Grethe Cammermeyer's 2010 interview with online Xtra Vancouver
http://www.xtra.ca/public/Vancouver/Grethe_Cammermeyer_in_Vancouver_for_BOLDFest-9150.aspx
Video
of BOLDFest
From XTRA! Sep 22 2011 written by Shauna Lewis
Queer visibility, female empowerment, the sharing of ideas and a desire for good old-fashioned fun brought 150 women together at the seventh annual Bold Old(er) Lesbian and Dyke Conference (BOLD) in Vancouver, Sept 8 to 11.
"I just created something that I wanted and hopefully others wanted," says conference organizer Pat Hogan, explaining why she began the increasingly popular BOLD conference, which attracted participants from Australia, the US (including Alaska) and Canada this year.
"I think that as women and as lesbians and as older we are triply disenfranchised," conference co-organizer Claire Robson observes, adding that older lesbians face special challenges, including financial instability.
"Ageism is rampant in society in general, and in the lesbian community we have our own internalized ageism," Hogan, now 72, adds. "We need to speak honestly about it, and it's painful. We define each other by our exterior to a certain extent. It is true with men and women in the gay community and society at large."
The conference enables older women to realize their importance in the queer social spectrum, she says.
Hogan and Robson say issues particular to the aging lesbian community are explored throughout the three-day conference's many educational workshops, entertainment and social networking events. This year the conference boasted seminars on everything from fitness and photography to exploring lesbian history and feminism in the 21st century.
While the gathering is open to all interested participants, organizers say events are tailored to senior dykes. "Any lesbian can enjoy it and get something out of it, but I personally don't want to lose the focus that we are here for older women," Hogan says.
The event also has a light side that dovetails with its strong queer political focus.
"There's a lot of humour involved," Robson notes. "We have a great deal of fun at this conference."
"I like to think of it as a North American lesbian adventure," Hogan adds with a laugh. She hopes participants leave the conference with "a new lease on life."
"People have come here and said, 'This has changed my life,'" Hogan continues. "We've had relationships start here and break up, [and] we've had marriages. We're having a wedding this weekend," she reveals.
Deborah Benton, 52, and her partner, 55-year-old Nelson (who uses only one name) say they decided to acquire a marriage licence, along with their BOLD conference experience.
The Anchorage, Alaska, couple had been dating for six years when they decided that the conference would be a fitting venue to tie the knot.
"It's absolutely wonderful," Nelson says of BOLD. "We should do something like this in Anchorage." She says the gathering is a liberating reminder of how far society has come — and still has to go — regarding the queer and feminist movement.
"Younger people don't always understand the struggles that older people have gone through," Nelson says. "People in their 20s just don't realize how easy it is for them. They can come out in high school now," she notes, adding that when she was a teenager coming out in high school was a "death sentence."
"There's a long way that we have to go, but we've come so far," Vancouver Councillor Ellen Woodsworth agrees. Woodsworth, known for her human rights activism, was honoured as this year's BOLD Woman of the Year.
In accepting her award at the conference opening
ceremony, Woodsworth commended her contemporaries for the unique and
difficult challenges they have faced as queer baby boomers. "You're
alive today because you've fought," she told participants. "It's a
powerful time we're in, but we have survived so much. We need to come
together on occasions like this and acknowledge each other and remember
the work we've done and remember the incredible fun we've had,"
Woodsworth added. "We did stand up and we continue to stand up."
Organizers say they hope the conference educated, empowered and
titillated participants and gave a clear message to the rest of society.
"Don't make any assumptions. Just because someone looks older, don't
think they're not an active, thriving, interesting human being," Hogan
concludes.
BOLDFest is not only getting older, it is getting bolder |  |
| Written by Mark Robins |
| TUESDAY, 17 AUGUST 2010 13:16 |
Local promoters Pat Hogan and Claire Robson return with the sixth edition of BOLDFest in September, bringing together lesbians and dykes from across North America for a weekend of fun and learning. “It's a weekend when we, as lesbians and dykes, many of us older, can come together in one place, be ourselves, talk dyke talk, share and be informed on all sorts of issues - whether it be health, legal, relationships, whatever - in a safe atmosphere,” explained Hogan. As well, says Hogan, BOLDFest provides an opportunity for lesbians to be around other lesbians. “There are many lesbians who are simply never around other lesbians,” said Hogan. “For whatever reason - in the closet, live in remote areas, busy lives - so BOLDFest is that one time of the year where they can be part of a lesbian community. Many return year after year, from all over Canada and the US.” For those that attend, Hogan says they come to BOLDFest for a variety of reasons: to meet other women, to have fun, to get support in their process of coming out or ageing. But it is also about thinking and learning. “We sometimes put out challenges and ideas that some women have never thought about,” said Hogan. “It gets them thinking. Perhaps they've been stuck in one mindset, perhaps they never knew about something. Hopefully we can motivate them to live, expand their lives and mind, enjoy who they are, and speak out to those who oppress or ignore us for being older”. While BOLDFest still caters to what Hogan describes as an “older” lesbian demographic (45+), she does say that more and more young women are coming out for the weekend as well. “There's so much they can learn from us and we from them. It's very cool. Last year we had a woman in her mid-20s who was totally involved in every aspect of BOLDFest. She loved it and we loved having her input and her energy." The newest addition to BOLDFest has been the introduction of the BOLD Film Festival, which takes place on September 12th, curated by award winning film editor Nancy Rosenblum. The impetus to put on a film fest came when one of the BOLDFest participants brought a film she had made on women in the 50s that participated in roller derbies. “It was an amazing film and story about their lives, often as closeted lesbians and how things have changed since then,” explained Hogan. “This made us think about having more films which turned into a film fest.“ With a series of seminars, social events, workshops and films, covering everything from fitness to activism over its three days, BOLDFest is not only getting older, it is getting bolder.
Originally inspired by two east coast events, for Hogan it wasn’t simply a matter of copying and hosting them in Vancouver for she knew she wanted them to be so much more to allow older lesbians and dykes to grow, learn and even “kick some ass”.
