Judith Radovan Tape 1

Tape 1 of the QMUNITY interview with Judith Radovan. Judith Radovan was born in Chile in 1944. Judith's father was very supportive of her, and Judith described her mother as a strong woman with a very positive demeanor. Judith had an early recollection of her mother preparing "tea and bread for a beggar," an outward focus that may very well have impacted Judith's later involvement and concern with the social needs of the people of Chile. In her early years, Judith lived in a number of environments, including a big city, small agricultural towns, and, at one point, a sawmill. During her teenage years, Judith landed in a learning environment that recognized her potential, and she flourished, moving from having been "a failing student all [her] life, to the highest marks [in the class]." She went on to study midwifery, and was in constant search of a balance of knowledge, committing herself to reading three novels after every test that she took. Judith had always had an interest in politics, and she joined the Communist Party during her time at university. In the 1960's, Judith was the general secretary of her campus, and was very active in the student protest movement. Upon her graduation, for which she was the valedictorian, and after having "cleaned up [her] first baby," Judith embraced the profession of midwifery excitedly, and wholeheartedly. After having established herself professionally, as a midwife, and politically, as the political secretary for four municipalities, Judith decided that she wanted to have a child. Very shortly after the birth of her daughter, the course of Judith's life was redirected by the 1973 Chilean coup d'état. As a politically active communist, Judith was put in jail, and was blacklisted. Upon her release, Judith managed to find safety for herself and her daughter in Winnipeg, in 1976. Judith worked a couple of jobs, and enrolled in an English program, where she learned the basics of the language. She later worked as a care aide, and began saving money to attend Nursing School at UBC. When a book confronted Judith with a dream of her best life, she found that dream included a relationship with "a wonderful woman." She began exploring these feelings, and Judith found support through the Vancouver Lesbian Connection, the Lotus, and the Gay and Lesbian Centre (now, QMUNITY). She promptly became a member of the "Coming Out Group," and volunteered with the Vancouver Lesbian Connection for a few years. At the 1993 Dyke March, Judith spotted Joan in the crowd, they shared a few dances, they clicked, "and the rest was history." With a supportive partner, a grown daughter, and three grandchildren, Judith described her life as "beautiful", lacking in no way, and having finally "come to where [she] wanted it to be." Judith believed that the next generation "has to be better...to be more generous, more attentive, [and] more caring about what is happening to their neighbor." Judith passed away on May 23, 2011.