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“People saw her as a matriarch, a mother-figure,” said her wife, Deborah Myers.
She said Nickie was one of the first openly gay women in San Antonio. She came out in the 1960′s during a time when it wasn’t readily accepted.
“She had this courage and this strength about her that allowed her to just be herself,” Deborah said.
Nickie’s activism started early on. In the 1970′s she co-founded Dignity San Antonio, one of the longest running LGBTQ+ organizations in the city.
Their mission is for inclusion for LGBTQ+ people in and out of the Catholic church. Deborah said it was Nickie’s life-work.
She definitely saved lives : Peace laureate and Dignity San Antonio co-founder leaves strong legacy
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Nickie Valdez, left, and her partner, Deb Myers, were jubilant on the day they obtained a marriage license at the Bexar County Courthouse in June 2015. Valdez, a gay rights and social justice advocate who co-founded and led Dignity San Antonio, died Dec. 25, 2020 at 80 years old.Express-News file photoShow MoreShow Less
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Nickie Valdez, center, was one of three women honored as San Antonio’s peace laureates in January 2019. The others honored were Rebecca Flores, left, a former state director of the United Farm Workers, and Patricia S. Castillo of the P.E.A.C.E. Initiative.Express News file photoShow MoreShow Less