Mary Elaine Gennoy (June 11, 1951 – September 5, 2004) was an American activist for LGBT rights, disability rights, and marijuana legalization, based in San Francisco.
Mary Gennoy | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mary Elaine Gennoy June 11, 1951 Alameda, California |
| Died | September 5, 2004 (aged 53) San Francisco, California |
| Occupation | Activist |
Early life and education edit
Gennoy was from Alameda, California, the daughter of William J. Gennoy and Doris Elaine Gennoy (later Gilla). Her father was a businessman and a World War II fighter pilot.[1] Her mother was a secretary.[2] She had congenital health issues she traced to radiation exposure in utero, while her mother was in treatment for cancer.[3] She attended Alameda High School in the 1960s, the College of Alameda in the early 1970s,[4] and San Francisco State University from 1979 to 1984.[5]
Career edit
Gennoy was a familiar figure in San Francisco activist communities, working for LGBT rights, disability rights, the environment, and marijuana legalization.[5] She was one of the original active members of the San Francisco Cannabis Buyers Club, along with "Brownie Mary" Rathbun, Dennis Peron, and others.[6] "If you were born like me, you'd have no choice," she explained in 1998,[7] about her focus on marijuana legalization, because her chronic health issues required pain management, and medical cannabis met her needs.[8][9]
In 1992, Gennoy was a member of San Francisco's New Stonewall Liberation Day board of directors.[10] She gathered signatures for Proposition 215 in 1996,[11] and ran for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors as a write-in candidate in 2000.[5] In 2002 she ran again for the Board of Supervisors.[12] She was part of the Dykes on Bikes contingent in the San Francisco Pride Parade.[13] She wrote poetry for local lesbian publications.[14]
Personal life and legacy edit
Gennoy was physically disabled, of short stature, and hard of hearing. She used a wheelchair in adulthood, and underwent numerous surgeries. She died in 2004, at the age of 53, after throat surgery for laryngeal cancer.[5][13] She was one of the people commemorated by a quilt honoring disabled lesbians, created by Karen Hampton and exhibited at the San Francisco Public Library in 2010.[15]
References edit
- ^ "William J. Gennoy (death notice)". The Fresno Bee. 2004-10-26. pp. B7. Retrieved 2022-06-10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Doris Elaine Gilla (death notice)". The Fresno Bee. 2007-01-28. pp. B5. Retrieved 2022-06-10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Mary Elaine Gennoy, 53, Medical Marijuana Activist". Courier-Post. 2004-09-18. p. 16. Retrieved 2022-06-10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Run, Mighty Mite!". Santa Cruz Sentinel. 1971-12-10. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-06-10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d Highleyman, Liz, "Activist Mary Gennoy Dies at 53" Bay Area Reporter (September 16, 2004), via GLBT Historical Society, Online Searchable Obituary Database.
- ^ Chideya, Sekai (October 3, 1996). "Proposition 215 May Legalize Marijuana for Medical Use". Synapse. pp. 1, 6, 7. Retrieved June 10, 2022 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
- ^ Delgado, Ray (1998-03-08). "Ill users of pot angered". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. pp. 15, 23. Retrieved 2022-06-10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Sloman, Larry (1998). Reefer madness : the history of marijuana in America. Substance Abuse Librarians and Information Specialists (SALIS). New York : St. Martin's Griffin. p. 419. ISBN 978-0-312-19523-6 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Pot Used to Combat Pain Freely in San Francisco". St. Cloud Times. 1992-09-21. p. 5. Retrieved 2022-06-10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Gennoy, Mary (June 25, 1992). "New Stonewall Liberation Day". Bay Area Reporter. p. 7. Retrieved June 10, 2022 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
- ^ "Mary Elaine Gennoy, 53; Advocate for Medical Marijuana". Los Angeles Times. 2004-09-21. Retrieved 2022-06-10.
- ^ "Battle royal in District 8". The San Francisco Examiner. 2002-07-01. p. 6. Retrieved 2022-06-10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Marech, Rona (2004-09-17). "Mary Gennoy -- marijuana advocate". SFGATE. Retrieved 2022-06-10.
- ^ Gennoy, Mary (Winter 1976). "Gypsy" (PDF). Lesbian Voices. 2 (1): 36.
- ^ Hemmelgarn, Seth (October 13, 2010). "Quilt honors disabled lesbians". Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved 2022-06-10.
