Tacie Dejanikus papers

Tacie Dejanikus (1952 ca. -), a social and political activist, fought for women's and gay and lesbian rights as part of numerous organizations in the Washington, D.C. area. She wrote for feminist journals, participated in protest marches, and chaired social and politically minded organizations. Dejanikus lived in Chevy Chase, Maryland as a child at 7102 Ridgewood Avenue. In her late twenties, she joined the "Off Our Backs" collective, a D.C. based feminist journal. Over the next decade, her activities included interviewing various feminists and lesbians in D.C., writing for "Off Our Backs," and participating in protest activities throughout the area. Dejanikus and five other women from the Women's Liberation Zap Action Brigade were arrested on April 23, 1981, for disrupting a U.S. Senate hearing discussing the "Human Life Bill." All were released on bond for one hundred dollars and stood trial on July 6, 1981. Dejanikus continued her social and political activism, but professional disagreements compelled her to leave the "Off Our Backs" collective in 1985. In 1988 she helped form and co-chair the National Committee to Free Sharon Kowalski. She remained involved until 1991 when the Minnesota appeals court returned Sharon Kowalski to her partner Karen Thompson's custody. Throughout the course of her activities, Dejanikus protested for civil rights and health care concerns, including breast cancer, AIDS, and birth control. These papers document her and other's activities giving researchers a window into feminist and lesbian concerns as debated and protested in the Washington, D.C. area.