Lois Galgay Reckitt

Lois Galgay Reckitt (née Galgay; December 31, 1944 – October 30, 2023) was an American feminist and activist. Called "one of the most prominent advocates in Maine for abused women", she served as executive director of Family Crisis Services in Portland, Maine, for more than three decades.

From 2016 until her death, she served in the Maine House of Representatives as a member of the Democratic Party.

From 1984 to 1987, she served as executive vice president of the National Organization for Women (NOW) in Washington, D.C. She was the co-founder of the Human Rights Campaign Fund, the Maine Coalition for Human Rights, the Maine Women's Lobby, and the first Maine chapter of NOW. She was inducted into the Maine Women's Hall of Fame in 1998.

Early life and education Lois Galgay was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on December 31, 1944, Her parents were both polio survivors. She was an only child. and had her first taste of activism as a member of the Northern Student Movement. She later received certification as a notary public in the State of Maine. which was formalized as Family Crisis Services in 1977. In 2018, the organization was renamed Through These Doors. She served as executive director of Family Crisis Services from 1979 to 1984. She lobbied for legal reforms to protect victims of domestic abuse, leading to the passage of "anti-stalking legislation, a domestic violence homicide review panel, and gun control measures for abusers". She often spoke at conferences and on panels in support of women's rights and LGBT rights. She was frequently quoted in newspaper reports on domestic violence and murder, and organized memorial gatherings for victims of domestic violence. In December 2013, following the murder of Matthew Rairdon in Westbrook, Maine, Reckitt urged attention to the issue of domestic violence in same-sex relationships. She retired from the executive directorship in October 2015. She served on the board of directors of the Maine Women's Lobby from 1979 to 1983, on the board of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence from 2005 to 2014 (including two years as president), She was an advisory committee member of the LGBT Collection at the University of Southern Maine. Her chairmanships include the Maine Coalition for Family Crisis Services and the Maine Commission on Domestic Abuse; she was vice-chair for the board of trustees at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. During her second marriage, she realized she was lesbian and came out in 1976 while in her early thirties. She lived with her wife, Lyn Kjenstad Carter, in South Portland. Galgay Reckitt had two children and five grandchildren.

Galgay Reckitt died from colon cancer on October 30, 2023, in South Portland, at the age of 78. After her death was announced, Governor Janet Mills and President of the State Senate Troy Jackson issued statements praising Galgay Reckitt.

Awards and recognition Reckitt received the Outstanding Contribution to Law Enforcement award from the Maine Chiefs of Police Association in 1996, the Advocate for Justice Award from the Maine Judicial Branch in 2001, the John W. Ballou Distinguished Service Award from the Maine State Bar Association in 2005, and the Deborah Morton Award from the University of New England in 2013. She was inducted into the Maine Women's Hall of Fame in 1998.

Reckitt is listed in Feminists Who Changed America, 1963–1975 and was named "Feminist of the Month – 2010" by the Veteran Feminists of America.

Selected articles

(with Julie Alfred Sullivan)