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Julia Nicol

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Julia Nicol
Nicol in 1989
Born1956
Died3 April 2019(2019-04-03) (aged 62–63)
NationalitySouth African
Alma materUniversity of Cape Town
Occupation
  • Librarian
Known forLGBT activism
Notable workco-founder and leader of the Organisation of Lesbian and Gay Activists

Julia Nicol (1956 – 3 April 2019) was a South African activist and librarian. Nicol worked with LGBT groups in South Africa and was a co-founder and leader of the Organisation of Lesbian and Gay Activists (OLGA).

Biography

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Nicol was born in 1956 in Johannesburg.[1] She went to school at the University of Cape Town and worked as a librarian until her retirement in 1997.[1]

Nicol started working as an LGBT activist in the beginning of the 1980s.[2] She started the first organisation for lesbians in South Africa called Lesbians in Love and Compromising Situations (LILACS).[2] As an activist, Nicol was also involved with The Gay Association of South Africa (GASA) and was a founding member of the Lesbians and Gays Against Oppression (LAGO).[3] Later, LAGO became the Organisation of Lesbian and Gay Activists (OLGA) with Nicol and her partner, Sheila Lapinsky, the only lesbian members of the group and served in leadership roles.[2][4] Lapinsky and Nicol were both directly responsible for ensuring that LGBT rights were part of the wider anti-apartheid movement.[5]

Nicol died on 3 April 2019.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b Hoad, Neville Wallace; Martin, Karen; Reid, Graeme (2005). Sex and Politics in South Africa. Cape Town: Juta and Company Ltd. ISBN 978-1-77013-015-9.
  2. ^ a b c "The Julia Nicol Photographic Collection" (PDF). GALA. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  3. ^ "Remembering and Honouring Julia Nicol" (PDF). GALA. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  4. ^ Chesnut, Mark (24 September 1989). "Out of South Africa" (PDF). Out Week (14): 35.
  5. ^ a b "Julia Nicol". South African History Online. 2 September 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2020.