Lamar Van Dyke is headed to BOLDFest - Vancouver, BC Sept 9 - 12, 2010

I, as many of you in a similar age area may be saying the same thing...how the hell did I get here?  Now I find myself announcing that Lamar (if you have to ask Lamar WHO, you are not keeping up) is headed to Canada for an over 50's conference for lesbians.  They are calling the conference BOLDFest...which is a sneaky way of having 'old' in the title.  I wondered if just by merely living past a certain age and still identifying with some kind of sexuality one was considered remarkably bold?  I am though of the belief it is the HOW to which one lives that is important and the guest speakers fit the bill for being BOLD in many ways as their bios detail.

Back to my thoughts on Lamar and the other BOLD speakers she is scheduled with.  At first I tried to paraphrase the accomplishments of these women and erased (ok, back spaced to be accurate) what I had written.  I felt that what Pat Hogan and Claire Robson the creatrix's of The Bold Conference/BoldFest provided should be left intact about these powerful women.  I have been on Pat's email list for some time and have great respect and admiration for what she/they do north of our border.  This should be a fabulous weekend if you can attend.

On the Bold webpage it says 'At BOLD we like to challenge our own beliefs and stereotypes. That's what keeps things interesting!'  There are always events that are more fun or interesting when you think of certain people being at them.  Lamar Van Dyke is one of those people and I am thinking that our sisters to the north are going to be having a fine time this weekend.  Ms T.

Pat Hogan and Claire Robson -- the schemers, dreamers, schleppers and organizers behind BOLD!
Welcome to another year of lesbian fun and adventure!!

Formerly known as the BOLD Conference, BOLDFest is a dynamic, educational, some-times controversial, always entertaining, cool North American event that attracts lesbians and dykes from across Canada and the US for a weekend of learning, laughing, loving and much more. Thus, our new name. Hope you like it. Actually, many of you called it BOLDFest first and...we figured you knew best!

TERESA TRULL and BARBARA HIGBIE are early pioneers of the women’s music movement. TERESA joined the Olivia Records collective in 1975 and recorded THE WAYS A WOMAN CAN BE in 1976. Her 2nd recording was LET IT BE KNOWN in 1980. In 1982 Barbara and Teresa met and subsequently recorded their first album together, UNEXPECTED. BARBARA was already a well known Windham Hill recording artist and together for many years they toured as a very popular duo in both the the Women’s Music and the Folk Music audiences. They reunited in 1999 to record PLAYTIME. Through years of festivals, benefits and independent productions, they have supported and performed for women’s audiences for a combined 34 years.
For more info: www.barbarahigbie.com and www.teresatrull.com.

 COLONEL (RET) GRETHE CAMMERMEYER -Whidbey Island, WA

Challenged - and reversed - the U.S. military's anti-gay policy when she came out as a lesbian when applying for a higher military position. Her bravery brought the issue to public attention and inspired the making of the movie, Serving in Silence - based on Grethe's published autobiography - in which Cammermeyer was played by Glen Close. Barbara Streisand was one of the executive producers. This film won 3 Emmy Awards, nominated for 3 Golden Globes awards and received the prestigious Peabody award.

She was reinstated to the National Guard in June 1994 and served as Chief Nurse of the 164th MASH until May 1996. Dr. Cammermeyer began working with neurologically impaired patients whom have remained the focus of her clinical interest and research ever since. She earned a Master of Arts in 1976, specializing in neuroscience nursing with focus on epilepsy and cognitive impairment after which she transferred to the VAMC in San Francisco where she coordinated the care of brain tumor patients and was the Neuro-oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist. As a result of that work, Grethe was the first recipient of the Administrators Award for Excellence in Nursing in 1985, selected out of 34,000 registered nurses in the VA. Cammermeyer ran for Congress in 1997.

She is now a national and international speaker on issues of civil liberties and human rights. Grethe and her life partner Diane operate an Extended Adult Family Home on Whidbey Island WA. Find out more about Grethe's life and awards at: www.cammermeyer.com.

LAMAR VAN DYKE - Seattle, WA

Is a 'big old dyke who used to live in a big old van' in the late 70's, early 80's, careening around North America searching for 'dyke heaven.' The process produced the Van Dykes, a band of extreme lesbians traveling the highways of Mexico, America, and Canada. They spent time at 'women's land' along the way, connecting with other dykes who were doing the same thing.

'I guess you could say my career as a lesbian really took off after we sang 'I Enjoy Being a Dyke' at the Brunswick Tavern in Toronto. I don't know what we were thinking; after all, the Brunswick is a straight working-class beer hall, and we quickly found ourselves unceremoniously dumped into the back of a paddy wagon.After a couple of years, I managed to follow that act by creating the Van Dykes, with Ange Spalding, and we took off for the road trip of a lifetime. As other women joined us, everyone changed their last name to Van Dyke and the saga raged on. When the inevitable spontaneous combustion erupted, I ended up in Seattle, WA. where I established a tattoo and piercing shop on Pike Street called Tattoo You. From my very first moment in Seattle, I was overactive in the establishment and celebration of the leather dyke community. After 18 years of business, I'm traveling, writing, painting and basically doing whatever I want.'

You can read about Lamar and the history of the Van Dykes, and their importance to the emergence of lesbian feminism in a March '09 New Yorker magazine article at www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/03/02/090302fa_fact_levy.

 MARION LAY - Vancouver, BC

A two time Olympian and an Olympic bronze medallist in swimming, has been inducted in three Halls of Fame and has won numerous leadership awards, including the International Olympic Committee's Women and Sport Trophy for the Americas and the Canadian Sport Award for Leadership in Sport. President of Think Sport Ltd, she is currently an adjunct professor in the School of Human Kinetics at the University of British Columbia, a member of the executive committee of ParticipACTION and honourary board member of both Promotion Plus - the BC Organization for Girls and Women in Sport - and the BC Games Society.
Marion was a member of the steering committee for the first ever Olympics and Paralympics Pride House. As well, she was the founding President and CEO of 2010 Legacies Now, chair of the Vancouver 2010 Bid Committee and a member of the board of directors of VANOC, the organizing committee of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympics Winter Games. She is a founder of the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS), founder of WomenSport International, founder and chair of the National Sport Centre-Greater Vancouver (now the Canadian Sport Centre Pacific), and a past executive member of the Canadian Olympic Committee.

MARY BENSON - Vancouver, BC

An avid athlete since childhood, Mary Benson played road hockey on the Prairies, was captain of her ice hockey team in Winnipeg, played on several of the Mabel League's lesbian fast-pitch softball teams after moving to BC in the mid-1980s. She was a jock. Then, nearly a decade ago, Mary's life changed forever after she received a serious brain injury which left part of her left frontal lobe and a portion of her brain stem injured. She had to overcome life-altering obstacles She had to learn how to walk and talk again.

At GF Strong Rehabilitation Hospital Mary started in a cross-country skiing program for people with disabilities. Very apprehensive at first, she said "No way!" But, with a lot of encouragement from her partner Kathy and her therapist to try it out, she did. Since returning to sports as a paralympic athlete, she has won a silver medal at the 2010 Paralympic Nordic ski nationals in Alberta and placed eighth in the Paralympic World Cup in Germany. She made Canada's 2010 Nordic-Cross Paralympic Ski Team in February.

Mary's never lost her sense of humour; her laugh is contagious! You'll hear it at BOLDFest 2010's Friday luncheon when Mary is called to the podium to be recognized as a Woman in Motion!. Truer words were never spoken. Learn more on Mary's blog at skiwithmaryb.shawwebspace.ca.


BOLDFest 2010

Takes place at the Coast Plaza Hotel in Vancouver from September 9-12 2010. While the focus is on issues of interest and importance to older lesbians, it informs and invites, and is open to lesbians of any age. Many "younger" dykes love being there! This affordable conference offers workshops, socials, and entertainment in an elegant, gay-friendly venue.

The Coast Plaza Hotel is in the heart of Vancouver's gay West End, with stunning views of the mountains and Pacific Ocean. It's known for its gay and gay-friendly staff, pet policy, comfortable lounges, beautiful patio with gardens and waterfall. 
To register for BOLD 2010, click here.

On Seattle Announcements Calendar.