Bette Tallen
American scholar (1950–2023)
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Bette Sharon Tallen (1950-2023) was an American scholar and activist. She taught women's studies and political science and led diversity and inclusion training for students and faculty. She taught the first accredited college course in New York on Lesbianism.[citation needed] Tallen was part of the radical lesbian feminist separatist movement and gained recognition for her early academic contributions in the field.[1] Tallen, along with other Second Wave lesbian feminists including Mary Daly, Audre Lorde, Adrienne Rich, and Rita Mae Brown, were rejected by then establishment feminists such as those at National Organization for Women.[citation needed] She compared the need for separate women's spaces to the need for separate, focused movements for other marginalized groups, such as Black Nationalism.[citation needed] Throughout her career she supported efforts to center women, decenter male privilege, and challenge patriarchy.
University of Michigan (PhD)
Bette Sharon Tallen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | May 8, 1950 |
| Died | November 15, 2023 (aged 73) |
| Education | City College of New York University of Michigan (PhD) |
| Known for | Feminist lesbian activist |
| Spouse |
Carol Ann Thomas (m. 2019) |
Her later work focused on diversity programming, affirmative action, and a feminist critique of twelve step programs.[2] She was an active member in the National Women's Studies Association and the Southeastern Women's Studies Association (now called Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies South).[citation needed]
Early life and education
Bette Sharon Tallen was born on May 8, 1950,[citation needed] in New York City to Nathaniel and Anne G. Tallen.[3] She grew up in a Jewish household in Washington Heights. Although her parents were nonobservant, Bette was sent to a girl's Jewish sleep away camp for eight weeks when she was nine years old. At her request, the family became more observant attending synagogue in the reform tradition. She attended the same camp for ten years, ending as a camp counselor.[citation needed]
After graduating from Hunter College High School, Tallen received a bachelor's degree from the City College of New York, followed by a Doctor of Philosophy in political science from the University of Michigan.[3]
Career
Tallen taught at Ramapo College, Rollins College, and the University of Central Florida.[3]
Congruent with her teaching, Tallen was active in many campus community programs and student groups. She worked in a shelter for women victims of domestic violence,[3] and revived the Women's Services and Lesbian and Gay Alliance at the State University of New York.[citation needed] After retiring from teaching at the University of Central Florida, Tallen represented at-risk children in legal proceedings through the Guardian Ad Litem program.[3]
Personal life
Tallen came out in 1979 while working as a full time women's studies Professor in New York. In a 1986 interview with The Windy City Times, Tallen states, "I was the first full time women's studies professor in the whole New York system. I was living in a small upstate town in New York and I came out in 1979. I came out in the context of a very strong rural women's community. I felt it was just a part of my regular intellectual growth. It was an extension of where I had been going."[4][verification needed]
Tallen was in a long-term relationship with Rosemary Keefe, author of Lesbian Nuns Breaking Silence.[citation needed]
Tallen married Carol Ann Thomas on November 16, 2019.[3]
Tallen died on November 15, 2023. At the time of her death, she lived in Winter Park, Florida.[3]