Gay Metropolis: Jean O'Leary (March 4, 1948 - June 4, 2005)
Born in Kingston, New York and raised in Ohio, in 1966, just out of high school, O'Leary entered the novitiate of the Sisters of the Holy Humility of Mary, in order to "have an impact on the world." After graduating from Cleveland State University with a Psychology degree, she left the convent in 1970 before completing the period of training, and would later write about her experience in a 1984 anthology, Lesbian Nuns: Breaking Silence. She moved to New York City and did doctoral work at Yeshiva University.
At the time, she became involved with the nascent gay rights movement, joining the Gay Activists' Alliance (GAA) Chapter in Brooklyn and later lobbying state politicians. In 1972, she left the male-dominated GAA and founded Lesbian Feminist Liberation, one of the first lesbian activist groups in the women's movement. Two years later, she joined the National Gay Task Force, negotiating gender parity in its executive with director Bruce Voeller and joining as co-executive director.
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Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_O%27Leary
GAA had no staff, but it had a fine sense of theater and a knack for gaining the attention of the media. "It was really the ACT UP of its time," said Ethan Geto. "So Voeller founded the NGTF, and he and Jean O'Leary became the first co-executive directors. It was in New York at 8o Fifth Ave. Morty Manford and my crowd were on the GAA side." --Charles Kaiser. The Gay Metropolis: The Landmark History of Gay Life in America (Kindle Locations 3793-3795). Kindle Edition.( Collapse )