In her last hours I would tell her the time had come for her spirit to be truly free and fly away. There was not much that made her smile at that time, but this did. I think she is not resting, but flying about. I love you Judy. It was a great 30 years. I will never forget you, but could I?
Great picture. Can I get a copy?
What a relief to have this space to read and write about Judy. I’d really like to call her up, but I have yet to arrange that. Thank you. Maybe I can sleep now?
Max, I think Judy would have loved the look of this site. And it is a blessing to have it. Thank you.
Remembering Judy Freespirit 
Sep 12, 2010 @ 09:39:48
Elizabeth, that picture came from googling Judy. I don’t have a print-worthy one. But you can download that one by right-clicking on it, and then “save image as…”
Sep 12, 2010 @ 09:59:11
Yes, flying about!
Sep 12, 2010 @ 11:09:37
I love hearing that she was smiling at the thought of flying and that she had the support of people who knew and loved her in her final moments before take-off. (But how could she not? Judy was superb at bringing people together. Judy was simply superb. I love you, Judy.
–G.L.
excerpts from Night Flight (poem by Judy Freespirit)
On the night of our parting we lie
fat dyke birds …
your fingers press shafts of fire
into my soft and hungry flesh. I suck
your touches deep into my every crevice
as we fly, my love,
we fly.
Sep 14, 2010 @ 21:28:48
I first saw Judy in that Fat Chance performance at Skylight studio in 1979. I was there in clown, as Prosciutto, selling Mom’s cheesecake with my then lover Sara (as Mabel) and hawking the very first edition (of 4) of Big Woman Notecards. I was blown away by the performances – both the physicality of the trapezes and, yes, handstand/backflips, and the depth of the personal stories that tied them all together. I immediately wanted to be part of telling the story of growing up and living fat in our American fat-hating society. In those days I had been working with Mothertongue doing readers theater and I approached Judy after the show and told her I thought I could help in creating a readers theater around fat oppression/fat liberation. What followed was Fat Lip Readers Theater, ten first-born fat women, nine lesbians and one confirmed bisexual.
We wrote every week for a year and then launched ourselves, some kicking and screaming, into performance. How great it was to send out that message from the stage. Judy was the foremother and we were the messengers.
She was exasperating and inspiring, a fierce advocate and critic all at once. Many’s the time we quarreled and came again to an understanding based on principles and a common desire to fight for a just outcome and to care for each other.
I used her as the body model for my FAT POWER t-shirt and so she remained with me even years after I left the Bay Area for the southwest with my partner Jess, who died in 1998. Big Woman Notecards grew to 26 cards, Fat Liberation touched millions of lives, and Prosciutto still wears that t-shirt, 13 SF and 12 Santa Fe Pride parades later. I honor Judy for what she gave us all.