Olivia Cruisers? Carribean Sun Cruise October 30th

[Isadora]

Originally Posted by gayla

It's been awhile since I've thought about Olivia as anything other than the cruise people but when I stop and remember what they used to be, to me personally, it is sad. They did really important things that had a very formative effect on me.

Exactly. Pushing 60, I am saddened by the who they are now, how they don't open to the wonders of the world they helped create, to rejoice in people being free and being themselves. This is what I remember, not this cruel lack of compassion and social justice.

[Medusa]

Originally Posted by Isadora

Exactly. Pushing 60, I am saddened by the who they are now, how they don't open to the wonders of the world they helped create, to rejoice in people being free and being themselves. This is what I remember, not this cruel lack of compassion and social justice.

I had no idea they used to be a recording company! I'd actually love to hear more about that
(Going to Google!)

[Gayla]

Originally Posted by Medusa

I had no idea they used to be a recording company! I'd actually love to hear more about that
(Going to Google!)

This what I used to know them as. And if you scroll down to the album covers, I think I owned most of those at one point.

This was very cool to find.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Rider-Cris-Williamson/dp/B0006SST0Y"]This [/ame]was my first and I still listen to it somewhat regularly.

Between the bookstores I ran and the concerts/festivals I was a part of, I worked with both Olivia and Ladyslipper for a good number of years. Some amazing women doing some amazing things at the time.

[Isadora]

Originally Posted by Medusa

I had no idea they used to be a recording company! I'd actually love to hear more about that
(Going to Google!)

We are spoiled in some way. There was no internet. There were no clubs or very few, deeply hidden. Stepping out was not like it is now. Marching was not a party but a real personal and political statement. What if my work sees me on tv? It was risk.

Olivia Records was part of the first movements to say basically, "Fuck you, we are who we are"....and it saddens me that that sense of political Empowerment, an agent of change, the beacon for femmes/butches/dykes/lesbians community to celebrate ourselves and even more it was a time of standing up strong and saying "FUCK YOU, I will not be closeted even in the face of constant harassment and violence." Together with Meg Christianson, Rita Mae Brown, and many other radical women we fucking pounded the pavements, screamed ourselves hoarse, knocked down barriers, fought in the streets and I did it in fucking HEELS.

It was immensely sad that when Alix Dobkin (whom I personally detest, long story) took the stage at the SF Dyke March and I don't think they knew her significance in their being there throwing frisbees topless or being Trans. There is a continuum of social justice. One freedom leads to more freedoms. Without Olivia Records, which was one of the first labels to openly,(there was also Redwood Records) because we know there were queers always in music, record queer voices, which led to queer magazines, that led to queer concerts, that led to queer protests...

So the very epitome of fighting for a voice and freedom restricting how that voice grew and blossomed is sad. Just sad.

Like many things commercialism and fear of poverty drives our paradigms and our radical becomes "Although we do not discriminate, you will find that your presence is upsetting to some of our guests. Some will confront you directly asking "why are you on my Lesbian vacation?" I imagine it would be even harder for our guests to accept someone FTM."

I madly loved two people in my life. An amazing butch and an amazing trans man. I always followed my heart, ok and my butterfly heh and my radical need for social justice/inclusiveness has never faltered even if my knees have.... So, now they become the recipient of "FUCK YOU, I will not be closeted even in the face of your constant harassment and violence." Violence of heart is just as harmful.