Lesbian Visibility - lesbians to celebrate

[SuperLoudPoppingAction]

Who are your favourite and most amazing lesbians?

www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/1981-audre-lorde-uses-anger-women-responding-racism/ Audre Lorde

feminisminindia.com/2018/08/22/oppression-marilyn-frye-essay/ Marilyn Frye

www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poet/maud-sulter/ Maud Sulter (photo hopefully included)

unherd.com/2019/07/why-has-the-lgbt-community-turned-against-lesbians/ claire heuchan

womansplaceuk.org/2019/05/30/3697/ Julie Bindel

Also - my favourite initiatives to promote and support lesbian visibility -

nowtoronto.com/art-and-books/melissa-levin-1958-2015/ Melissa Levin's Lesbian Helper project

www.wallpaper.com/art/donna-gottschalk-photography Donna Gottschalk's photographs

carolyngage.weebly.com/blog/the-disappearing-l-erasure-of-lesbian-spaces-and-culture Dr Bonnie Morris's book

If you can see the image I posted, there was a lovely project linked to Michfest which had posters and shirts to ensure butch and gender non conforming lesbians knew they were wanted. I can't find images of the posters anymore. I think it was around 2013.

the description here explains it better than I could

I have a feeling not many people know about this person anymore:

"[In 1985, the] UK's first openly gay mayor candidate Margaret Roff is nominated. This heightens public awareness of the issues. Margaret Roff had been a Manchester Councillor for 3 years in 1985 and had been involved in campaigning for minority rights, especially championing lesbian rights. However, overwhelming attention from the press, much of it derogatory and negative, coupled with the loss of her parents, forced her to withdraw from the nomination. She left Manchester shortly after this period and her short life came to a tragic end in 1987, when, at the age of just 46 years old, Margaret Roff died in a hotel fire in Nicaragua. She had travelled to Nicaragua to help build a hospital in Puerto Cabezas."

owlcation.com/humanities/LGBT-History-in-Manchester-UK

The late, great Magdalen Berns. An amazing woman and feminist who was taken too soon.

Here's Dr Julia Long speaking on the cultural genocide of lesbians.

Martina Navratilova

Emma Donahue (author of "Room")

The Ladies of Llangollen: www.peoplescollection.wales/content/ladies-llangollen-1

I hadnt heard of Margaret Roff - thanks, gcgd!

www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/stories-44212046/lesbian-protest-at-the-bbc

This was a great protest for lesbian visibility I thought.
The more of a furore the press created around lesbians, the more young lesbians heard the word and were able to define themselves.

Although I did come over all prudish at the photos of topless Eric and Martin.
Times have certainly changed.

I have a nice, similar, American book from the same era with line drawings which is a bit more palatable for my prudishness.

Americans are top at wearing clothes.

The first British out lesbian MP was Maureen Colquhoun. She certainly sounds like an interesting character. When she was outed - or came out, I’m not sure which - in the late 1970s, the chairman of her local (Labour) party turned against her, saying she had been elected "as a working wife and mother" and that "this business has blackened her image irredeemably".

Before coming out, she became the first MP to ask the speaker to call her “Ms” rather than “Mrs” or “Ms”. But she also attracted controversy for standing up for Enoch Powell and for punching a traffic warden!

Here’s a good article on her: everything2.com/title/Maureen+Colquhoun

and another more details one from the LSE:
blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsehistory/2019/02/13/maureen-colquhoun/

I went to look up the MP I knew growing up.
She was a visible lesbian to me.
But doesn't seem to have ever come out.
Not even one of those euphymistic 'she lived with a female companion' cop outs.

Just goes to show how important lesbian visibility is now.

Nicola Adams

Tove Janssen

Gertrude Stein. Her poetry is infused with her sexual joy at being a lesbian. Even as a straight woman I feel it quite arousing!

Good thread, but Tove Jansson was bisexual, she had several male lovers.

But her long-time partner was... Too-ticky

Tracy Chapman

Anne Lister should be in this thread!

@Lordfrontpaw Do we know if Tuulikki Pietilä was a lesbian or bi too?

I really don't know - she is only ever described as 'life partner of Tove' and they were together for over 40 years!

Billie Jean King
Joan Armitrading (who I think wrote the most beautiful love song ever).

Jodie Foster

Joan Armitrading (who I think wrote the most beautiful love song ever).

@rosiepony which one are you thinking of?

The weakness in me.

Dr Nic Williams of Fair Play for Women.