Another of the great amazon lesbians has passed from the realm — Diane F. Germain died in San Diego on March 25 (in hospice after complications from thoracic surgery). Her last day was spent surrounded by loved ones, listening to women’s music. Her last word was “yes.” She was 82 years old.
Diane was widely known for her effective organizing skills and witty presence in real life as well as online. This lesbian champion’s constant efforts included being a contributing writer/cartoonist for HOT WIRE magazine; archiving lesbian materials; starting/supporting women’s groups; and being able to revise any graphic she encountered to be something lesbian. Professionally she had worked as a psychiatric social worker.
She was very involved in the Lesbians of San Diego archival project, where she was interviewed several times. (See https://sdlesbians.org) She conducted the Lesbian History Project and the Women Survivors of Incest group. She was one of the founding members of Dykes on Hikes, The Lesbian Referral Services, Beautiful Lesbian Thespians, and California Women’s Art Collective. She was an early principal member of the San Diego Lesbian Organization and a collective member of both Las Hermanas and the separatist-lesbian community Califia.
Diane worked at Lambda Archives throughout the 1990s, interviewing women in order to preserve lesbian history and gathering collections. She later served as their student volunteer coordinator. Her writing and artwork was featured in various publications, including Les Talk: The Magazine for Empowering Lesbians/Womyn; the anthologies Tomboys!, and Lesbian Culture; as well as in HOT WIRE: The Journal of Women’s Music and Culture. In her later years she was devoted to the June Mazer Lesbian Archives (“Where Lesbians Live Forever!”). She had an extensive collection of lesbian-feminist materials, including videos, flyers, brochures, clippings, art, photography, correspondence, and other realia. Her personal archives offer documentation of many diverse facets of lesbian life and culture throughout the second half of the twentieth century, which was her fierce intent. (See Mazer Lesbian Archives)
This lesbomaniac’s passing is mourned by countless women-loving-women across the USA, on social media, and beyond. Women of the future will thank her for not letting us be erased.
