The At 17 singer and her wife have been together for over 35 years
BY YASMIN VINCE, IMAGE BY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
50 years ago, Janis Ian was the first musical guest on Saturday Night Live (SNL). Making that first episode was, by all accounts, one of the most chaotic evenings in television history and has been immortalised in the new film entitled Saturday Night.
In the film, due to be in cinemas this Friday (31 January), queer icon Janis is played by another incredible name in the LGBTQIA community, MUNA’s Naomi McPherson. While we eagerly await what is sure to be a performance to remember, let’s look back at how Janis Ian met her lawyer wife, Patricia Snyder…
1989 – The two meet in Nashville
Years after Janis performed her hit song, At 17, on SNL, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee. The singer was reeling from a breakup and struggling with chronic fatigue syndrome. Naturally, to help her through, she turned to chess.
A friend introduced Janis, who was searching for a chess partner, to Patricia Snyder, a 42 year-old single mother and assistant archivist at Vanderbilt University. The two quickly became firm friends, and even quicker, became more.
Talking to the Irish Independent, Janis said: “I met Pat and we got it together. I knew I was gonna spend my life with her.”
1993 – Their relationship becomes public
Back in 1976, Janis was outed as a lesbian by The Village Voice, but this was quickly forgotten by the wider public, especially when she married a man. Over a decade later, in 1993, Janis made the decision to come out publicly.
Later, she spoke about her decision, saying a human rights campaigner had asked her if she had any role models growing up. When Janis said no, the campaigner said: “Well, don’t you think they could use one?”
“That summed it up,” said Janis. “For a lot of the kids I hear from, to be able to say to their parents: ‘Well, Janis Ian’s been with her partner for more than 20 years, and they’re stable and she’s normal and she’s successful’ – it gives them a bargaining chip.”
1996 – Janis goes on tour and Patricia goes to university
1996 marked a period of change for Janis and Patricia. The singer embarked on a lengthy tour, keeping her away from her partner and family, but Patricia was the entire reason she went on tour. Talking to The New York Times, Janis explained that her 200-day tour in 1996 was designed to pay for her partner to attend the University of Tennessee College of Law.
Four years later, Patricia received her law degree and began to work as a criminal defence lawyer. But during their physical separation, it was hard for them to communicate. So, when they realised they’d both be in Nashville for a week, they booked almost daily therapy sessions to learn how to talk more. It worked, and the pair’s relationship only got stronger.
2003 – They get married
On 27 August 2003, Janis and Patricia were in Toronto City Hall, tying the knot. It would be over 10 years before same-sex marriage was made legal in the USA but it was already happening in Canada. As such, the pair found themselves standing in a Canadian registry office, decked out in Hawaiian shirts, saying their vows.
The pair also became the first lesbian couple to be profiled by the vows column in The New York Times.
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