https://socialistaction.org/2018/05/05/annette-gagne-socialist-lgbt-activist/
Annette Gagne: Socialist & LGBT activist
/ 2 days ago
May 2018 Annette 2By DAVID KIELY
Our dear comrade Annette Gagne died in Providence, R.I., on March 14,
the 135th anniversary of Karl Marx’s death in 1883. In her last moments,
Annette was surrounded by friends and comrades. All were people who, as
a close friend of Annette said, “meant the world to her.”
Annette’s political legacy as a dedicated revolutionary socialist and
party builder is inspiring. She came from a French-Canadian
working-class family and spent her entire political life in Providence.
In the 1970s she joined the Young Socialist Alliance (YSA) and Socialist
Workers Party. She was integrated into industry work as a postal worker
and assisted in getting the SWP on the ballot.
Her friend and comrade David Walsh recalled that when comrades would
come down from Massachusetts to petition for ballot access, Annette was
always warm and friendly and found places for comrades to stay. David
remembered spaghetti dinners that Annette prepared: “There would be a
lot of laughs, and it was a wonderful time. It might not have been so
wonderful if we didn’t have this wonderful French-Canadian comrade.”
In the early 1980s the SWP began to collapse. The party wanted to
consolidate all at-large members and small branches together. In
Annette’s words, the party organizers told her to move to a city with a
branch and enter industry —or leave the YSA and SWP. But Annette
remained in Providence, preferring to stay in a place where she had
roots for the long haul. From that point on she was not in a socialist
organization until she joined Socialist Action around 2004 after
reconnecting with her comrade David.
Yet being outside of a socialist organization did not stop her from
doing political work. She continued work as an activist in Providence’s
gay liberation movement of the 1970s and ’80s. She participated in the
first Providence Pride March in 1976, was on the pride committee until
the mid-1990s, and also was an editor for Gay Community News, a
left-wing LGBT newspaper.
In 2016, on the 40th anniversary of Providence Pride, Annette and other
marchers in Pride’s first march in 1976 were celebrated in front of a
crowd of tens of thousands. When David had spoken to Annette about being
recognized, he said she tried to play down her role, stating that a
Bolshevik shouldn’t be worried about recognition.
Yet I can’t imagine how proud and happy Annette must have been on stage
with her fellow marchers. Providence pride is one of the largest LGBT
celebrations in the Northeast. As Annette put it: “From 75 lone marchers
in 1976 to 40,000-plus in 2016!”
Perhaps the best attribute of Annette we can aspire to is uniting
diverse people in struggle along principled political lines. Annette
really abhorred the petty factional differences that would stop such
unity. Instead, she was ready to work with anyone who was ready to help
build the new social vision she saw.
Even in her later years, while on dialysis and having trouble walking,
Annette still kept going, whether it was building an Assata Shakur
reading group or helping Connecticut comrades flyer for the first “The
Solution is Socialism Conference” in Connecticut.
Her comrades Hutch and myself came up from Hartford, Conn., in October
2016 to put up posters and flyer for the conference. As Hutch recalls,
“It was a cold and windy day, but she was dedicated to introducing new
people to socialism. We set up a literature table for her and she would
sit and talk to people while we postered and flyered Brown and Rhode
Island University. After we wrapped up for the day, we dropped her off
at her dialysis appointment.”
Annette never stopped moving. She will be dearly missed by Providence
organizers and by her comrades in Socialist Action.
Share this:
Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
30Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)30
Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
May 5, 2018 in LGBT rights, Marxist Theory & History.
Related posts
Negotiations stall at UConn, graduate employees organize sit-in
Canada: NDP tops couldn’t stifle convention delegates
Iraq veteran runs for U.S. Senate: Vote Socialist Action!
Post navigation
← Philadelphia DA’s office stonewalls at hearing for Mumia Abu-Jamal
Teachers’ class-struggle defiance inspires millions →
Get Involved!
Donate to help support our work
Get email updates
Join Socialist Action
Newspaper Archives
Newspaper Archives Select Month May 2018 (5) April 2018 (15) March
2018 (17) February 2018 (14) January 2018 (13) December 2017 (13)
November 2017 (13) October 2017 (16) September 2017 (15) August 2017
(16) July 2017 (17) June 2017 (16) May 2017 (17) April 2017 (14)
March 2017 (13) February 2017 (19) January 2017 (13) December 2016
(12) November 2016 (19) October 2016 (12) September 2016 (10) August
2016 (10) July 2016 (14) June 2016 (14) May 2016 (9) April 2016
(12) March 2016 (14) February 2016 (8) January 2016 (11) December
2015 (11) November 2015 (9) October 2015 (8) September 2015 (10)
August 2015 (7) July 2015 (13) June 2015 (9) May 2015 (10) April
2015 (12) March 2015 (9) February 2015 (11) January 2015 (10)
December 2014 (12) November 2014 (11) October 2014 (9) September 2014
(6) August 2014 (10) July 2014 (11) June 2014 (10) May 2014 (11)
April 2014 (10) March 2014 (9) February 2014 (11) January 2014 (11)
December 2013 (10) November 2013 (11) October 2013 (17) September
2013 (13) August 2013 (10) July 2013 (11) June 2013 (15) May 2013
(14) April 2013 (14) March 2013 (12) February 2013 (10) January 2013
(17) December 2012 (7) November 2012 (8) October 2012 (19) September
2012 (2) August 2012 (27) July 2012 (18) June 2012 (3) May 2012
(19) April 2012 (14) March 2012 (17) February 2012 (19) January 2012
(17) December 2011 (3) November 2011 (33) October 2011 (14) September
2011 (13) August 2011 (34) July 2011 (24) June 2011 (19) May 2011
(19) April 2011 (15) March 2011 (15) February 2011 (15) January 2011
(15) December 2010 (17) November 2010 (1) October 2010 (6) September
2010 (3) August 2010 (8) July 2010 (7) June 2010 (2) May 2010 (9)
April 2010 (3) March 2010 (8) February 2010 (3) January 2010 (9)
December 2009 (6) November 2009 (5) October 2009 (16) September 2009
(3) August 2009 (2) July 2009 (5) June 2009 (2) May 2009 (7) April
2009 (6) March 2009 (16) February 2009 (9) January 2009 (10)
December 2008 (11) November 2008 (8) October 2008 (16) September
2008 (14) August 2008 (18) July 2008 (12) June 2008 (3) May 2008 (2)
April 2008 (3) March 2008 (14) February 2008 (11) January 2008 (11)
December 2007 (8) November 2007 (1) July 2007 (1) June 2007 (1)
April 2007 (1) March 2007 (1) February 2007 (3) December 2006 (11)
November 2006 (11) October 2006 (13) September 2006 (15) August 2006
(11) July 2006 (18) June 2006 (7) May 2006 (14) April 2006 (6) March
2006 (14) February 2006 (5) January 2006 (2) December 2005 (9)
November 2005 (8) October 2005 (13) September 2005 (12) August 2005
(9) July 2005 (16) June 2005 (16) May 2005 (16) April 2005 (12)
March 2005 (14) February 2005 (19) January 2005 (15) December 2004
(14) November 2002 (17) October 2002 (19) September 2002 (22) August
2002 (21) July 2002 (15) May 2002 (21) April 2002 (21) February
2002 (15) January 2002 (15) December 2001 (17) October 2001 (24)
September 2001 (18) July 2001 (19) June 2001 (18) October 2000 (17)
September 2000 (21) August 2000 (19) July 2000 (16) June 2000 (26)
May 2000 (21) April 2000 (22) March 2000 (28) February 2000 (18)
January 2000 (20) December 1999 (20) November 1999 (26) October 1999
(25) September 1999 (18) August 1999 (40) July 1999 (38) June 1999
(24) May 1999 (27) April 1999 (25) March 1999 (26) February 1999
(29) January 1999 (24) July 1998 (12)
Search
View socialistactionusa’s profile on Facebook
View SocialistActUS’s profile on Twitter
View SocialistActionCT’s profile on YouTube
Subscribe to Our Newspaper
Upcoming Events
No upcoming events
Category Cloud
Actions & Protest Africa Anti-War Arts & Culture Black Liberation Canada
Caribbean Civil Liberties Cuba East Asia Economy Education & Schools
Elections Environment Europe Immigration Indigenous Rights International
Labor Latin America Latino Civil Liberties Marxist Theory & History
Middle East Palestine Police & FBI Prisons South Asia Trump / U.S.
Government Uncategorized Women's Liberation
View Calendar
Blog at WordPress.com.
Follow