As the United States prepares to mark its 250th anniversary, women were meant to be recognized as part of the nation’s founding story. Instead of honoring women’s movements in their own right, this administration reduced that history to a woman holding a man’s hand—revealing how recognition can still function as erasure.

Across the country, billionaire influence is reshaping American colleges — and not for the better. Under Trump, powerful donors are gaining unprecedented control over what schools teach, who leads them, and which voices get silenced. For queer women, who have long relied on campuses as safe, life-changing spaces, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Even after being unfairly banned from The Gay Agenda’s calendar and mislabeled due to misunderstandings, our community chose not to shrink — we chose to rise. Out of that moment, we stepped into even more joy, clarity, and self-made connection by building something of our own.

For the first time in its 30-year history, Lesbian Lives crossed the Atlantic, transforming New York City into a gathering of intellect, art, and lesbian joy. More than 700 lesbian thinkers, creators, and activists from around the world!