Ginny Foat
Encyclopedia
Virginia "Ginny" Foat is an American
politician
and feminist. Foat was acquitted in 1983 of having participated in a 1965 murder
committed by her then-husband, but the publicity derailed her activist career at the time. She is currently serving as a city councilmember in Palm Springs, California
.
. She married Danny Angelillo in 1961, but the marriage was annulled in 1963, at which time she learned she was pregnant. She left home for a home for unwed mothers, where she stayed until she had the baby, which was given up for adoption
.
After her return home, she married bartender John "Jack" Sidote in 1965. In her 1985 autobiography, she describes enduring five years of domestic violence
, receiving her first beating on their honeymoon. Sidote was eventually convicted of manslaughter
in California in the 1967 slaying of Okeni Moe, and she left him.
She married Ray Foat in 1971, attended her first National Organization for Women
meeting in 1974, and quickly moved up the ranks in the organization.
In 1977, Foat was arrested after her former husband Sidote named her as an accomplice
in a Nevada murder and the 1965 murder of New Orleans tourist Moises Chayo. She was released after three months when Sidote refused to testify against her in the Nevada case.
Foat campaigned for the national vice presidency of NOW in 1982, but NOW member Shelly Mandell alerted Louisiana authorities of Foat's identity, and she was arrested and put on trial in 1983 in Gretna, Louisiana
. Foat was acquitted, but the incident affected her political ambitions. Foat wrote an autobiography and worked for several political causes throughout the 1980s and 1990s. During that time she came out as lesbian
.
Foat was elected to fill an unexpired term on the Palm Springs City Council in 2003, then elected to a full four-year term the following year.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and feminist. Foat was acquitted in 1983 of having participated in a 1965 murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
committed by her then-husband, but the publicity derailed her activist career at the time. She is currently serving as a city councilmember in Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
.
Life and career
Born to August ("Gus") and Virginia Galluzzo, Foat graduated from Grace Downs Academy and became a flight attendantFlight attendant
Flight attendants or cabin crew are members of an aircrew employed by airlines primarily to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers aboard commercial flights, on select business jet aircraft, and on some military aircraft.-History:The role of a flight attendant derives from that of similar...
. She married Danny Angelillo in 1961, but the marriage was annulled in 1963, at which time she learned she was pregnant. She left home for a home for unwed mothers, where she stayed until she had the baby, which was given up for adoption
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
.
After her return home, she married bartender John "Jack" Sidote in 1965. In her 1985 autobiography, she describes enduring five years of domestic violence
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
, receiving her first beating on their honeymoon. Sidote was eventually convicted of manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
in California in the 1967 slaying of Okeni Moe, and she left him.
She married Ray Foat in 1971, attended her first National Organization for Women
National Organization for Women
The National Organization for Women is the largest feminist organization in the United States. It was founded in 1966 and has a membership of 500,000 contributing members. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S...
meeting in 1974, and quickly moved up the ranks in the organization.
In 1977, Foat was arrested after her former husband Sidote named her as an accomplice
Accomplice
At law, an accomplice is a person who actively participates in the commission of a crime, even though they take no part in the actual criminal offense. For example, in a bank robbery, the person who points the gun at the teller and asks for the money is guilty of armed robbery...
in a Nevada murder and the 1965 murder of New Orleans tourist Moises Chayo. She was released after three months when Sidote refused to testify against her in the Nevada case.
Foat campaigned for the national vice presidency of NOW in 1982, but NOW member Shelly Mandell alerted Louisiana authorities of Foat's identity, and she was arrested and put on trial in 1983 in Gretna, Louisiana
Gretna, Louisiana
The city of Gretna is the parish seat of Jefferson Parish, in the US state of Louisiana. Gretna is on the west bank of the Mississippi River, just east and across the river from uptown New Orleans. It is part of the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. Foat was acquitted, but the incident affected her political ambitions. Foat wrote an autobiography and worked for several political causes throughout the 1980s and 1990s. During that time she came out as lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
.
Foat was elected to fill an unexpired term on the Palm Springs City Council in 2003, then elected to a full four-year term the following year.
External links
- Feminism on Trial via Crime Library
- Ginny Foat Campaign site