Julia Nicol

Julia Nicol
Nicol in 1989
Born1956
Johannesburg, South Africa
Died3 April 2019(2019-04-03) (aged 62–63)
EducationUniversity of Cape Town
Occupation
  • Librarian
Known forLGBT activism
Notable workco-founder and leader of the Organisation of Lesbian and Gay Activists
PartnerSheila Lapinsky

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

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

Nicol started working as an LGBT activist in the beginning of the 1980s. She co-founded the first organisation for lesbians in South Africa called Lesbians in Love and Compromising Situations (LILACS). 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). 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. Lapinsky and Nicol were both directly responsible for ensuring that LGBT rights were part of the wider anti-apartheid movement, particularly in the African National Congress (ANC).

Nicol died on 3 April 2019.

References

  1. 1 2 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. 1 2 3 "The Julia Nicol Photographic Collection" (PDF). GALA. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  3. ↑ "Remembering and Honouring Julia Nicol" (PDF). GALA. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  4. ↑ Chernis, Linda (10 February 2023). "The Gala Archives: Preserving The "Queerer" Side of Queer Cape Town". In Camminga, B.; Matebeni, Z. (eds.). Beyond the Mountain, Queer Life in "Africa's Gay Capital". Routledge. ISBN 978-1-003-36706-2. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  5. ↑ Chesnut, Mark (24 September 1989). "Out of South Africa" (PDF). Out Week (14): 35.
  6. 1 2 "Julia Nicol". South African History Online. 2 September 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2020.