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Jun 03, 2022
In a world where lesbians have been historically erased and marginalized, it’s important we celebrate all women who love women and everything they’ve accomplished for the LGBTQ+ community.
During Pride Month in June, queer folks around the world celebrate all the members of the LGBTQ+ community. In addition to Pride Month, Lesbian Visibility Week exists to (finally) give the lesbian community the recognition they deserve.
Keep reading to learn more on how Lesbian Visibility Week came to be and what you can do to celebrate all things sapphic this week, Pride Month, and beyond!
Although Lesbian Visibility has a whole week to itself today, it started as Lesbian Visibility Day on April 26th. The origin of Lesbian Visibility Day remains unclear, however, its first celebration was recorded in 2008. Since then, Lesbian Visibility Day has been celebrated every year to showcase lesbian voices and achievements.
In 2020 Diva Magazine publisher Linda Riley said– rightfully so– that one single day was nowhere near enough recognition for lesbians. Thus, she officially started Lesbian Visibility Week to bring more necessary visibility to the L in LGBTQ+.
Lesbian Visibility Week starts on April 25th and continues through May 1. Each year, the Lesbian Visibility Week organization hosts free virtual events on Facebook and YouTube to showcase lesbian voices, bring attention to LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary issues, and help raise funds for organizations making a difference.
In a world that’s historically erased cis, trans, and non-binary lesbians through marginalization, this week of dedicated visibility is much needed.
The week is called ‘visibility’ week for a reason– lesbians have historically been invisible in media, legislation, positions of power, the workforce, and society in general. This historical erasure is no accident, as lesbians face intersectional oppression of sexuality and gender that come with unique forms of discrimination.
Although we’ve reached more progress for LGBTQ+ rights, the fight is still far from over to reach equality for queer folks and lesbians. Rallying together to celebrate all lesbians, recognize the unique struggles lesbians face, and showcase lesbians’ roles and achievements helps pave the way to change.
While speaking of her pride in seeing more women and allies recognize Lesbian Visibility Week, Linda Riley states:
“After decades — or even centuries — of being sidelined, ignored, and vilified, it really is incredible to see that LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary people are now making their presence felt in the arts, politics, business, and the third sector.”
Visibility for lesbians is essential to make changes, and Lesbian Visibility Week helps us to do just that.
Pride Month, which comes around each year in June, also allows us to celebrate lesbian pride in addition to the entire queer community.
The first-ever pride march was held one year after the Stonewall riots, on June 28, 1970, in New York City. This day of honor for the impactful Stonewall Uprising started to last for multiple days, and eventually as a whole month of recognition and celebration for the queer community.
In 1995, the month of June was recognized by the National Education Association as LGBT History Month. In 2000, President Bill Clinton declared the month of June to be Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. In 2011, President Barack Obama expanded the title to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month.
Today, Pride Month is a month-long celebration to recognize the impact of LGBTQ+ individuals and progress for the queer community. It’s a time for queer folks to be proud of who they are and the community they’re a part of. With pride parades, national and local events, and LGBTQ+ advocacy, there are countless ways to celebrate queer pride during this month.
Let’s take advantage of some (much overdue) recognization for the lesbian community to celebrate all lesbian things! Here are some ways to bring more “lesbianspiration” into your life and support our sapphic sisters:
Learn more with HER
Download HER. Unlike many of the (sketchy) lesbian chat rooms out there, HER is a safe and trustworthy digital community designed to help connect queer folks from all walks of life. Find like-minded souls in your area to grow your circle, make new friends, and even spark some romance. There’s no better way to celebrate women-loving-women pride than with fellow lesbians.
Download HER today to connect with fellow women-loving-women near you and find your community (or even your special someone!).
Katie is a writer and creative person based in Seattle who is passionate about the arts, environmental justice, and all things vintage fashion. She celebrates queerness as a natural yet radical state of being, and she strives to make the world a more inclusive place for all. You can find her taking meditative strolls in the rain forests of the Pacific Northwest channeling her inner Bella Swan, or just on IG @ktmarieeee.
