Each year, women whose stories the project wanted to gather slip away. Some Old Lesbians die before we are able to interview them; others become unable to do the interview. The herstories of the women who lived through a unique period in time need to be preserved. The women deserve to be recognized for their experiences and contributions. And, just as importantly, there are thousands of other Old Lesbians who need to know they are not alone".
They continue to state that: "The word "Herstory" is used intentionally as a way to help make these personal stories immediately identifiable as stories about women. It also helps emphasize that this project has been created and nurtured by women. It is not a political statement about men's role in writing history or in history itself. We are aware that the etymology of the word history does not imply gender".
I love their article about "Ageism and Lesbophobia" which you can read in PDF form. These gals have it going on!
Then I lucked up and lo and behold I found them on Facebook.
Whether you are gay or not, the infomation and projects these ladies are sharing should be of interest to all.
Check them out. So glad I found them. Keep up the good work...not bad for 70 year olds.
What have I been doing this past year?
By mid-August, I realized that I needed to "jump start" my brain or I would die. So I went to my computer and started reading the chapters I had written for my second book. The more I read, the more my mind seemed to kick into an inspirational gear and I started having new thoughts for each chapter and began editing. I was waking up early each morning to jot down the new thoughts I was having about writing. I forced myself to get up and do this because I was fearful that I would forget the ideas that kept rushing through my mind. My fear lately revolves a lot around the possibility of dementia setting in, which in no way could I ever survive. The brain is a mysterious piece of God's work...if you don't use it, you lose it.
Within a week's time, I had edited 9 out of 14 chapters and seemed to be overly stimulated or obsessed with writing. I would spend days at the computer in my PJs, drinking coffee or juice, smoking profusely, seldom went outside, forced myself to eat and feed the dogs, went to bed late, and felt guilty about not visiting my mother. By the end of August, I was totally exhausted and a complete mess--went from stagnancy to burned out. But it was all good because I could feel my brain pounding as if it had a heart beat and was showing me a way to revitalize myself by doing what I needed to do and enjoy...writing and being creative. It became evident that by concentrating on writing and creating things, I will have a therapeutic way to cope with:
* being stagnant, lethargic and listless
* being alone and out of touch with people
* dealing with my mother's situation
* surviving the winter months when I am stuck indoors
It was time to use my creative abilities and talent to make ME feel inspired and alive...my plan and actions will be what I deem best for me and me alone. I will do what I need to do as I grow older--go with the flow and create ebooks and blogs that rock. I wrote this section in my daily journal during the timeframe when it seemed that people and the whole world is "out of balance." Democrats and Republicans bashing each other; Congress/Senate acting like children pussyfooting around dealing with the US deficit; earthquake hits the east coast for the first time in 20 years; hurricane Irene rips water up the entire east coast with serious damages, flooding and fatalities. Plus all this chaos led up to the 911 10th anniversary. My daughter and I agreed that God must be sending the world a profound message..."We better get our act together as a nation real quick or else."
So during these past months, I revived myself and am doing things I enjoy by telling my life story on my book blog and posting whatever I desire on this "hangout" blog regardless of any interaction or lack of such from readers. This is my way of enjoying whatever time I have left on this earth.
Take Action - There are times in our life when we know we should be doing something, but we never get started. It’s so easy to put things off to another time, another day, or next week, however that time never seems to show up. How much more could we get accomplished if we just learned to take action immediately instead of putting it off? Make a list of things you have been putting off and determine to "take action" now.
Luv, Lenora
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