Jump to content

Elaine Noble

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Elaine Noble
Noble c. 1975
Member of theMassachusetts House of Representatives
from the6th Suffolk districtdistrict
In office
January 1, 1975 – January 1, 1979
Personal details
Born(1944-01-22)January 22, 1944(age 80)
New Kensington, Pennsylvania
Political partyDemocratic
ResidenceFlorida

Elaine Noble(born January 22, 1944) is an AmericanpoliticianandLGBT activistwho served in theMassachusetts House of Representativesfor two terms starting in January 1975. She wasthe firstopenlylesbianorgaycandidate elected to a state legislature.[1]She served two terms as representative for theFenway-KenmoreandBack Bayneighborhoods ofBoston.[2]

Early life and education

[edit]

Elaine Noble was born inNew Kensington, Pennsylvania,on January 22, 1944.[1]

Noble gained herB.F.Adegree fromBoston Universityin 1966, anS.M.in speech and education atEmerson Collegein 1970, and anM.Ed.atHarvard Universityin 1974.[1][3]At Emerson, she served as an Emerson Homophile Arts Society advisor and co-director of the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus.[4]After graduation, she worked at a job-year women's school where she came out as a lesbian.[5]

Activism

[edit]

Before entering politics, Noble worked as a speech instructor and an advertising manager.

She was involved inLGBT rightsactivism inBoston.[1]She was a member of the local chapter of theDaughters of Bilitis.[6]In 1974, Noble participated in a televised debate on the topic of same-sex marriage.[7]Noble helped organize Boston's earlyPridemarches.[8]With Ann Murray, she formed the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus, and served on the Governor's Commission on the Status of Women.[5][8]

Political career

[edit]

Massachusetts House of Representatives

[edit]
External videos
video icon“Something Personal; A Woman's Place Is In The House: A Portrait of Elaine Noble”is a documentary about Elaine Noble, the first openly gay person elected to a state legislature and began serving in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1975 produced byWGBH Educational Foundation.

In 1974, Noble was elected to the state House of Representatives for the6th Suffolk districtwith 59% of the vote.[1]She has described the campaign as "very ugly," including "shooting through my windows, destroying my car, breaking windows at my campaign headquarters, [and] serious harassment."[6]Her election made her the first openly LGBT candidate elected to a state-level office in the United States.[9][10]She was sworn into office onNew Year's Day1975 by governorMichael Dukakis.[9]

As an educator, Noble supported desegregation of Boston public schools. She encouraged her campaigners to oversee school pick-ups and drop-offs for children in her district. She was the only white member of the Boston delegation that rode school busses with the children.[11]Her support angered her constituents, both conservative as well as gay and lesbian, who expected her to focus solely on gay and lesbian issues. Her house was vandalized and she was threatened with a gun. She also felt burdened and frustrated by the demands of gay men and lesbians who seemed to expect that she speak for all of them. She said, "The gay community expected me to be on call 24 hours a day. It was like they felt they owned me."[2]

Noble was an early critic of FatherPaul Shanley,a Catholic priest who was ultimately convicted of sex crimes in 2005. She reported Shanley's comments and behavior to Boston officials on several occasions in the 1970s to no avail.[12]

Noble was re-elected in 1976 with almost 90% of the vote, and her second two-year term started on January 1, 1977.[6]

In March 1977, Noble was part of the first delegation of gay men and lesbians invited to theWhite Houseunder PresidentJimmy Carterto discuss issues important to theLGBT community.[13]

1978 United States Senate campaign

[edit]

After two terms in the Massachusetts House, Noble ran for theUnited States Senatein 1978. She finished last out of five Democrats who competed in the primary, with 52,464 votes (5.8%).[14]She did not run for re-election to the House.

Later work in politics

[edit]

She later went to work for Mayor of BostonKevin White.Noble was required to testify in front of agrand juryfor nineteen hours in connection with anFBIinvestigation into bribery in the mayor's office. No charges were brought against Noble.[1]

After leaving Mayor White's office, Noble established Noble Consulting, a healthcare consulting group. In 1986, Noble andEllen Ratnerformed an LGBT alcohol and drug treatment center inMinneapoliscalled the Pride Institute. She attempted to establish a similar center in Massachusetts, but was rebuffed by local government. Noble ran unsuccessfully for theCambridge, Massachusettscity council in 1991 and 1993.[1][2]In her 1991 campaign, she expressed support forrent controlpolicies, adomestic partnershipordinance, and direct election of the city's mayor. Noble also ran onfiscal responsibilityat the city-level, offering ideas for cutting spending without raising taxes or cutting funding to essential services.[15]

Despite some policy differences, including onabortion,Noble endorsedFrancis X. Bellottias Democratic candidate in the 1990 Massachusetts gubernatorial race.[16]

Retirement from public life

[edit]

In 1994, Noble took work as head administrator atMiddlesex County Hospitalbut resigned after six months.[2]

In 2009, she made a rare fundraising appearance at a Stonewall gala benefiting Compass Community Center inLake Worth, Florida.[citation needed]

Personal life

[edit]

Noble had a relationship with writerRita Mae Brownin the 1970s and has since retained privacy regarding her personal life. She lives in Florida.[2]

Tributes

[edit]

In 2015, she was named by theEquality Forumas one of their 31 Icons of the 2015LGBT History Month.[17]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^abcdefgGianoulis, Tina (2005-10-13)."Noble, Elaine".glbtq: An Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Culture. Archived fromthe originalon 2007-10-30.Retrieved2007-09-24.
  2. ^abcde"30 Years after the White House Meeting: Participants then and now".National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.2007. Archived fromthe originalon 2007-09-27.Retrieved2007-09-24.
  3. ^O'Neill, Edward B.; Wallace C. Mills (1975–1976).1975–1976 Public Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.Boston: [General Court; State Library of Massachusetts]. p.255.OCLC9668846.
  4. ^Clossey, Erin (2022-06-17)."The Evolution of Emerson Pride: Part 1".Emerson Today.Retrieved2023-03-12.
  5. ^abKifner, John (1974-11-14)."Sexuality Issue put to Rest, Elaine Noble Is Ready for Office".The New York Times.p. 60.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved2021-03-07.
  6. ^abc"OutHistory: Elaine Noble".Archived fromthe originalon 2009-06-09.Retrieved2009-03-15.
  7. ^Gay Marriage Debate 1974,retrieved2023-03-12
  8. ^abIovannone, Jeffry J. (2019-05-30)."Elaine Noble: Political Pioneer".Medium.Retrieved2021-03-07.
  9. ^ab Neff, Lisa (2002-11-12)."Elaine Noble November 1974: a progressive Massachusetts candidate becomes the first openly gay person elected to a state-level office".The Advocate.Archived fromthe originalon 2008-10-07.Retrieved2007-09-24.
  10. ^Stein, Marc (2012).Rethinking the Gay and Lesbian Movement.Routledge. p. 107.ISBN9780415874106.
  11. ^"Elaine Noble, Massachusetts, 1974 · Out and Elected in the USA: 1974-2004 Ron Schlittler · OutHistory: It's About Time".outhistory.org.Retrieved2021-03-07.
  12. ^Jacobs, Sally (10 July 2002)."'If They Knew the Madness in Me': A Search for the Real Rev. Paul Shanley Suggests He Was Part Hero, Part Horror ".Spotlight.The Boston Globe.p. F1.Retrieved8 March2024.
  13. ^Sklar, Roberta."Press conference commemorates first White House meeting".Qnotes. Archived fromthe originalon 2008-10-07.Retrieved2007-09-24.
  14. ^"Massachusetts Election Results, 1978 (PDF)"(PDF).1978.Retrieved2013-12-27.
  15. ^Schmitz, Dawn (1991-08-10). "Noble plans political comeback; After keeping a low profile in Cambridge politics, former state legislator Elaine Noble declares her candidacy for City Council".Gay Community News.
  16. ^Jones, Marcus (1990-01-04)."Bellotti announces candidacy".The Ten O'Clock News, WGBH.Retrieved2021-03-07.
  17. ^Malcolm Lazin (August 20, 2015)."Op-ed: Here Are the 31 Icons of 2015's Gay History Month".Advocate.Retrieved2015-08-21.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Elaine_Noble&oldid=1247568289"