As Lesbians are NOT visible in Lesbian visibility week please add news and celebration about lesbians

[IwantToRetire]

I'm not even going to link to the web site that calls itself Lesbian Visibility week as apart from looking like a corporate rip off, how it describes itself means that is celebrating everyone as under their definition anyone can be a lesbian (ie non binary people)

And of course has all the usual suspects promoting it.

Please add anything old or new or a memory that celebrates biological women who are sexually attracted to biological women.

The lesbian couple that lived on my street when I was younger. They taught me a lot simply by being so dignified, intelligent, kind, funny, friendly, and patient.

I don't suppose they had any idea how much they influenced me. Ben and sally - if by any chance you're reading - thank you.

Lesbians are often forgotten about or completely shut out of the LGBTQ+ movement. Here is to all the cis lesbian women!!

For a time in the late 80s/early 90s I lived in a Lesbian Housing Co-op, worked in a Lesbian owned Lesbian pub, went to Women-only socials in a Women's Centre (before they expanded the bandwidth of what being a Woman meant..) and volunteered on a Lesbian helpline in that same Women's Centre. Goddess forgive me my credulous naivete, but at the time I thought it was no more than a pretty good start...

Posting this link for the lesbian squatting community in London that was a strong contingent in Women's Liberation. However read with reservations because whoever this is on twitter is filtering it through the trans / queer lens. But is a record of how lesbians contributed to the growth of grassroots feminism.

"...in Lambeth the Brixton Women’s Centre squat in Railton Rd gave advice and assistance resulting 100s of squats in Lambeth. There were lesbian squats and dyke squats, squatted children nurseries run by mums such as the Brailsford Rd creche in Brixton..."

https://twitter.com/feminiscity/status/1350506625317146624

The lesbian couple who lived where I grew up, you two were amazing and I'm so sorry that the stupid village community were so unwelcoming to you for being different.

To all the lesbians on this board, you are so inspiring and strong! I learn a lot reading your posts and want to thank you all for holding the line for all the women and girls around you and that will come after you. ❤

I remember an entirel genre of lesbian detective novels that I read with great interest, found them (I am not a lesbian) insightful and beautiful.

Goodness, I’d almost forgotten— my lesbian landladies during my first job, so funny, and welcoming, and catloving, and ready with a brew/wine/music, and patient about my cluelessness on general housework.

I wish all the best for you @Adarajames

💐

May I celebrate my lesbian church minister, who was instrumental on the committees that got the Church of Scotland to accept openly gay ministers, and recently to allow gay weddings if the minister consented.
She devoted a lifetime to the church, during which she was unable to have a partner or even come out to her congregation. Multi talented woman - grade 8 musician, ex military chaplain, qualified lawyer, and latterly chaplain-in-ordinary to the late queen. Not to mention a wicked sense of humour, excellent theological knowledge, and great at pastoral care.

🍷to the amazing Magdelen Berns

We heard from our sisters in Kakuma this morning (29 April 2023), following another attack on them last night. I will leave it to them to say what happened:

“We had a terrible night in the camp. It was around 2am and it had rained heavily earlier before and because of the bad weather the gay men who were supposed to be on watch were all sleeping in their shelters.

One of the shelters for lesbians where Shifra and others sleep was attacked by 5 tall men who we suspected to be Sudanese because of the language they were speaking. We were all in deep sleep and somehow they managed to open a part or an iron sheet next to the door and they opened for themselves from the inside. They were already inside when we realised it with pangs and one with a big stick in their hands and we were told not to make noise. Shifra tried to make noise but was beaten on the hands and it is now swollen.

They took whatever they wanted including bags of clothes our mattresses, food, shoes and everything they wanted. And no one heard what was happening. Immediately when they moved out we screamed and everyone was awakened. The gay men tried to search around but couldn't get them as it was dark. We called the police and this time they tried to come in time they searched around but they got nothing they recorded our statements and kept around till morning, and they have now left it's really terrible we are all in fear, pain and we lost everything.

This is Juliet I have used Shifra's phone because mine is out of battery and Shifra can't write”.

Can you imagine the fear when five tall men enter your small space of sanctuary? The gay men in Block 13 do try and keep watch every night in shifts because of the previous attacks but were obviously defeated by the weather. Of course, it’s not a duty they should have to maintain in the first place.

https://www.filia.org.uk/latest-news/2023/4/29/urgent-appeal

This thread has got me into a crying mess on the train it’s beautiful! As a late out of the closet lesbian I feel like I missed so much there are no places for us now.

Was this the Women's Cultural Club c. mid-90s?

Words fail me drhf - what a beautiful beautiful post. 💜

I could celebrate the several wonderful women who realised before I did that we'd had our fun and had no future. You all broke my heart but you all were right

But I take this opportunity to celebrate Maud Sulter RIP, in her own words:

it may be too late tae sae it - but a love an respect ye - bear
forth - these
flowers - gold n white tokens - bright like the lights in your
hair - here in
remembrance...

I read "The Well of Loneliness" and stayed firmly in the closet.
But It was the popular Lesbian romances published by wonderful Naiad Press that showed me Lesbian happiness and gave me a future.

I see you. You exist. You don't have a fucking 🍆. Well done waves*.

I’m not a lesbian, but these posts have made me cry 😢
I’m just so very, very sorry. I can’t write what I’d really want to say but just know that your beautiful, gentle souls can’t be erased.

I have sent two emails to Brighton Pride from my local women's group asking for a place in the parade this year to march for lesbian visibility. Some of our members marched for lesbian visibility at the very first Pride. Would be great to be proud and visible lesbians in our home town. No reply yet.

I’m not a lesbian, but as a vegetarian teenager in Oxford in the late 70s I became aware and supportive of the community linked with the Uhuru Collective in Cowley Rd. They ran a number of women’s support groups and activities, along with the wholefood shop.
https://www.cowleyroad.org/wiki/index.php?title=35
Lured by lentils, discovered a whole community I had no previous knowledge of

Support to all lesbians being heard and not shouted down.

Some lovely posts on this thread. Thank you to all the lesbians who came before me who fought so hard for my rights- I have lived through Section 28 being repealed, civil partnership being legalised, same-sex marriage being legalised, and now am happily married to my wife with a 16-month-old daughter. We are both primary school teachers, and in the last few years all the kids we have taught have known we each have a wife. Wish I could tell all this to 9-year-old me!

"Lured by lentils" 😂

That's how the lesbians get you!

Yes even with the seemingly endless denials by TRAs there are some things worth celebrating, and 16 year old me would have been surprised to see such a lovely true life story!

It would have been Anne Lister's 233rd birthday this week! And while Gentleman Jack fell under the axe, a new feature film called 'Langton' is currently in development... billed as a 'Gothic retelling of Lister's life' and backed by Screen Australia.