Dykes Organize: The Founding of the Lesbian Avengers

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Dykes Organize: The Founding of the Lesbian Avengers

The Stonewall riots opened the doors to the rise and fall of numerous different homosexual actions groups. The differences in the groups were like night and day and the theories behind them changed with the times. In the 1990’s a group made its debut by coming out strong and forceful. Their handbook stated, “We need you. Because we are not waiting for the rapture. We are the apocalypse.” This became part of a dyke manifesto. A manifesto that changed lesbian views, a manifesto that brought with it a ‘fierce lesbian movement’, it brought confrontation to lesbian politics. They proudly announce their slogan “We are the Lesbian Avengers and We Recruit!”

Today I am going to introduce to you the Lesbian Avengers. I will lay out the history of activism that led up the this group and then introduce the queer context that this group was founded under. When I have established that foundation, I will tell you how the Lesbian Avengers were founded and by what means they ran the group. Specifically, I will explain and analyze an action of the Washington, D.C. chapter. I argue that the Lesbian Avengers are fighting for a new lesbian visibility, different from that of Lesbian groups in the 1970’s such as Lesbian Nation. I also argue that the Lesbian Avengers have a specific understanding of action and queer theory which is why their group has been a success.

In the early 1990’s there were two prominent homosexual activist groups: the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT-UP) and Queer Nation. ACT-UP is a direct action group that exists solely as a political organization although it is in a battle for power against other government agencies and drug companies (ACT-UP Phil). This group was formed to “agitate for a concentrated response to the AIDS crisis from the federal government, and by default, the single loudest voice of opposition to the Republican social policies, from housing to health care”(ACT-UP). ACT-UP is a volunteer organization that is run by its members and by consensus. The group will choose its causes based on what is decided at the meeting (ACT-UP Phil). Direct action groups are known for their guerrilla-style demonstrations. This means that they are a group related to strong, nonviolent fighting; the ‘in your face’ approach to activism.

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