Tag Archives: Lesbian Visibility Day 2019

(LVD) U.S: Welcome to the Lesbian Revolution

Posted on 27/04/2019 by | 1 comment

by Amy Dyess

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The lesbian liberation movement is rising. We’re grassroots, and that’s something the elitist, powerful “LGBTQ+” organizations and media can’t buy. That’s why they’re scared of us and why they’re doubling down on their lesbophobic attacks, even for the Lesbian Day of Visibility.
Rebellion and disobedience can come in various forms. It could mean suing your high school or university over anti-lesbian or anti-female discrimination. It could mean creating more art and expanding lesbian culture, as well as organizing group meetings.
Support lesbians by amplifying the hard work women are doing. If you can’t donate to a lesbian’s project then you can still promote and find ways to get involved. Or, start your own project. We need to strengthen the resources we have left while creating new ones to replace those that failed us.
I’m working on an entire album of new music, including a rock ballad tribute to Stormé DeLarverie. A lesbian news and culture site and channel are also on the horizon, and I could use sponsors to help with that, as well as a drama TV series I’m developing about lesbians in the movement.
Whether you’re down on your luck or thriving, I hope “Get the L Out” inspires and energizes you. The lesbian community needs your help, your energy. Stormé had big dyke energy in her era. Now it’s time to make your mark. Welcome to the Lesbian Revolution!

Continue reading: https://medium.com/@amydyess83
/welcome-to-the-lesbian-revolution-7c96e6989805 (status)

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(LVD) What it’s like to grow up a lesbian in Saudi Arabia

Posted on 27/04/2019 by | 1 comment

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In Saudi Arabia, homosexuality is a crime punishable by death. Forget about gay marriage. Gay rights are virtually non-existent, so most LGBT Arabs lead deeply closeted lives.
We’re using AJ’s initials because not everyone in her family knows that she’s a lesbian. If 34-year-old AJ could go back in time and tell her 17-year-old self that she’d stop wearing hijab, own a car and have a girlfriend one day, she says her younger self would have never believed it.
“My mom was very strict,” AJ says. “I really couldn’t go out with friends, couldn’t leave the house or visit friends, or do anything.”
But even while living under her mother’s thumb, AJ began to realize she was different.
“I always had a crush on women,” she says.
“Another fun fact about Saudi — it’s very normal for females to have a crush on another female,” she says. “But then when it became more sexual, that’s where you drew the line.”
AJ had no one to talk with about what she was feeling, so she went online.
“I took to Google, looked up my symptoms. Google tells me I’m gay. And I’m like, ‘oh no I’m not.’”
Her reluctance to accept it wasn’t because she grew up Muslim — she says she was never a believer, despite coming from a religiously conservative home. She didn’t want to be gay because it’s nearly impossible to lead an open, honest life in Saudi as a queer person.

Continue reading: https://www.pri.org/stories/2015-07-22/what-its-grow-lesbian-saudi-arabia (source)

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(LVD) China: being a ‘kick’ in a gendered society

Posted on 27/04/2019 by | 1 comment

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“I tried on men’s clothing in the fitting room of the women’s department, because the clerk in front of the fitting room on the second floor said: “Girls can’t come in the men’s fitting room, please go downstairs.” The shirt hem is too narrow, the t-shirt is too long, the trousers are too long, the pants are going to roll. I am not fat but I hate the curve of fat in the body, they make me look like a ‘girl’. The button on my chest couldn’t be buckled. I put back my original clothes and walked out of the fitting room. The sweater on my body was peeled off. “Men’s Wear” makes me embrace my pride as a lesbian and queer, but the lack of media representation, the lack of diversity in the clothing industry, and the strong division of gender in the menswear sector remind me all the time: You don’t belong here, this is the sex/uality disposition you can’t have.
(Translated)

我在女裝部門的試衣間裡試穿男裝，因為剛剛二樓試衣間前的店員說：「女生不能進來男裝試衣間，請你到樓下。」襯衫下擺太窄、T-shirt太長、長褲褲襠太長、褲管要捲，我是不是又胖了，我討厭脂肪在身上造成的曲線，它們讓我顯得好像「女生」。我胸口的扣子扣不起來，我穿回原本的衣服快步走出試衣間，我身上的那件毛衣被剝了下來。「男裝」讓我擁抱我身為女同志、酷兒的驕傲，但是媒體代表性的缺乏、服裝產業對多元身材包容性的不足、男裝部門性別二元的強烈分野，時時刻刻提醒我：你不屬於這裡，這是你拿不起的性別氣質。
(Original)
Continue reading at: https://hk.thenewslens.com/article/116780 (Source)

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(LVD) Brazil: “We lesbians are still fetishized on the streets and in the media”

Posted on 27/04/2019 by | 1 comment

Often seen by society through the lens of hatred or fetish, lesbian women seek visibility amid political crisis, loss of rights and the conservative wave.
“We continue to be fetishized on the streets and in the media and our sexuality continues to be infantilized and trivialized, since patriarchal society only believes in the heteronormative model of relationship and affection. Such a model legitimizes harassment, violence and our total invisibility, thus putting our lives at risk at all times,” explains Natalia Pinheiro, 27.
In the Americas, violence against lesbians is driven mainly by misogyny and gender inequality, as historically noted in the reports on the subject produced by the Organization of American States (OAS). Among the recorded violence are “corrective rape”, that is, sexual violence aimed at “changing” the sexual orientation of the victim, aggression due to public displays of affection and forced hospitalizations aimed at “converting” the sexual orientation of the victims.
Pinheiro was one of the organizers, along with her companion Bru Isumavut, of the Dyke Fest, a feminist lesbian festival that brought together bands and promoted discussions in São Paulo on Sunday 27, about the prejudices that affect this population.
(Translated)

Em geral vistas pela sociedade por meio das lentes do ódio ou do fetiche, as mulheres lésbicas buscam visibilidade em meio à crise política, à perda de direitos e à onda conservadora.
“Seguimos fetichizadas nas ruas e na mídia e a nossa sexualidade segue sendo infantilizada e banalizada, uma vez que a sociedade patriarcal só acredita no modelo heteronormativo de relação e afeto. Tal modelo legitima assédios, violências e a nossa total invisibilização, colocando, desta forma, nossas vidas em risco a todo momento”, explica Natalia Pinheiro, 27 anos.
No continente americano, a violência contra lésbicas é movida principalmente pela misoginia e a desigualdade de gênero, como constatado historicamente nos relatórios sobre o tema produzidos pela Organização dos Estados Americanos (OEA). Entre as violências registradas estão o “estupro corretivo”, isto é, a violência sexual que objetiva “mudar” a orientação sexual da vítima, agressões devido a demonstrações públicas de afeto e internações forçadas visando “converter” a orientação sexual das vítimas.
Publicitária e produtora cultural, Pinheiro foi uma das organizadoras, ao lado de sua companheira Bru Isumavut, do Dyke Fest, festival lésbico feminista que reuniu bandas e promoveu discussões em São Paulo, no domingo 27, sobre os preconceitos que atingem essa população.
(Original)

Continue reading: https://www.cartacapital.com.br/
diversidade/nos-lesbicas-seguimos-fetichizadas-nas-ruas-e-na-midia/ (source)

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(LVD) They are a lesbian Jewish-Palestinian couple. Here’s how they are using comedy to confront stereotypes

Posted on 27/04/2019 by | 1 comment

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The El Salomons pose to their audience a joint face of ultimate resistance. Their journey — whether with coming out, marrying someone from a different religion or working in an industry that is traditionally unkind to women — will likely continue to face hecklers along the way, but for now, the two are looking to take over the New York comedy scene one uncomfortable joke at a time.

Continue reading: https://www.thelily.com/they-are-a-lesbian-jewish-palestinian-couple-heres-how-they-are-using-comedy-to-confront-stereotypes/ (source)

 

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(LVD) Nepal: An inspiring story about a lesbian activist

Posted on 27/04/2019 by | 1 comment

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Apeksha Dahal (24), a young and open lesbian has been working for more than seven years in the LGBTI movement. Dahal is associated with Blue Diamond Society. Initially rejected by family, restricted in school, forced to get married to a man, Apeksha started her journey as an activist from Makwanpur to Kathmandu.

Continue reading: http://pahichan.com/an-inspiring-story-about-a-lesbian-activist/ (source)

 

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(LVD) Jolanta Ogar’s story of coming out as a Polish lesbian

Posted on 27/04/2019 by | 1 comment

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Jola [Ogar-Hill] is a titled sailor, she was a world and European champion. She has a wife, she is happy. She came out  when she was 21 years old. “One evening I asked my mother for peace”. I said, “I’m in love, but this person is a woman. She remembers her coming out. “Mama was scared, she got scared for her own child.” 15 years have passed, Jola continues to sail and counts on Poland to finally change. “There are a lot of people in Polish sport who are afraid to come out,” she admits.
(Translated)

Jola jest utytułowaną żeglarką, była mistrzynią świata i Europy. Ma żonę, jest szczęśliwa. Ujawniła się, gdy miała 21 lat. – Pewnego wieczoru poprosiłam mamę do pokoju. Powiedziałam: jestem zakochana, ale ta osoba jest kobietą – wspomina swój coming out. Mama się przeraziła, wystraszyła o własne dziecko. Minęło 15 lat, Jola dalej żegluje i liczy, że Polska w końcu się zmieni. – W polskim sporcie jest mnóstwo osób, które boją się ujawnić – przyznaje.
(Original)

Continue reading: https://www.tvn24.pl/magazyn-tvn24/jolanta-ogar-kolezance-mowie-zeby-nie-pila-z-tej-samej-butelki-bo-bedzie-lesbijka,204,3557 (source)

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(LVD) Cuba: Sports event – “Tortiolimpiadas” – gives lesbians visibility

Posted on 27/04/2019 by | 1 comment

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“We came to this park frequently. A friend, Leire Fernández, came up with the idea of ​​taking advantage of the visits to Monte Barreto to make some games, which she named Tortiolimpiadas, “explained Lidia Romero, a worker at Clandestina, a private enterprise that celebrates its fourth anniversary.
In Cuba, the term tortillera is used to disparately name lesbian women and its use is widespread.
(Translated)

“Veníamos frecuentemente a este parque. A una amiga, Leire Fernández, se le ocurrió la idea de aprovechar las visitas a Monte Barreto para hacer unos juegos, que nombró las Tortiolimpiadas”, explicó Lidia Romero, trabajadora de Clandestina, un emprendimiento privado que celebra su cuarto aniversario.
En Cuba, el término tortillera se emplea para nombrar despectivamente a las mujeres lesbianas y su uso está muy extendido.
(Original)

Continue reading: https://www.ipscuba.net/genero/tope-deportivo-visibiliza-a-lesbianas-de-cuba/ (source)

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(LVD) Japan: Lesbian Couple To Sue Government to Stay Together

Posted on 26/04/2019 by | 1 comment

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Lesbian couple Ai Nakajima and Kristina Baumann (pictured) are one of ten same-sex couples who are expected to file a joint lawsuit next month against the central government to challenge its current law prohibiting them from getting married.
Ai Nakajima of Yokohama wed her partner German Kristina Baumann in Berlin two years ago, but after presenting their German marriage certificate to be listed on the Japanese ancestral register, their application was met with a resounding ‘no’.
Nakajima said told Japanese newspaper The Asahi Shimbun that while the current reality was difficult, she and her wife plan to challenge how her native country sees same sex couples.
“We are facing a reality where a same-sex couple cannot get married in Japan,” she said.
“We would like to challenge the current situation with the lawsuit, which will also be helpful for a number of people from sexual minorities,” Nakajima said.

Continue reading: https://qnews.com.au/same-sex-couples-to-sue-japanese-government-for-marriage-rights/ (source)

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(LVD) U.S: Photos of Lesbian Lives Meant to Inspire a Movement

Posted on 26/04/2019 by | 1 comment

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Joan E. Biren began to photograph at a time when it was almost impossible to find authentic images of lesbians and aimed to help build a movement for their liberation.

“I started photographing at a time when it was almost impossible to find authentic images of lesbians,” she said. “I wanted my photographs to be seen: I believed they could help build a movement for our liberation.”

JEB was inspired by two friends who were also mentors. “I watched them, and I read what they wrote, and I translated it into visuals that I needed to share as widely as possible,” she recalled. “Barbara Deming taught me to be still and to listen. Audre Lorde taught me to be active and to speak out.”

Continue reading: https://www.nytimes.com/2019
/04/08/lens/lesbian-lives-movement-jeb.html (source)

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(LVD) Living as a Lesbian in Iran, Where Being Gay Is Illegal

Posted on 26/04/2019 by | 1 comment


In Iran, being gay can carry a death sentence for men. Though lesbians are discussed less frequently, they too face severe government-sanctioned punishment, including lashes and flogging.
The three days Azadeh* spent in interrogation felt to her like months.
In a remote villa on the outskirts of Iran, she sat listening to clergymen preaching quotes from the Quran as the burns on her arms stung with infection.
Growing up, the 25-year-old says she was often bullied for her “boyish” looks. But several years ago, the harassment took on a more sinister form when she was arrested and tortured by Iranian Revolutionary Guards. The guards had found a short story by Azadeh about two male soldiers who were lovers during the war, after a tip-off from a girl Azadeh says held a personal grudge against her.
“I never directly used the word ‘homosexuality’ in my writings,” Azadeh says, “but they wanted to use those writings to get a confession from me that I’m a lesbian. I denied everything.”
Regardless, she was forced to undergo a three-day long “reorientation course”, which she quickly learnt was a euphemism for interrogation. It consisted, she says, of religious instruction and repeated attempts to force her to admit she was gay.
“They tortured me by pouring boiling water on my skin and beating me, especially on the head. [But] more than physical torture, I was subjected to verbal abuse,” she says. “They kept telling me that I was a ‘pussy licker’.”

Azadeh doesn’t see any contradiction between her religious beliefs and her sexual orientation. Her own (legally unofficial) marriage to a woman followed Muslim marriage rituals, and she considers her partner to be her wife in accordance with religious rules. “I used to struggle a lot to interpret the Quran in a way that was more compatible with my situation as a lesbian,” she says. “I think we need new fatwa for this issue.”

Continue reading: https://broadly.vice.com/
en_us/article/a3wvjk/living-as-a-lesbian-in-iran-where-being-gay-is-illegal (source)

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(LVD) Chile: 300 Lesbians Marching

Posted on 26/04/2019 by | 1 comment

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On March 8 in Chile was a historic day in every way, it was one of the most popular marches in our history, around 350,000 women in Santiago de Chile marching together, 800,000 throughout the country, in unison, protesting and commemorating proudly the day of the working woman. Never a march called by women had achieved such a call and for more than 30 years in Chile did not see such a massive march.
This march full of women, of all women, managed to make us all mobilize, to go out and meet thousands of compañeras who, although we did not know, we returned with every step, with every cry, with every knowing glance, our sisters.
Among all those women, of all the groups and of all the blocks in which the march was divided, one stood out full of vigor, strength and struggle. Lesbians marched together, lesbians from groups, self-convened lesbians, all marched, became visible and present. The articulator “Redlesbofeminista” called months before to play it in this historic battle and something that became impossible was taking shape.
(Translated)

El día 8 de Marzo en Chile fue un día histórico en todo sentido, fue una de las marchas mas concurridas en toda nuestra historia, alrededor de 350.000 mujeres en Santiago de Chile marchando juntas, 800.000 en todo el país, al unísono, protestando y conmemorando con orgullo el día de la mujer trabajadora. Nunca una marcha convocada por mujeres había logrado tal convocatoria y desde hace más de 30 años en Chile no se veía una marcha tan masiva.
Esta marcha llena de mujeres, de todas las mujeres, logró hacer que todas nos movilizáramos, que saliéramos y nos encontráramos con miles de compañeras que aunque no conocíamos volvíamos con cada paso, con cada grito, con cada mirada cómplice, nuestras hermanas.
Dentro de todas esas mujeres, de todas las agrupaciones y de todos los bloques en los que se dividía la marcha, uno resaltaba lleno de vigor, fuerza y lucha. Las lesbianas marchaban juntas, lesbianas de agrupaciones, lesbianas autoconvocadas, todas marchaban, se hacían visibles y presentes. La articuladora “Redlesbofeminista”, convocó meses antes a jugárnosla en esta histórica batalla y algo que se hacía imposible fue tomando forma.
(Original)

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Continue reading: https://www.eldesconcierto.cl/2019
/03/15/las-300-lesbianas-marchando/ (source)

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(LVD) Toward a Black Lesbian Jurisprudence

Posted on 26/04/2019 by | 1 comment

by Theresa Raffaele Jefferson

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Black lesbians are everywhere and nowhere all at once. Throughout history we have been made invisible. This invisibility serves as a constant reminder that our culture, and indeed our very lives are considered at best illegitimate. At the same time, our identity as Black lesbians has been made hyper-visible when we have tried to remain in the wings. In these instances hyper-visibility becomes a means of punishment-a penalty for not understanding or refusing to abide by societal mandates. The experiences of Black lesbians in law and society illustrate this seeming invisibility/hyper-visibility paradox. Yet the tools of invisibility and hyper-visibility serve the same purpose-the legitimation of dominant cultural control. Invisibility and hyper-visibility compliment each other. They act in concert, as a dual cultural strategy of distortion, suppression, and punishment. A consistent Black lesbian jurisprudence has emerged whereby Black lesbians and our rights are erased at the intersection of our race, gender, and sexual orientation. This Note is an attempt to explore the lives of Black lesbians, to uncover law and society’s desire for us to remain seen or unseen depending on the context, and to provide a starting point for others to conduct future research.

Continue reading: https://racism.org/articles/
intersectionality/sexual-orientation/2616-toward-a-black-lesbian (source)

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(LVD) Spain: “We feel more secure in the town than in the city”

Posted on 26/04/2019 by | 1 comment

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A recent investigation conducted by the professor of the University of Cantabria Noelia Fernández-Rouco in which three other teachers have collaborated has analyzed the satisfaction of lesbian women in the Spanish rural environment, pointing out the main difficulty they face: the obstacles to find mutual support networks in these communities. “There are issues with a more particular character, which have to do mainly with access to resources, with distance or anonymity, although it sounds contradictory, “explains the author. “When the stigma is very present, it is what people seek, and for that they move from their places of origin or need them to present sufficient resources to form these networks or facilitate the possibility of meeting people.”
(Translated)

Una reciente investigación dirigida por la profesora de la Universidad de Cantabria Noelia Fernández-Rouco en la que han colaborado otros tres profesores ha analizado la satisfacción de las mujeres lesbianas del entorno rural español, señalando la principal dificultad a la que deben enfrentarse: las trabas para encontrar redes de apoyo mutuo en estas comunidades. “Hay cuestiones con un carácter más particular, que tienen que ver sobre todo con el acceso a recursos, con la distancia o el anonimato, aunque suene contradictorio”, explica a este medio la autora. “Cuando el estigma está muy presente, es lo que buscan las personas, y para eso se desplazan de sus lugares de origen o necesitan que estos presenten recursos suficientes que permitan formar estas redes o faciliten la posibilidad de conocer gente”.
(Original)

Continue reading: https://www.elconfidencial.com/alma-corazon-vida/2019-04-12/lesbiana-espana-rural-beso-novia_1938214/ (source)

 

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(LVD) Japan: Forbidden marriage, lesbian couples rebel

Posted on 26/04/2019 by | 1 comment

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Chizuka Oe and Yoko Ogawa have been living together for 25 years. But in attempting to formalize their union by a marriage act in a Tokyo borough hall, they knew in advance that they would suffer an end of inadmissibility.
This lack of recognition weighs on the daily lives of the two women. At the funeral of Mrs. Ogawa’s mother, relatives looked at her companion with an evil eye. “They did not know anything about her and asked who she was, I was tired and sad to have to explain that we were a lesbian couple, just like an ordinary heterosexual couple.”
For her, it is certain, “if there was a legal system of marriage between people of the same sex, it would have been easier”.
(Translated)

Chizuka Oe et Yoko Ogawa vivent ensemble depuis 25 ans. Mais en tentant de faire officialiser leur union par un acte de mariage dans une mairie d’arrondissement de Tokyo, elles savaient d’avance qu’elles essuieraient une fin de non-recevoir.
Cette absence de reconnaissance pèse sur la vie quotidienne des deux femmes. Aux funérailles de la mère de Mme Ogawa, des proches ont regardé sa compagne d’un mauvais oeil. “Ils ne savaient rien d’elle et m’ont demandé qui elle était ? J’étais fatiguée et triste de devoir expliquer que nous étions un couple de lesbiennes, tout comme un couple hétérosexuel ordinaire”.
Pour elle, c’est certain, “s’il existait un système juridique de mariage entre personnes de même sexe, cela aurait été plus facile”.
(Original)

Continue reading: https://www.challenges.fr/societe/japon-interdits-de-mariage-des-couples-homosexuels-se-rebellent_642203 (source)

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(LVD) Australia: Thanks To Lesbian Stand-Up Hannah Gadsby We Are FINALLY Seen

Posted on 26/04/2019 by | 1 comment

By Julia Diana Robertson

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Hannah Gadsby, a suit-rocking lesbian, just put out a Netflix stand-up special, and you MUST go watch it now. As a matter of fact, anyone who cares at all about a lesbian, needs to watch it now. I’d go so far as to say, it should be mandatory. It’s groundbreaking. Unprecedented. Monumental. Certainly one of the best things I’ve ever seen. I laughed (a lot) & cried. And I don’t cry easily. I’m a tough nut to crack—been shot at, seen b*mbs, and my tears are typically relegated to the privacy of a locked bathroom—So lesbians, when I say something powerful went down, I mean something powerful went down. Plus, added bonus, she uses the word lesbian about 100 times.

Gadsby wants her audience to feel the tension because they should know, if only briefly, the tension that women like her feel “all the time.”  Because of this dangerous attitude—‘If you want to look like a man, I’ll beat you like a man’—has been upheld, while the world carries on around us. In 2018, while rule-breaking lesbians are still relegated to a punchline, the mainstream will currently feature— with dignity and style—anyone, whether L, G, B, or T, so long as they adhere to the ‘rules’ of ‘gender’. Gadsby poignantly says, “If I’d been ‘feminine’, that would not have happened. I am ‘incorrectly’ female.” And that’s what the media tells us every single day of our lives… we are “‘incorrectly’ female.”

But despite her anger, depression and #metoo stories, she doesn’t want to be seen as a victim. “There is nothing stronger than a broken woman who has rebuilt herself,” she says valiantly. And I agree. Gadsby is now added to a proud history of suit-wearing lesbian warriors—And those warriors are often the best that womanhood has to offer.

WE ARE NOT A PUNCHLINE. Thanks to Gadsby, our voice FINALLY broke into the mainstream. And IT’S ABOUT. F*CKING. TIME.

Continue reading: https://www.afterellen.com/general-news/560969-thanks-to-lesbian-stand-up-hannah-gadsby-we-were-finally-seen-and-its-about-fcking-time (source)

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(LVD) South Africa: Lesbians Fight for Acceptance in the Rainbow Nation

Posted on 26/04/2019 by | 3 comments

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Being a lesbian in South Africa can be a death sentence.
Nondi, Vee and over one hundred others came to the Isini Sam conference to meet and strategize on how to fight the hate and end the violence. They discussed how to better represent themselves and advocate as a cohesive group, how to combat stigmas and misconceptions, as well as how to better work with the police and community members.
“In South Africa we are free. But in our communities that we are living in, here in Khayelitsha, we are not free,” Jara said.
“We are trying to bring the community to also understand and to accept that we are humans and we are here and also that we are someone’s daughter or mother or sister,” Vokwana said.
They stress the similarities between all people. Many are quick to assert that while they are activists, their sexuality does not define them. They want to be seen as equals, as humans and accepted by their families, community, in the eyes of the law and by members of the police.
Those at the conference have chosen to speak out, but this choice comes with a price.
But activists still meet, organize and fight.
At the conference attendees broke into small groups to discuss plans for lobbying, greater visibility, training for police and ways to talk with their community members, family members and friends. They sang and danced and celebrated knowing they were among friends, among comrades, and for a while, they were safe.
They brought different viewpoints, had their own hopes for the movement and opinions on how to get there, but they shared a common goal.
Written on a white easel, a unanimously agreed upon goal from one of the groups said, “Look at me beyond my sexuality. Look at me as a human being.”

Continue reading: https://pulitzercenter.org/
reporting/south-africa-fight-acceptance-rainbow-nation (source)

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Lesbian Visibility Day 2019 (LVD)

Posted on 26/04/2019 by | 4 comments

By Liz Waterhouse

On Lesbian Visibility Day 2019, lesbian visibility in even the most lesbian friendly nations is under threat both from traditional sources, and within communities that purport to support us.

We see this evidenced by representation in LGBTI organisation reports and funding:

Source: http://users.ox.ac.uk/~sfos0060/LGBT_figures.shtml
Source: http://users.ox.ac.uk/~sfos0060/LGBT_figures.shtml
Source: http://users.ox.ac.uk/~sfos0060/LGBT_figures.shtml

Data source: Source: http://users.ox.ac.uk/~sfos0060/LGBT_figures.shtml

We also see a decrease in lesbians who feel comfortable naming themselves as such,  under pressure from both a lesbophobic society and a male dominated community, neither of which support female-focused women.

Female-only same sex attraction has faced centuries of opposition as an “immoral” practise, and that opposition has been embraced and reframed lesbianism as exclusionary and bigoted.

Even within media from our own community it is difficult to source information on the global experiences of lesbians, although the lesbians of the world face double oppression as women and homosexuals.

Furthermore we see an ongoing war waged against women who do not demonstrate femininity or comply with the female sex role, with women continuing to be encouraged to see gender non conformity or gender resistance as evidence of masculinity.

And while lesbian visibility is under threat, the concrete situation for lesbians around the world remains dire. The world remains male dominated, with female exploitation underpinning social structures.  The situation is exacerbated by widespread and powerful religious opposition, vestiges of colonial homophobia, brutal racism and the rise in sharply right wing politics in many countries and regions.

On Lesbian Visibility Day 2019, as always, Listening2Lesbians focuses on lesbians, lesbian experiences and lesbian resistance around the world.

We ask you to support lesbians and do the same.

Liz and Ari, Listening2Lesbians

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