Bronx-born Joan Nestle moved across the world to be with her new love, Dianne Otto.
In the 1970s, New Yorker Joan Nestle , 84, co-founded what would become the world’s largest lesbian “herstory” archive. One morning in 1998, Australian Dianne Otto, 72, came over – and they’ve been together ever since.Photograph by Chris HopkinsI was living on Upper West Side and finishing my treatment for colon cancer. My partner of 10 years had left me and I was pretty much in a state of despair, at 58, that I’d never be loved again. One morning, the telephone rang.
My old partner, Lee, had left me to be with a younger blonde; she was terrified of cancer. I’d walk in the park and Di would come with me. It’s Riverside Drive along the Hudson River, the sun is setting, and I just say, “So have you fallen in love with Lee yet? All my women friends do.” She walked right in front of me and said, “Joan, it’s not Lee I’m attracted to. It’s you.” I was in shock: how could someone want this cancer-touched body?I’d given up, in a way.
I’m on the verge of yet another change; physically, it’s getting harder to walk. Di’s not comfortable talking about her own fears, but she manages a kind of Adelaidean optimism. Out of harsh conditions, Di will say, “Wow, isn’t that beautiful? Look how green it is.” And I’m looking and I don’t see green anywhere. That’s Di. She’ll find the green. She’s my home.Joan was still recovering from her colon cancer treatments when we met.
Joan loves to play. We might play with a word that we hear on TV. Or Joan watches a lot of sports, and she’ll always bring out the football, or the basketball, and bounce the ball or pretend she’s one of the players at the break.Di Otto
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