Nancy Lanoue | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 30, 1952 |
| Education | |
| Known for | Women's health advocacy and martial arts education |
Nancy Lanoue (born May 30, 1952) is a women's health advocate and self-defense instructor, with both areas focusing on the LGBTQ+ community. [1]
Lanoue was born the youngest of three children. Her father was Frederick Lanoue, a swimming coach and the inventor of "drownproofing." From when she was six years old, Lanoue taught alongside her father. When Frederick Lanoue died of a cerebral hemorrhage while teaching his method to Marine Corps recruits, she became the instructor, teaching his method over the summer. [2]
At eighteen, Lanoue went to Sarah Lawrence College. Her mother died six months into her time in college. [2] She then completed a joint master's degree at Columbia University in journalism and international affairs. [3]
Lanoue worked as a reporter for the New York Post and Reader's Digest Press. [4] She took self-defense courses to feel safer while on assignment. [3] Lanoue studied Seido karate under its founder, Shihan Tadashi Nakamura, and discovered a passion for the practice. [3] [5]
In 1979, Lanoue founded the Safety Fitness Exchange (SAFE) in New York City. SAFE was the city's first community organization specializing in women's self-defense and rape prevention. [4]
In 1984, Lanoue and her partner, Jeanette Pappas, moved to Chicago, hoping to build a gym and self-defense training center. They opened The Women's Gym in 1985, which became a gathering location for lesbians. [4] Two years later, Lanoue was diagnosed with breast cancer. [3] She had a mastectomy and underwent chemotherapy. [6] Two years after Lanoue's diagnosis, Pappas was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The couple closed the gym in 1989 as they pursued treatments for Pappas in California. [4] [6] Pappas worked to provide information about breast cancer to Chicago's lesbian community. Lanoue continued with this after Pappas died in 1989. [4]
In 1990, Lanoue opened Thousand Waves Spa [6] a center focused on women. [3] The next year, her new partner, Sarah Ludden, moved to Chicago from California to assist in running the organization, expanding to the Thousand Waves Martial Arts & Self-Defense Center. [3] [4] As the organization grew, it expanded to provide classes for children, and then for adults of all genders. [3] Lanoue served as the training consultant for the Pink Angels Anti-Violence Project. [7]
In 1994, Lanoue competed in the 1994 Gay Games, winning a gold medal in the black belt masters Kata division and a bronze medal in the sparring competition for women thirty-five and over. [8]
In October 1990, Lanoue was involved in the first gathering of lesbians in Chicago concerned about cancer. [4] She went on to co-found the Lesbian Community Cancer Project (LCCP). [9] She served as its first board president. [8]