Awareness
October 8th is International Lesbian Day, a day to celebrate the history, impact, and beautiful diversity of the Lesbian community, uplift their voices and reaffirm our commitment to supporting Lesbians throughout the entire year.
The origins of the word ‘Lesbian’ can be traced back to ancient Greece, where the lyric poet Sappho lived on the isle of Lesbos. ‘Lesbian’ as an adjective was used in the sixteenth century to describe someone who hailed from Lesbos, but Sappho’s passionate works—wherein she openly admires women and speaks of them in romantic contexts—were examined in the 19th century by women who shared her inclinations, ‘Lesbian’ took on a whole new meaning. The first documented use of ‘Lesbian’ in a context similar to its modern meaning appears in 1883 when it was used in an American medical journal referring to Joeseph Lobdell, a trans man. Lesbian is not the only term that owes its existence to Sappho; the broader label ‘Sapphic’ was derived from her name. ‘Sapphic’ describes any woman or non-binary person who loves women and non-binary folks, regardless of whether they identify as Lesbian, Bisexual, or any other identity under the rainbow.
The origins of International Lesbian Day are murky, and it’s possible the occasion arose two separate times. The earliest event can be traced back to the 1980s, in New Zealand. The very first celebration was a Lesbian Day March held on March 8th, International Women’s Day, where 40 women marched through Wellington’s Central Park. A decade later, in 1990, International Lesbian Day was celebrated for the first time at the Collingwood town hall in Melbourne, Australia on October 13th. The event featured musicians, vendors, readings, and joyful dancing, and today, Melbourne’s Lesbian community celebrates by donating to charities that support Lesbians in any multitude of ways. The date would later shift to October 8th, exactly six months after International Women’s Day.
The history of the Lesbian community is long, vibrant, and storied, but also full of struggle and resilience. Lesbians, (and sapphic folks) be they cis, trans, or non-binary, are always doubly othered both by gender and sexual and/or romantic orientation. These intertwining identities often attract unique forms of bigotry that are not faced by others in the GSRD community. Misogyny is a very present foe both outside of—but even within—the GSRD community, and in a world where a woman or AFAB person’s value is often directly calculated based on her relationship to a man, Lesbian and Sapphic folks challenge and break that concept, often threatening the fragile patriarchal viewpoints of many bigoted individuals. Butch or otherwise GNC folks face even further struggles as they ‘deviate’ from the sexist and patriarchal ‘norm’ of the feminine woman. Lesbian erasure—such as the ‘dead lesbian’ trope and the inability of some to see two women/non-binary folks as anything other than friends—is also an extremely pervasive feature of both media and the real world.
In the midst of this, however, Lesbian representation is thriving and only continuing to grow as more creators with an interest in telling these stories will gain the platform to do so. Perhaps one of the most well-known examples is the relationship between Catra and Adora in the Netflix adaptation of She-Ra, where after tireless work by both creator N.D Stevenson and the crew, and seasons of subtle hinting for those who noticed it, the show was able to close it’s season finale with a groundbreaking kiss between the two former enemies. Likewise, characters such as Amity Blight in The Owl House, Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune in Sailor Moon, America Chavez from Marvel comics, Robin Buckley from Stranger Things, Kate Kane as Batwoman from the DC universe, and many more continue to break barriers and create incredible stories. Many real-world folks likewise proudly proclaim their Lesbian identities to the world, such as Hayley Kiyoko, Megan Rapinoe, Sue Bird, Kelhani, Brandi Carlile, Tegan and Sara, Wanda Sykes, Jodie Foster, Jayne Lynch, Lily Tomlin, and many, many more.
International Lesbian Day serves as both a day of celebration and a reminder to us all to recognize and lift up the Lesbian community and Lesbian voices not only on October 8th but all year round. ‘Lesbian’ as a term is one of the oldest in the GSRD community, but age has only made it stronger, and the diversity, strength, and resilience of the Lesbian community will doubtless continue to sparkle for countless years to come.
