Center Blog

Jill Johnston, a writer whose work ranged from cultural criticism to intimate memoirs, and whose book “Lesbian Nation: The Feminist Solution” was one of the most influential texts of the lesbian separatist movement of the early 1970s, died in Hartford on Saturday at age 81. We at the Center are saddened by this passing, as Jill paved the way for countless numbers of lesbians to live proudly and with a radical awareness of a unique lesbian identity. A longtime dance and art critic for the Village Voice, she is remembered most as one of the first intelligent and honest champions of the lesbian and gay movements of the early 1970s.

Jill Johnston was born in London on May 17, 1929, and taken to the United States as an infant by her mother. She was reared mostly by her grandmother in Little Neck, Long Island. Until she was 21, she was told by her mother that her father, Cyril F. Johnston, had died when she was an infant. It was not until her father’s death in 1950 that her mother confessed that they had never married, and that her father had later married and had children with another woman in England. She developed a lifelong fascination with her absent father, whose company, Gillett & Johnston, supplied bells and carillons to churches and cathedrals all over the world. She told her story in three volumes, “Mother Bound” (1983), “Paper Daughter” (1985) and “England’s Child: The Carillon and the Casting of Big Bells” (2008), the latter both a biography of her father and a history of bell making.

Jill’s books “Lesbian Nation,” “Marmalade Me,” “Gullibles Travels” and “Admission Acomplished” made her an icon for several generations of lesbians and feminists. She also earned some early notoriety from her appearance at a debate on feminism at Town Hall in Manhattan in 1971, with Germaine Greer, Diana Trilling, Jacqueline Ceballos and Norman Mailer. After reciting a feminist-lesbian manifesto and proclaiming that “all women are lesbians except those that don’t know it yet,” she proceeded to make love to two women who had joined her onstage. The filmmakers Chris Hegedus and D. A. Pennebaker captured the event in the documentary “Town Bloody Hall.” In her biography of Mailer, Mary V. Dearborn called the evening “surely one of the most singular intellectual events of the time, and a landmark in the emergence of feminism as a major force.”

In the 1980s and 1990s, Jill wrote frequently for “Art in America,” “The New York Times Book Review” and other publications. A unique, sophisticated stylist, she published the landmark biography, “Jasper Johns: Privileged Information” (1996), “Secret Lives in Art” (1994) and “At Sea on Land: Extreme Politics (2005), and wrote a frequent column on her website until her death.

Jill is survived by her spouse of 30 years, Ingrid Nyeboe, whom she married in Ingrid’s native country, Denmark, in 1993, and again last year in Connecticut, where the two had settled after living many years in New York City. She is also survived by her two children, Richard Lanham and Winifred Lanham, and four grandchildren. In both New York and Connecticut, Jill and Ingrid maintained a wide circle of long-time, close friends. A brilliant conversationalist, Jill could hold forth on topics as diverse as the British royal family, baseball, President Obama, J. S. Bach, Virginia Woolf and current movies. Her love of words, her laughter, and her deep and loving relationship with Ingrid, will long be remembered by those of us who had the privilege of knowing her.

Please take the time to read her biography in her own words on her website. Jill will be missed by many long-time Center visitors, but her mark on our culture and our community will last forever.

Patricia Clarkson became a hero in the LGBT community when she spoke at the 2009 HRC Dinner in New Orleans (her hometown) and passionately declared her belief in marriage equality. In this talk, she said that we must all fight and that she “fights by giving angry speeches wearing fabulous shoes.” Fabulous shoes were a theme throughout the evening.

On Monday, Sept 20, at The LGBT Center, Clarkson was interviewed by Bill Goldstein, the editor of the books site of The New York Times on the Web. Together they made an appealing couple, naturally flowing between topics with enjoyable stops to explore a few topics.

Clarkson outlined her history. She studied acting at Louisiana State University and mentioned the close connection she felt with Tennessee Williams (whose tombstone reads “The violets in the mountains have broken the rocks”). She moved to NY and transferred to Fordham to get her bachelor’s degree. From there, it was off to the Yale School of Drama, where her early stage career took off.

Many people don’t know that the original 1997 production of Richard Greenberg’s play “Three Days of Rain,” was based on two of Clarkson’s relatives and was originally written for Clarkson. Clarkson said that Julia Roberts, also a Southern girl, played the same role “magnificently” 10 years later on Broadway.

Clarkson talked about her activism. “Hope is a call to action, not a substitute for it.” And she stated that while Obama may have disappointed many of his supporters, “the alternative is unthinkable.”
Clarkson also said that “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell sounds more like a movie title than a government policy implemented by Bill Clinton, a Rhodes Scholar. I like the sound of ‘Patricia Clarkson stars in “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” at 7:30. Don’t miss it!’ This sounds like the kind of movie I’d be in.”

Clarkson describes herself as “mercurial,” saying that she’s currently living alone, “but the night is young.”

Then Clarkson described some of her favorite movie roles and told stories about their filming. While she was making “Cairo Time,” she was mistaken to be a very high class prostitute, since a sheik in the hotel could not believe that such a beautiful woman would be staying in the presidential suite by herself. She described the extreme heat wave and hot pleather pants (they couldn’t afford leather) that helped her express her lethargy as a heroin addict during the filming of “High Art” with Ally Sheedy. And she talked about the extremely low budget for “Pieces of April,” where she had to share sandwiches with Oliver Platt for lunch, but went to the Academy Awards for her nomination in the film wearing clothes and jewelry that cost more than the entire production of the movie.

In response to a final question, Clarkson described both the high points of her career and a low point, when she had to seriously consider what she wanted to do as her career came to a standstill when she reached her 30’s. Thankfully for all of us, she realized that she had no other skills and wanted only to act. Now she’s looking forward to playing Tallulah Bankhead – if the production gets approved – so she can lower her whiskey-sounding voice even more. And she can pay her mortgage and buy even more fabulous shoes.

Five Patricia Clark movies and one series you must see:

“High Art” (1998) – Clarkson’s breakthrough and Lisa Cholodenko’s major film before this year’s “The Kids Are All Right.”
“Far From Heaven” (2002) – Todd Hayne’s tribute to Douglas Sirk, a film about 1950’s race, sexuality, and class with Clarkson as the suffering wife.
“Pieces of April” (2003) – A black-sheep daughter invites her dysfunctional family to her miserable NYC apartment for Thanksgiving dinner.
“The Station Agent” (2003) – Three outcasts (including Peter Dinklage, who has dwarfism) share their losses and, perhaps, become friends.
“The Dying Gaul” (2005) – Craig Lucas’ film about a gay screenwriter and the cerebral affair he has with the wife of his film producer.
“Six Feet Under” (2002-2005) – Clarkson was only in seven episodes, as the sister of Frances Conroy and a friend of Kathy Bates, but together were unforgettable. As a group, they were referred to as “The Three Tenors” by Alan Ball’s production staff.

Two small but juicy roles:

“Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (2008) – Woody Allen casts Clarkson as a conventional parent to two experimental college girls.
“Shutter Island” (2010) – Martin Scorsese uses Clarkson in one scene, alone in a cave with Leonardo DiCaprio.

Three current Patricia Clark movies you can see now:

“Cairo Time” – A whirlwind romance with the handsome and exceptionally sexy Alexander Siddig.
“Easy A” – A teen comedy based very loosely on Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter.”
“Legendary” – A big family drama, staring the wrestler John Cena.

– written by Howard Williams

I am excited to tell our community a little bit about one of the Center’s newest and most exciting programs that helps youth, families, adults and people who work at foster care agencies involved with the foster care system in New York City. The LGBT Foster Care Project (FCP) has been providing training and technical assistance to the foster care and adoption programs of five child welfare agencies in New York City to meet ten benchmarks for culturally competent practice with LGBT youth and families. The agencies involved in this pilot project are: Abbott House, Episcopal Social Services (ESS), Harlem Dowling, Leake &Watts, and SCO Family of Services (SCO). Each of these agencies runs multiple sites within their foster care and adoption programs. The overall purpose of the LGBT Foster Care Project is to partner with NYC foster care agencies to create a safe and welcoming environment for all youth in foster care and the adults who wish to take care of them. A key component of the LGBT Foster Care project is designed to capitalize on the youth who use the Center’s Youth Enrichment Services (YES) after-school and Saturday program. This component consists of a special peer internship within the YES Program involving youth who have experience with the foster care system and/or with being homeless to train them to assist the Foster Care Project Coordinator, Tracey Little, in conducting trainings at foster care agencies in LGBT cultural competency.

What is really exciting about this program is how it uses so many of the Center’s strengths to accomplish its purpose:

• Helping foster care agencies become culturally competent to work with LGBT people. The Center has worked with hundreds of LGBT and mainstream agencies and organizations to ensure that members of our community will be treated fairly, with compassion and understanding when they seek out assistance.
• Involving young people in an internship that teaches critical skills in leadership development and group facilitation as well as learning how to tell one’s own personal story in a way that will invite others to want to learn more and help out when necessary.
• Working with LGBT adults who are interested in expanding or starting a family with a young person who is in foster care. This project provides an opportunity for adults looking to foster a child to participate in LGBT-sensitive foster parent training and to be able to approach foster care agencies in the City that are culturally competent with our population.

All in all, a wonderful program that is just starting by training all of the staff at five agencies, and that hopes to expand each year until all agencies in the City are welcoming of all of our community.

More information can be found by visiting our website.

The Greater New York City affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® featured the Lesbian Cancer Initiative and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center among its Community Breast Health 2010-2011 grantees in a recent series of public service announcements (PSA). These 30-second PSAs are being aired in Regal Cinemas across NYC and Long Island while a longer version is being hosted on YouTube. LCI Coordinator Cristina Moldow spoke about the breast cancer risks of medically underserved lesbian, bisexual women and transgender people (LBT) and the services the Center offers. The Lesbian Cancer Initiative is funded, in part, by the Greater New York City affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and seeks to save LBT lives, empower LBT people and ensure breast cancer quality care for our communities in New York City.

60-second Public Service Announcement

It is my absolute pleasure to tell you about a wonderful event happening at the Center right now. We have the distinct honor to welcome New York State Governor David Paterson to our home on 13th Street to sign into law the Dignity for All Students Act. Governor Paterson is one of the most dedicated and staunch LGBT allies our community has ever had in an elected state office. The Center is thrilled that the Governor has chosen to come here today to sign the Dignity for All Students Act. This long anticipated anti-bullying law is critical for the youth who come to the Center’s Youth Enrichment Services program, as it is for all LGBT youth across New York State, because it addresses the bullying and harassment that threatens their safety and security in school. The Dignity for All Students Act helps make schools the safe haven they should be for our young people as they prepare for their futures.

For more than 28 years, the Center has been much more than an organization providing critical social services to adults, more than a place which provides after school programs to New York City’s LGBT youth, and more than the place where our community comes for cultural programs or to gather for celebration. The Center is THE place our community gathers in times of crisis and THE place our government representatives come to celebrate a milestones in our quest for equality.

We at the Center applaud all those in the New York State legislature who voted for this bill, and we are especially proud and grateful to the lead sponsors of this legislation, Assembly member Daniel O’Donnell and Senator Tom Duane for their determination in getting this bill passed.
We thank Governor Paterson for his continued support of the LGBT community in its entirety. He has advanced the cause of civil rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered individuals by directing all state agencies to recognize same-sex marriages legally performed in other jurisdictions to the full extent permitted by law, and by issuing an executive order banning discrimination in State employment on the basis of gender identity. Governor Paterson also placed landmark marriage equality legislation on the agenda for the Legislature’s extraordinary session. Though it did not pass, it was an historic vote that has emboldened Governor Paterson and advocates for same-sex marriage to fight harder to ensure that this civil right is recognized in the State of New York.

Glennda Testone

It’s hard to believe that in less than a month, we will be on our road cycling adventure for Braking the Cycle. I decided to participate in the ride not only because it is the Center, but more specifically because I see firsthand how much we help people who struggle with HIV/AIDS. I am riding with the Center team called “Centerlicious.” The team is made up of staff, board members, Center partners and friends whose commitment to our cause and movement goes beyond the standard work week; team members ride to work on a daily basis, train weekends and are fundraising round the clock for our life-saving HIV/AIDS Programs.

Center staff has ridden before but never in such a large constituency, therefore this years ride is a landmark for us! There are also additional staff, a road crew who will work en route supporting our riders on the journey. The Center is helping more people living with HIV/AIDS than ever before and the spirit of camaraderie, dedication and support that exists among the Center staff and board fuels my ride. It also fills me with pride to say that our staff’s commitment to our community is strong, and Centerlicious is the culmination of that commitment.

Please consider supporting us in our journey by donating…

Glennda Testone, rider #74