Category: Women/Gender

The LESBIAN/GAY COMMUNITY SERVICE CENTER OF GREATER CLEVELAND was incorporated by Arthur G. MacDonald, Michael Madigan, and Ethan A.

LEWIS, FANNIE (6 June 1926 - 11 August 2008) was the Ward 7 representative for the CLEVELAND CITY COUNCIL, an area that included the city's Hough neighborhood, for almost thirty years.

The LGBTQ LIAISON TO THE DEPARTMENT OF SAFETY AND THE DIVISION OF POLICE is a municipal position in Cleveland that was established in July 2018 in order to improve relations between the police and Cleveland’s LGBTQ community. Director of Public Safety Michael McGrath named Commander Deirdre Jones as the first LGBTQ Liaison.

LGBTQ RIGHTS IN CLEVELAND have been shaped by legal decisions at the local, state, and national levels. This article provides an overview of the laws and legal changes that have shaped LGBTQ rights in Cleveland, including policies concerning sodomy, domestic partnerships, marriage, discrimination, identity documentation, and access to gendered bathrooms.

LUCAS, RUTH TOWNSEND (3 Jan. 1903 - 3 Sept. 1996) was a founder and director of the Central Volunteer Bureau of the Welfare Federation of Cleveland and a nationally recognized developer of volunteer programs. Born in Cleveland and raised in Lakewood, the daughter of Pitt Townsend and Evalina "Mattie" Curtiss attended Hathaway Brown.

MALONE, EMMA BROWN (30 Jan. 1859-12 May 1924), with her husband J. WALTER MALONE, organized the Christian Workers' Training School for Bible Study and Practical Methods of Work (opened 17 March 1892) in Cleveland, the precursor of Malone College, Canton, OH.

MARTIN, MARY BROWN (31 May, 1877 – 19 Nov. 1939), the first Black woman elected to the Cleveland Board of Education, was born in Raleigh, N.C. to Winfield Scott and Jane (Curtis) Brown, both former slaves.

The MARYANN FINEGAN PROJECT was an assistance program and hotline for victims of anti-gay violence established by the LESBIAN/GAY COMMUNITY SERVICE CENTER OF GREATER C

The MAYORAL ADMINISTRATION OF MAYOR JANE L. CAMPBELL (2002-2005) was set against a backdrop of persistent economic recession locally that complicated and narrowed the city's options on most issues during her four years in office and that led eventually to layoffs in several key departments. It was a challenging time for political leaders.

McCAFFERY, MARGARET (19 July 1906 - 20 Dec. 1997) served on Cleveland City Council through six mayoral administrations over twenty-eight years.

MCCARTHY, SARA VARLEY (2 Dec. 1891-19 Mar. 1987), reporter and social welfare volunteer who helped organize the Cleveland Diocesan Council of the NATIONAL COUNCIL of CATHOLIC WOMEN (NCCW) in 1923, received a papal medal for distinguished service by a layperson to the Catholic Church in 1936.

MCCORD, GRACE BERNARDINA DOERING (16 June 1890-31 Jan. 1983) became one of the first Cleveland women to achieve prominence in the legal profession. The daughter of Anton and Frances Langer Doering, she was born in downtown Cleveland and graduated from CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL.

MCCORMICK, ANNE (O'HARE) (16 May 1880-29 May 1954), the first woman on the editorial board of the New York Times (NYT) (1936-54) and the first woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for foreign correspondence (1937), began her writing career in Cleveland.

MCKELVEY, DOROTHY MARKS (24 Oct. 1902-14 July 1993) was the founder, president and trustee of the Berea Area Historical Society (BAHS). She was the caretaker of Berea history and historian of BALDWIN-WALLACE COLLEGE.

MCKENNEY, RUTH (18 Nov. 1911-15 July 1972) immortalized the nostalgia felt for her Cleveland upbringing in the stories she wrote under the collective title My Sister Eileen. Born in Mishawaka, Ind., she was brought by her family as a child to EAST CLEVELAND, where she became valedictorian at Shaw High School.

MCKINNEY, WADE HAMPTON (19 July 1892-18 Jan. 1963) and RUTH BERRY (24 Sept. 1900-4 Dec. 1966), were religious and civic leaders in Cleveland. As pastor of ANTIOCH BAPTIST CHURCH, McKinney was a powerful figure among the city's black population. Ruth McKinney, an activist in church circles, was also an important speaker and leader. Wade was born in Cleveland, Ga., to Wade and Mary Brown McKinney.

MERRICK, MYRA KING (15 Aug. 1825 - 10 Nov. 1899), was a pioneering woman physician. She was born in Hinkley, Leicestershire, England, the daughter of Richard (1795-1887) and Elizabeth (Ball) (1803-1885).

MIMS, A. GRACE LEE (17 July 17 1930 – 3 October 2019) was an educator, a musician, and an advocate for African-American culture.  She was born in Snow Hill, Alabama, to Arnold Wadsworth and Alberta Grace (Edwards) Lee.  Hers was a musical family. Her father, a band director, played the cornet; her mother was a classically trained pianist.  In the 1970s, A.

MORRISON, TONI (18th Feb. 1931 - 5th Aug. 2019) was a renowned and award-winning American author and professor. Morrison wrote extensively about the plight of African Americans and Black people, focusing on the Black female experience. 

Morrison was born Chloe Anthony Wofford on February 18th, 1931 in Lorain, Ohio, to George and Ramah Willis Wofford. Morrison was the second youngest of four siblings. 

The MOTHERS' AND YOUNG LADIES' GUIDE was not only the first magazine believed to have been published in Cleveland but also the only women's periodical issued at the time in the West. Published by TIMOTHY H. SMEAD, proprietor of the OHIO CITY ARGUS, and edited by Mrs.

MUELLER, MARGARET CROWL REID (20 August 1929 – 10 August 2018) was social worker, political candidate, preservationist, and the creator of one of Cleveland’s most notable small restaurants.  

MURAL, KATHERINE (12 July 1904-2 June 1993) was a Ukrainian immigrant-rights activist, serving as secretary for 20 years of Cleveland Branch 358 of The Ukrainian National Association, a fraternal insurance organization, and president of Cleveland Branch 30 of the UKRAINIAN NATIONAL WOMEN'S LEAGUE OF AMERICA.

MURDOCK, MARION E. (9 Oct. 1848-28 Jan. 1943) served with

The Cleveland Diocesan Council of the NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CATHOLIC WOMEN (NCCW) began as one of the country's earliest local groups, organized by Bp. JOSEPH SCHREMBS in 1922. Schrembs had founded the national organization (1919-20) while serving in Toledo. NCCW, a federation of over 150 organizations, supports, empowers, and educates Catholic women.