Bay Windows - Local News, October 21, 1999
Beth Berlo, Bay Windows staff

After losing her partner to breast cancer last year and witnessing scores of other women become stricken with the disease, Denise Bentley, FCHC's associate director of health promotion, said she'd like to see the gap close between breast cancer awareness events and those for other diseases. Bentley is dedicating this year's brunch to her partner, Faye Johnson, who died March 5, 1998.

"This is a phenomenally important event," Bentley said. "In the days of HIV and AIDS, many times we forget that there are things that women are dying from that we aren't addressing. Right now, research lags far behind. I think we need to bring this issue to the forefront of people's minds." The FCHC is one of the only organizations in the Boston area to offer cancer support groups specifically for lesbians with cancer, and for partners of lesbians with cancer, according to Bentley.

As the partner of a woman with breast cancer, Beth Radcliffe, of Cambridge sought support in more traditional settings, and realized there was a real need for lesbian cancer support groups. Radcliffe was one of the earliest to participate in the Fenway's group for partners of lesbians with cancer.

Asked what was different about the group at FCHC, Radcliffe said, "You don't have to deal with coming-out issues, and it's important to talk about our sexuality. That was clearly something that went under ground with other groups. Even with my friends, it was hard to talk about. It was much easier with virtual strangers. It made a tremendous difference. This is a place where we could all talk to each other or commiserate or get angry, and let ourselves feel our fear."

Co-sponsors of the brunch are Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Simmons College Institute for Leadership and Change, the American Cancer Society, Boston Black Women's Health Initiative, and EncorePlus at the YWCA.

Lesbian poet, writer, and activist Audre Lorde died from breast cancer in 1992. Since then, numerous dedications and memorials have been held in her name. Though this year's brunch will remember Lorde for her bravery and activism, next year organizers say, the brunch will be named after her.

"The event was inspired by Audre Lorde," said Michelle Barber of FCHC. "We'd like to make it the Audre Lorde Memorial Brunch. But first we'd like to just kick it off to introduce her to people who might not know who she was, and then re-name the event." Barber said she expects close to 150 people to attend.

"One of the things that impressed me when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, was that she talked a lot about being a black woman, a lesbian, a poet, a mother, all while trying to negotiate the medical system," said Bentley. "She talked about the medical system's descriptions of her, about being described as overweight, etc. It all felt so uncomfortable for her. She was trying to develop a support system for herself as well as through the medical world."

The "Collective Voices for Life" invitation included a quote by Lorde that typifies her perpetual activism and sharp introspection: "My silences had not protected me. Your silence will not protect you. But for every real word spoken, for every attempt I had ever made to speak those truths for which I am still seeking, I had made contact with other women while we examined the words to fit a world in which we all believed, bridging our differences. And it was the concern and caring of all those women which gave me strength and enabled me to scrutinize the essentials of my living."

While debate continues over whether lesbians pose a higher risk for developing breast cancer than their heterosexual counterparts, lesbians continue to be almost non-existent in breast cancer literature.

Some reasons speculated for higher breast cancer rates among lesbians are less trips to the doctor's office over fear of a medical provider's homophobia, and the lack of need to obtain contraception.

Educator and trainer Sylvia Wright will be guest speaker at the event. The program will include testimonies from cancer survivors and their supporters, free health care screenings, acupuncture and massage demonstrations, gospel singing, and information from community organizations and their cancer support services.

Anxieties around sexuality often arise with both partners during and after breast cancer. And while it's talked about in other cancer support groups, many lesbians feel vulnerable voicing sexuality concerns in mixed groups.

"When you're going through the fight, both partners sort of go underground," Radcliffe said. "Your sex drive diminishes. The woman with cancer spends her energy fighting cancer. The partner is spending a lot of time caretaking, and wondering what the future is going to be. The woman with cancer focuses on surviving."

Regarding FCHC's lesbian support groups, Radcliffe said, "I can't stress enough how much [they] helped me. It just felt like there were things that I could not talk about to my partner because she was going through it, and it was really hard to talk about with my friends. You're dealing with death, and the [possibility] of losing your partner. It was a great place to talk about this." Radcliffe said her partner of 20 years is currently in good health.

(The free brunch will be held at Simmons College, Oct. 30, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Space is limited. For more information or to RSVP, call (617) 927-6280.)
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