Honoring Lesbian Culture

This Lesbian Visibility Day, we honor our lesbian sisters’ courage, independence, and many contributions to public life. When women like Pauli Murray and Storme DeLarverie took strong, early stands for rights and freedoms that have moved society closer to justice, they did so as part of a long tradition of trailblazing lesbians who pushed the boundaries of where women could go on our own, or what we were allowed to wear. That legacy continued with lesbian intellectual leadership of the modern women’s liberation movement.

In spite of severe restrictions on women’s movement and activities in western society, and dangerous laws regarding women’s sexual rights, historical lesbian contributions to art andliterature inspired generations of girls and women to believe they were capable of more than the men who controlled their lives thought possible. Lesbian women are still writing, still writing, and we hope they never stop.

Today, as lesbians are pushed aside by queer politics, and continue to be targeted by men in hate crimes, it’s as important as it has ever been to stand in solidarity with lesbians and push back against lesbian erasure.