Julia Nicol

Julia Nicol
Julia Nicol
	Nicol in 1989
Born	1956; Johannesburg, South Africa
Died	3 April 2019 (aged 62–63)
Nationality	South African
Alma mater	University of Cape Town
Occupation	Librarian;
Known for	LGBT activism
Notable work	co-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[edit]

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]

^ ^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.
^ ^a ^b ^c "The Julia Nicol Photographic Collection" (PDF). GALA. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
^ "Remembering and Honouring Julia Nicol" (PDF). GALA. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
^ Chesnut, Mark (24 September 1989). "Out of South Africa" (PDF). Out Week (14): 35.
^ ^a ^b "Julia Nicol". South African History Online. 2 September 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2020.