Betty Santoro (April 26, 1938 – December 10, 2005), born Elizabeth Ann Botta, was an American educator, activist and community leader, based in New York City. She was one of the organizers and keynote speakers at the 1979 March on Washington for lesbian, gay, and bisexual rights.
Betty Santoro | |
|---|---|
| Born | Elizabeth Ann Botta April 26, 1938 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | December 10, 2005 (age 67) |
| Occupation(s) | Educator, activist, community leader |
Early life and education
editBotta was born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens,[1] the daughter of John Botta and Madeline Casertano Botta. Her father managed a garage, and her mother worked in a silk factory. She attended Catholic schools,[2] and graduated from New York University.[3]
Career
editBotta was a physical education teacher in high schools and colleges in New York City, including Queens College and Nassau Community College.[1][4] She used the surname "Santoro" for her activism, to minimize the risk to her employment.[3] She was a member of Lesbian Feminist Liberation in the early 1970s, and was part of building the Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1977.[3] In 1979, she was one of the organizers of the March on Washington for gay rights, and a keynote speaker at the event.[5][6] In 1978[7] and 1983,[8] she testified at public hearings in support of adding sexual orientation to New York City's human rights law, saying "it is both humiliating and degrading that we should have to stand here once again and try to convince anyone that we have suffered enough to deserve to be treated like human beings."[9] In 1998, she was one of the three grand marshals of the Queens Pride Parade.[10]
Personal life
editSantoro died in 2005, at the age of 67, from a cerebral hemorrhage.[3][11]
Publications
edit- "'If We Gay Men and Lesbians' Stand Up" (1980, with Andrew Humm)[12]
References
edit- ^ a b "Queens Woman: 'Tired of Fear'". Newsday. 1978-11-09. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-06-13 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Bishop McDonnell Memorial High School, Mitre 1956 (1956 yearbook): 139; via Ancestry.
- ^ a b c d Humm, Andy (2005-12-21). "Betty Santoro Dead at 67". Gay City News. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
- ^ Humm, Andy (Winter 1999). "Eleanor Cooper, Joyce Hunter, and Betty Santoro". Social Policy. 30 (2): 22–26.
- ^ Ghaziani, Amin (2008). The Dividends of Dissent: How Conflict and Culture Work in Lesbian and Gay Marches on Washington. University of Chicago Press. p. 65. ISBN 978-0-226-28996-0.
- ^ "An Armchair Guide to the National March". Seattle Gay News. 1979-10-12. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-06-13 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Allen, Joy (1978-11-09). "6-3 Vote Kills City Bill on Gay Rights". Newsday (Suffolk Edition). p. 6. Retrieved 2024-06-13 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ McDarrah, Fred W. (2019-05-07). PRIDE: Photographs After Stonewall. OR Books. ISBN 978-1-68219-166-8.
- ^ Seidman, Audrey (1978-11-26). "Queens Viewpoint: A Make-Believe Hearing on a Very Real Issue". Newsday (Nassau Edition). p. 230. Retrieved 2024-06-13 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The 1998 Queens Lesbian and Gay Pride Parade Grand Marshals." Queens Pride Guide. Queens Gay and Lesbians United, 1998. LaGuardia and Wagner Archives. LaGuardia Community College.
- ^ "Betty Santoro". Bay Area Reporter. January 31, 2006.
- ^ Humm, Andrew, and Betty Santoro. "'If We Gay Men and Lesbians' Stand Up" The New York Times (November 1, 1980): 25. via TimesMachine
External links
edit- A 1978 photo of Betty Santoro by Bettye Lane, in the Lesbian Herstory Archives, Digital Culture of Metropolitan New York