Category: History
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Lesbian and Gay Nightlife in 1990s Northern England: An interview with Stuart Linden Rhodes
Stuart Linden Rhodes is a photographer and writer who captured gay and lesbian nightlife in 1990s Northern England. Stuart’s Instagram account @linden_archives features hundreds of posed and candid shots from a time and place in lesbian and gay history that, without it, would be unseen today. In fact, Stuart’s Instagram account was discovered by director…
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Sapphic Wales in the Nineteenth Century
Throughout history, lesbian and bisexual women have been marginalised, silenced, and had their stories erased. When you think of Welsh history, you probably do not think of lesbians. However, nineteenth-century Wales hosted an array of women-loving-women who persisted in living authentic to their sexual orientation, despite it significantly conflicting with society’s expectations. Join me in…
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Lesbian Tenth Muse: On Juana Inés de la Cruz and Sappho.
I love Lisi, but I do not pretend That Lisi corresponds my finesse, Well, if I judge her beauty possible, To her decorum and my apprehension I offend. – Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. You’ve heard of Sappho but have you heard of sor Juana Inés de la Cruz? Like many lesbians from history,…
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Interview: T.S. from Black Lesbian Herstory
To commemorate Black history month, Lesbian Herstory spoke to T.S. from Black Lesbian Herstory about the joys, challenges, and importance of holding space to research, archive and curate the lives of Black lesbians from history. LH: What do you most enjoy about researching and curating Black lesbian herstory (or lesbian herstory in general)? TS: For…
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How Should We Tell the Stories of “Bad” Lesbians from History in a Culture of Us vs. Them?
How do we write on complex, even harmful, lesbians from history in the age of “us vs. them”? How do we present the facts in a way that doesn’t omit the person or the truth? Is writing on a person from history ever objective, considering the historian has their own interests, motives and interpretations, and…
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The Male Gaze and Lesbian Censorship in Film
It’s of little surprise to most sapphic movie buffs that Hollywood doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to positive lesbian representation. From the widespread trope of “bury your gays” to the equally widespread phenomenon of gay-baiting, it can be hard out there for a film loving dyke. Hays Code A lot of…
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Today’s Lavender Menace: Why do lesbians support gay men?
I received a lot of support after I wrote The Lesbian Pinball: Gay Liberation vs. Women’s Liberation in August 2021. Lesbian feminists from all over the world resonated with the conflict: we simultaneously support gay men and women but it is hard to navigate gay and feminist spaces without our intersectional experience, being both homosexual…
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A Cellist’s Resistance: the bravery of Frieda Belinfante
The year is 1940. World War II has just begun. The talented Dutch cello player Frieda Belinfante has to give up the fame she has recently obtained as the first female orchestra director in her country… Frieda Belinfante was born in Amsterdam, 1904. Her father Aaron Belinfante was a concert piano player who introduced his…
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Lesbian Feminist Spirituality of the 1970s
One of my favorite lesbian stereotypes is our love for astrology. One would be hard pressed to find a lesbian without their sun sign in their social media bios, let alone their entire star chart. Tarot, crystals, and witchcraft just seem so inherently lesbian. So how did the New Age and lesbianism become linked? For…
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Girlfriends or Gal Pals? Decoding Intimacy Between Women in Old Photographs
Love between women has existed forever, despite the crumbs of documentation and the meddling with evidence. Homosexuality didn’t begin with gay rights awareness in the 20th century. However, society still denormalises same-sex love as a new trend. In style. A fad. An abomination. A political choice. An act of rebellion. Bow-bowww. They’re wrong. Women lovin’…