Diane Sands, Legislator

Nominator:

Beth Judy

Who is my bold woman?

Diane Sands

Where and when did she live?

She lives in Missoula, MT.  Born 1947.

What did she do?

She’s been a great state legislator for years—the first openly gay one in Montana, in fact.  She’s also done fantastic, vital women’s history research--for example, on midwives in MT--and much more.

What does she mean to me?

I was interviewed live on the radio at the MT Folk Festival in July ’19 about “bold MT women,” and when asked about favorite bold women now, my mind went blank! But I had just seen Diane there at the festival, and realized later that she would’ve been a great pick. She has been courageous. The historical research she did, inspired by the women’s movement, was extremely timely. That knowledge, those stories might have become lost if Diane had not documented them. Diane continues to inspire younger people and work hard for MT.