Notable Lesbians
This week’s Notable Lesbian is:
Janis Ian
Born April 7, 1951
Janis Ian is a Grammy
Award-winning American 
songwriter, singer, multi-instrumental musician, columnist, and author. She was a singing sensation throughout the 1960s and 1970s, and continues to write songs for numerous artists. Born in New York City, she was primarily raised in New Jersey and briefly attended the New York City High School of Music & Art. At age fifteen, Ian wrote and sang her first hit single, “Society’s Child (Baby I’ve Been Thinking),” about an interracial romance forbidden by a girl’s mother and frowned upon by her peers and teachers. Her most successful single was “At Seventeen,” released in 1975, a bittersweet commentary on adolescent cruelty and teenage angst, as reflected upon from the maturity of adulthood. Ian currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with attorney Patricia Snyder, whom she married in Toronto, Canada on August 27, 2003.
Interesting tid bit:
In addition to being an award-winning singer/songwriter, Ian also writes science fiction. She has also been a regular columnist for, and still contributes to the LGBT news magazine, The Advocate. The hit 2004 movie Mean Girls features a character named “Janis Ian” who was called lesbian by some of her classmates.
I learned the truth at seventeen
That love was meant for beauty queens
and high school girls with clear skinned smiles
who married young and then retired
The valentines I never knew
The Friday night charades of youth
were spent on one more beautiful
At seventeen I learned the truth~ Opening lyrics from “At Seventeen”
If you have a suggestion for a Notable Lesbian, e-mail me at lyndsey.darcangelo@451press.net or use the contact form above and I’ll highlight her in an upcoming post.
janis ian, the advocate, science fiction writer, grammy award winning songwriter, american songwriter, at seventeen, society’s child, patricia snyder, notable lesbians
June 28th, 2007 at 9:50 am
Wait, when did Janis Ian’s hair get white? Wasn’t it just the 1970s??? Oh my, how time passes. Her “Seventeen” song was great. So much angst. But it was really true.