Bernadine LaPointe
- Late 80s
- Served on the executive of GaeGala. Was instrumental in purchasing 2112 Gottingen where Rumours was finally located.
- 1987
- ran a coming-out support group called ComingForward?
- 1986-1990
- Performed at various fundraisers for the gay & lesbian community
- 1987 - 89
- Editor of the GAEZETTE
- 1990-2007
- Wrote musical murder mystery lesbian-themed plays which were performed annually (including Frought With the Sin, Your Bleedin' Heart, Hot Katz vs Boykers, Training to Paris).
- 2001
- Created OutAndAboutWomyn, a social group for lesbians in the Halifax region.
- 2003
- OutAndAboutWomyn produces Bernadine's murder mystery show, Disturbing the Dead. Here's a WayvesMagazine article about it.
- 2001-2004
- Organized countless fundraisers, social events, and promoted womyn's events heavily through online websites and other womyn's organizations throughtout the maritimes, Canada and the U.S.
- August, 2010
- Wayves September 2010 article, "Suffering Sappho, It's Murder!" about the her murder mystery book featuring lesbian Mountie Danielle Renaud.
Oral History with Dan & Barend
On November 13, 2020, DanielMacKay and BarendKamperman spent an afternoon with Bernadine talking about her and her work in Halifax.
Here's the recording of that interview.
And here's an index of what they talk about, prepared by PoppyRiddle:
- Warm up conversation till 00:03:50 00:00
- Introductions, name and pronunciation in French and English 00:03
- Birthplace in New Brunswick 00:04
- Came to Halifax to go to university in 1985, attended Dalhousie University in the science program, took Lit classes at SMU 00:04
- Won award for biology research, oxytocin and women's orgasms 00:04
- Shifted to computer science 00:06
- Diploma and started teaching at community college 00:06
- Question about activism involvement from Dan 00:07
- "I was very shy" Raised French Catholic, found out that family was Acadien 00:07
- "13th great-great-grandmother" left France and arrived in 1605 eventually setting in NB - Port Royale - Grand Pre - Quebec - New Brunswick 00:09
- "Not only was I Acadienne and not even knew it…" - One of the first familes 00:10
- Grand-Pré area - fell in love with it 00:11
- "Gotta take a picture with the dyke sign!" - the dykes in NS 00:12
- Secret high-school sweetheart - in response to question from Dan about if she ever came out in her home town - denial by aunt - why people look for a cause. 00:12
- Coming to realization in late teens - acceptance of being a lesbian and her happiness - 'truth mattered even if it hurt' 00:14
- …I didn't know how to go about it…' - reflections on coming out, acceptance 00:15
- I called the GayLine…' JimBarnaby - 'he was so sweet' - lovely thoughts from Dan as well - 00:15
- Being raised by nuns - Bernadine in Grade 12 - '…you need to leave here to be yourself…' 00:16
- Thoughts on love and sexuality - the lack of language when referring to lesbian relationships in this time and place - '…there was no information…' 00:16
- Dan's story of 'aunts' and 'old maids' by family members 00:17
- Campbellton - went to school in Dalhousie NB - Pointe-à-la-Croix 00:18
- Campbellton - 'had its very fist gay Pride parade last summer' - summer of 2020? 00:19
- Church in Lorne - large and ornate - Bernadette's home community - 'Duke of Lorne from Scotland' - late 1800's - mining community - 'Land and Sea documentary' - Here it is on Google Maps 00:19
- I am the first person in my ancestry…to finish high school…let alone university…' 00:21
- French community - first in family to be schooled in english 00:23
- …extreme sense of community' - in the 70's - 'we lived off the land' - descriptions of life growing up in her community 00:26
- Met Jim Barnaby - Sparrow - LynnMurphy ' - meeting people in Halifax, playing guitar 00:27
- playing guitar - 1986 first Wild Women don't get the Blues - camping weekend - River John - Andrea Curry note about Andrea Curry in 2008 entry: PrideCelebrations 00:29
- GAEZETTE involvement - 'evenings and weekends it was GAEZETTE central…' - working with Lynn - became the editor - AlStewart - 'gregarious discussions' 00:30
- Dan's question - how did you chose murder mystery weekend as a form? - never exposed to theatre - 'I loved the Carol Burnette Show' - Nancy Drew books 00:32
- Started writing for friends, 'then putting them on for the community' - start in Feb part time, July through October work constantly on it 00:33
- in response to Dan's question - could you do another one now - '…now I have it down to a science' - '4 male characters, 4 female characters' - '4 rounds then the solution' 00:35
- I would only give them their script that night' - improvisation 00:36
- Fraught with the Sin' - parody of Gone With the Wind 00:37
- acknowledging the transitions of common friends (friends of Bernadette and Dan) 00:38
- Dartmouth Players - asked to convert previously discussed play 00:39
- List of titles: Disturbing the Dead, Fought With the Sin, My Lips Are Sealed, Shootin' at the Ritz, Your Bleeding Heart, Crackpot, Boykers Versus Hot Cats 00:40
- Discussing Shootin' At the Ritz – props, master script 00:42
- Dan - 'This is an impossible amount of work' - Bernadette replies '... I loved every moment of it.' 00:43
- Discussing guitars 00:44
- Song from 'Bleeding Heart' - gives background of story, about 4 minutes 00:48
- Song, about 3 minutes, 00:51
- Discussion of use of music in the plays - '...like a musical mystery' 00:54
- Song - goes to the tune of 'Ring of Fire' by Johnny Cash, about 4 minutes 00:56
- ...too shy to train my voice…' 01:01
- notes on other things to discuss, such as mystery novel writing to follow up on. 01:01
- Dan gets a call 01:02
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