Maxine Wolfe is an American activist for AIDS, civil rights, lesbian rights, reproductive rights as well as many related areas. She was not raised in a political household nor did her family believe policy was written for her people as they were working class Jewish immigrants in America.
Education
Having no books, education was not the biggest priority. However, Wolfe still managed to go to college, obtaining a doctoral degree. She attended college in the late fifties and early sixties, starting at age 16, graduating at age 19 from Brooklyn College. It was here her political interest was sparked, she began working on economic issues within civil rights with the Brooklyn Congress of Racial Equality. Wolfe continued her education in psychology by obtaining her masters and PhD, in this field of study. Wolfe is Professor Emerita in Psychology from the Graduate Center, CUNY.
Personal life
In the middle to late seventies Wolfe considered herself a lesbian, leaving her husband that she married at age 19. She describes that she experimented with men and when she was unsatisfied, delved deeper into the feminist movement. Wolfe created the “CR group”, which consisted of other women she was working with at a university as a graduate professor along with other women from her neighborhood. Naturally, due to lack of interest and publicity the group quickly failed and dissolved.
Activism
In the late seventies, Wolfe joined the Coalition for Abortion Rights and Against Sterilization Abuse, subsequently got involved in the national committee that pushed for the creation of the Reproductive Rights National Network. Wolfe became a part of that committee as well. She did demonstrations against Joseph Califano, the current Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in 1977-1979 over reproductive rights and a plethora of other related topics. Wolfe then joined the Lesbian Action Committee, finding great difficulty in recruiting other females who had not “come out” yet. They began with educational information and demonstrations which immediately had been perceived as the committee trying to “turn everyone lesbian.” As the Lesbian Action Committee evolved, they wanted to work with the Reproductive Rights National Network presenting information over lesbian focused material. Despite their intentions, the Reproductive Right National Network didn't want this type of publicity, distancing themselves from Wolfe and her committee. The Human Life Amendment was up in Congress so the group went to Washington to break up the hearings and ended up getting a large amount of publicity for it. As the Family Protection Act bill was released in 1980 the coalition named, Committee Against Racism Anti-Semitism, Sexism and Heterosexism, was born consisting of Maxine Wolfe from the CARASA, Joan Gibbs representing Dykes Against Racism Everywhere, Laurie Morton representing Radical Women, and Naomi Brussel representing the Committee of Lesbian and Gay Men Socialists. This coalition held a conference over the Family Protection Act and began doing demonstrations about the Human Life Amendment and many other things. Since there was not a mass movement at the time, each woman's individual committee wanted to recruit into the political parties rather than become a mass movement. In spite, CRASH did a demonstration at the Neighborhood Church where 500 people showed up. This prompted each woman of CRASH to leave their individual committees, joining the new mass movement. In 1985, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation was created and Wolfe joined in an interest with the AIDS crisis. This same year, Wolfe was arrested for sitting in on the hearing for the Gay Rights Bill with a “Lesbian Liberation, We Won’t Go Away” sign, refusing to leave after the hearing was over and they didn't vote. As well in 1985, Wolfe got involved with ACT UP and attended the 24-hour picket of Sloan Kettering as well as the March on Washington in October 1987. Because of Wolfe's political experience in the previous years, she led the way in getting ACT UP involved in policy instead of just advocacy to continue this mass movement. She also coordinated Woman and AIDS, an event at Shea Stadium where the METS played. Around 60 men and woman from ACT UP went to the game with signs to be televised across America and reach the large crowd of fans at the game. She was also involved with Stop the Church and organized the campaign to change the CDC definition of AIDS. In addition, Wolfe worked on campaigns and committees for AIDS research, pharmaceuticals, and more access to care and education. Wolfe left ACT UP in 1997. As of 2004, she lives in Brooklyn, New York.
