Mary Elaine Gennoy (June 11, 1951 – September 5, 2004) was an American activist for LGBT rights, disability rights, and marijuana legalization, based in San Francisco.
Gennoy was from Alameda, California, the daughter of William J. Gennoy and Doris Elaine Gennoy (later Gilla). Her father was a businessman and a World War II fighter pilot.[1] Her mother was a secretary.[2] She had congenital health issues she traced to radiation exposure in utero, while her mother was in treatment for cancer.[3] She attended Alameda High School in the 1960s, the College of Alameda in the early 1970s,[4] and San Francisco State University from 1979 to 1984.[5]
Gennoy was a familiar figure in San Francisco activist communities, working for LGBT rights, disability rights, the environment, and marijuana legalization.[5] She was one of the original active members of the San Francisco Cannabis Buyers Club, along with "Brownie Mary" Rathbun, Dennis Peron, and others.[6] "If you were born like me, you'd have no choice," she explained in 1998,[7] about her focus on marijuana legalization, because her chronic health issues required pain management, and medical cannabis met her needs.[8][9]
Gennoy was physically disabled, of short stature, and hard of hearing. She used a wheelchair in adulthood, and underwent numerous surgeries. She died in 2004, at the age of 53, after throat surgery for laryngeal cancer.[5][13] She was one of the people commemorated by a quilt honoring disabled lesbians, created by Karen Hampton and exhibited at the San Francisco Public Library in 2010.[15]
^"Run, Mighty Mite!". Santa Cruz Sentinel. 1971-12-10. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-06-10 – via Newspapers.com.
^ abcdHighleyman, Liz, "Activist Mary Gennoy Dies at 53"Bay Area Reporter (September 16, 2004), via GLBT Historical Society, Online Searchable Obituary Database.
^Gennoy, Mary (June 25, 1992). "New Stonewall Liberation Day". Bay Area Reporter. p. 7. Retrieved June 10, 2022 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
