Lesbian Avenger’s Herstory
Herstory was made on April 24, 1993 by the New York City Lesbian Avengers. Their Dyke March in Washington DC the day before the March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation was the following day, April 25, 1993.
Why did the lesbians feel they needed this event? Because the Lesbian, Gay and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation had no events for Lesbians, even though “Lesbian” was in the name.
“Even in the L.G.B.T. movement, men are still on top, because I mean, that’s the world we live in.” — Francesca Barjon, organizer for Reclaim Pride
The event was a low-key marketing effort with flyers and word of mouth. Yea, hard to believe, there was no social media back then. But even with a small marketing effort, 20,000 lesbians showed up.
There have been Dyke Marches in the ensuing years in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Seattle. The plan? Let Lesbians have a Pride Moment and increase lesbian visibility.
Opportunities for women to unite during Pride can be surprisingly scarce. And it can be even scarcer the rest of the year. “There’s a lot more things for men,” said Rita Bouchedid, a social worker in New Jersey, who organized a virtual lesbian music festival this year.
But thank goodness there are parties for women during Pride weekend in Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Denver, Phoenix, Portland, Maine, and Houston.
in 1993 even with a small marketing effort, 20,000 lesbians showed up.
Events for Lesbian+ and Queer Women are really important. Especially since there are only 22 Lesbian bars in the country, and Lesbian/Feminist books stores seem to have gone the way of rotary phones. In Montreal, Lez Spread the Word, a queer organization and annual magazine “devoted to producing content by and for queer women,” in Canada.
“White, cis men are always in front, and always the ones to get funding from Pride organizations or just from sponsors,” said Florence Gagnon, founder and creative director of Lez Spread the Word. “We’ve been working with L.G.B.T.Q. women and nonbinary folks for a long time, and I think we have to take the space that we want.”
“Even in the L.G.B.T. movement, men are still on top, because I mean, that’s the world we live in,” Francesca Barjon, an organizer for Reclaim Pride, echoed in a separate interview. Even white lesbians are not the main cultural representatives of Pride, she said, “because they’re still women.”
Today, the N.Y.C. Dyke March is no longer organized under the Lesbian Avengers, but younger activists are still eager to keep its spirit alive. But big corporations are ripping off Lesbian Avenger logos.
Letter from original Lesbian Avengers to Gap when they stole the Lesbian Avenger logo and put it on Gap Tshirts:
We founded the Lesbian Avengers as a “direct action group focused on issues vital to lesbian survival and visibility.” We find it especially offensive that, as the Gap and corporations seek to use our logo and activist history to sell t-shirts, the media continues its historic erasure of lesbian issues and activism, including the global Dyke Marches that happen during Pride.
This year’s annual NYC Dyke March is in its 30th year and continues to draw thousands of participants. Yet the New York Times again overlooked the Dyke March in its Pride 2021 supplement, with only a single line in one article noting it. The inaugural Dyke March in DC in 1993 was founded by the Lesbian Avengers and other lesbian groups and drew 20,000 women. Dyke Marches now happen around world, typically without a permit, with hundreds to tens of thousands of participants as seen in the recent Paris lesbian march in April.
We call on the media to break its silence on lesbian activism, to cover lesbian issues, to pay attention to our work, including the Juneteenth “Break the Chains with Love” march on June 19 in Brooklyn, founded by a Lesbian Avenger, as well as this year’s Dyke Marches in NY, LA, Philly, DC…the list goes on. It’s past time to shine a bright spotlight on the enduring legacy of the Lesbian Avengers, other lesbian activist groups, and our shared living history. We repeat: Our lesbian history and movement are not for sale. For the New York Lesbian Avengers, Cofounders Anne-christine d’Adesky, Ana Maria Simo, Sarah Schulman
Gap stole the Lesbian Avenger logo and put it on Gap T-shirts.
