Lesbian Erasure?

“Today, lesbians who stand up for lesbians are called bigots, trans-exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs), Nazis. What has caused this mass hatred of lesbians in a time when the rainbow flag can be seen in many places? Queer, trans, LGBTQ+ seem to have the ear of governments and corporations.”

Six members of the Daughters of Bilitis gather around a table

This article was written by Susan Hawthorne and published in Arena in September 2024. While wondering if it ever was actually in fashion, in this article Susan notes that the word lesbian is now distinctly unfashionable. “Today, lesbians who stand up for lesbians are called bigots, trans-exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs), Nazis. What has caused this mass hatred of lesbians in a time when the rainbow flag can be seen in many places? Queer, trans, LGBTQ+ seem to have the ear of governments and corporations.” The article refers to the LAVA case against Wellington Pride in the context of the loss of lesbian spaces and the invisibility of lesbian organisations.

Susan is an Australian lesbian feminist, a writer, a poet and a political commentator. She and her partner Renata Klein set up Spinifex Press, a feminist publishing company based in Melbourne in 1991. Spinifex is still going strong and Susan continues to be a tireless advocate for women and for lesbians. Read more about Spinifex Press here