| Lesbian Visibility Week | |
|---|---|
| Observed by | LGBT community, lesbians |
| Type | Visibility week |
| Frequency | Annual |
| First time | 1990 |
Lesbian Visibility Week (related to Lesbian Visibility Day) is an annual observance in the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries dedicated to increasing the awareness of lesbian women and their issues. It was originally celebrated in July in 1990 in California, and more recently in April, [1] [2] starting with Lesbian Visibility Day on April 26. [3] It has been celebrated in England [4] [5] and Wales. [1] [6] [7]
In mid-July from 1990 to 1992 in West Hollywood, Lesbian Visibility Week was celebrated annually. [8] It was conceived out of lesbians' frustrations with the higher visibility of gay men than lesbians, and intended to gain awareness and sociopolitical capital. [9]
The week was coordinated by West Hollywood Lesbian Visibility Committee and the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center and devoted to raising awareness of lesbian identities and topics and celebrating the lesbian community. The celebration was "a combination of cultural programming, workshops addressing current and impending needs, awards ceremonies, and social events." [8] The events included film screenings, safe sex discussions, dog shows, marches, and more. [10] [9]
In 2020, Linda Riley, publisher of Diva magazine, began a new Lesbian Visibility Week. The inaugural week took place from the 20th of April 2020, ending on Lesbian Visibility Day, 26 April. [11] [12] LGBT speakers included president of GLAAD Sarah Kate Ellis Henderson, BBC Newsreader [13] Jane Hill, and UK Black Pride founder Phyll Opoku Gyimah. Some brands and companies hosted their own events. [14] [15] [16]
Lesbian Visibility Week 2021 took place between 26 April and 2 May 2021, and was powered by DIVA magazine, Stonewall (a charity) and Facebook. During this week, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan [17] flew the lesbian flag at City Hall, London to launch the week. [18] [19]
Lesbian Visibility Week 2023, celebrated from April 24 to April 30, highlighted the theme of trans-inclusivity, [20] featuring collaborations with prominent organizations such as Deliveroo, Greene King, GLAAD, and Mermaids. The week was notable for its use of social media campaigns employing hashtags like #LWithTheT and #LVW23 to promote engagement and visibility across the LGBTQIA+ community. A highlight of the week was the DIVA Awards, [21] hosted by Sophie Ward, which underscored the achievements within the sapphic community.
International Lesbian Day is a related observation that is observed on October 8 annually. It started in New Zealand in the 1980's and is celebrated mainly in New Zealand and Australia. [22] [23]
Sapphic Visibility Day is observed on April 9 annually. It started in the US as a celebration of the diverse identities within the LGBTQ+ spectrum, emphasizing the significance of Sapphic individuals - including queers, nonbinary and trans-folks. [24]
National Day of Lesbian Visibility (Portuguese: Dia Nacional da Visibilidade Lésbica ) is an established date in Brazil created by Brazilian lesbian activists and dedicated to the date on which the 1st National Lesbian Seminar - Senale took place, on August 29, 1996. It happens every August 29 since 2003. [25] [26]
Several celebrities have come out in Lesbian Visibility Day including Megan Rapinoe, Da Brat, and Lena Waithe. [27]
National Coming Out Day (NCOD) is an annual LGBT awareness day observed on October 11 to support anyone "coming out of the closet". First celebrated in the United States in 1988, the initial idea was grounded in the feminist and gay liberation spirit of the personal being political, and the emphasis on the most basic form of activism being coming out to family, friends, and colleagues, and living life as an openly lesbian or gay person. The founders believed that homophobia thrives in an atmosphere of silence and ignorance and that once people know that they have loved ones who are lesbian or gay, they are far less likely to maintain homophobic or oppressive views.
São Paulo LGBTQ Pride Parade is an annual gay pride parade that has taken place in Avenida Paulista, in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, since 1997. It is South America's largest Pride parade, and is listed by Guinness World Records as the biggest pride parade in the world starting in 2006 with 2.5 million people. They broke the Guinness record in 2009 with four million attendees. They have kept the title from 2006 to at least 2016. They had five million attendants in 2017. As of 2019 it has three to five million attendants each year. In 2019, it was also the second larger event of the city of São Paulo in terms of total revenue and the first in terms of daily revenue. In 2010, the city hall of São Paulo invested 1 million reais in the parade. According to the LGBT app Grindr, the gay parade of the city was elected the best in the world.
LGBT tourism is a form of tourism marketed to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) people. People might be open about their sexual orientation and gender identity at times, but less so in areas known for violence against LGBT people.
DIVA is a European magazine targeted towards lesbian and bisexual women. The magazine contains features on lifestyle issues affecting young lesbian and bisexual women and allies as well as political developments in the lesbian scene. It also contains articles on travel, music and the latest cinema releases in the sector. The current publisher is Linda Riley.
A dyke march is a lesbian visibility and protest march, much like the original Gay Pride parades and gay rights demonstrations. The main purpose of a dyke march is the encouragement of activism within the lesbian and sapphic community. Dyke marches commonly take place the Friday or Saturday before LGBTQ pride parades. Larger metropolitan areas usually have several Pride-related happenings both before and after the march to further community building; with social outreach to specific segments such as older women, women of color, and lesbian parenting groups.
Celebrate Bisexuality Day is observed annually on September 23 to recognize and celebrate bisexual people, the bisexual community, and the history of bisexuality.
LGBTQ pride is the promotion of the self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people as a social group. Pride, as opposed to shame and social stigma, is the predominant outlook that bolsters most LGBT rights movements. Pride has lent its name to LGBT-themed organizations, institutes, foundations, book titles, periodicals, a cable TV channel, and the Pride Library.
Pride Week 1973 was a national LGBT rights event in Canada, which was held in August 1973. The event, which took place from August 19 to 26, was marked by LGBT-themed programming in several Canadian cities, including Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Saskatoon and Winnipeg. Programming included an art festival, a dance, picnic, a screening of a documentary and a rally for gay rights that occurred in all the participating cities.
The Dublin LGBTQ+ Pride Festival is an annual series of events which celebrates lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) life in Dublin, Ireland. It is the largest LGBTQ+ pride festival on the island of Ireland. The festival culminates in a pride parade which is held annually on the last Saturday in June. The event has grown from a one-day event in 1974 to a ten-day festival celebrating LGBT culture in Ireland with an expanded arts, social and cultural content.
The National Council for the Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transvestite, Transsexual, Queer, Intersex, Asexual and Other People, formerly the National Council for Combating Discrimination and Promoting the Rights of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transvestites and Transsexuals until 2018, is an executive council under the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship. The is located in Brasília, in the Federal District, in Brazil.
The Berlin Pride Celebration, also known as Christopher Street Day Berlin, or CSD Berlin, is a pride parade and festival held in the second half of July each year in Berlin, Germany to celebrate the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people and their allies. Since 1979, the event has been held each year. Berlin Pride is one of the largest gay and lesbian organized events in Germany and one of the biggest in Europe. Its aim is to demonstrate for equal rights and equal treatment for LGBT people, as well as celebrate the pride in Gay and Lesbian Culture.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights are liberal in Bahia. Homosexuality and same-sex marriage are legal in the state.
New York City has been described as the gay capital of the world and the central node of the LGBTQ+ sociopolitical ecosystem, and is home to one of the world's largest and most prominent LGBTQ+ populations. Brian Silverman, the author of Frommer's New York City from $90 a Day, wrote the city has "one of the world's largest, loudest, and most powerful LGBT communities", and "Gay and lesbian culture is as much a part of New York's basic identity as yellow cabs, high-rise buildings, and Broadway theatre". LGBT travel guide Queer in the World states, "The fabulosity of Gay New York is unrivaled on Earth, and queer culture seeps into every corner of its five boroughs". LGBT advocate and entertainer Madonna stated metaphorically, "Anyways, not only is New York City the best place in the world because of the queer people here. Let me tell you something, if you can make it here, then you must be queer."
The LGBTQ community in Tokyo is one of the largest in Asia. While Japan does not assign as much moral or social weight to sexuality as in the West, it is still difficult for Japanese people to come out in society as being LGBT; the community reportedly experiences homophobia even amongst those in the community. Only 5% of Japanese people report they know somebody who is LGBT.
Austin, Texas, has one of the most prominent and active LGBT populations in the United States. Austin was acclaimed by The Advocate in 2012 as part of its Gayest Cities in America, and was recognized by Travel and Leisure as one of America's Best Cities for Gay Travel. Much of Austin's gay nightlife scene is clustered around 4th Street. LGBT activism groups Atticus Circle and Equality Texas are headquartered in Austin.
Miami has one of the largest and most prominent LGBTQ communities in the United States. Miami has had a gay nightlife scene as early as the 1930s. Miami has a current status as a gay mecca that attracts more than 1 million LGBT visitors a year. The Miami area as a whole has been gay-friendly for decades and is one of the few places where the LGBTQ community has its own chamber of commerce, the Miami-Dade Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (MDGLCC). As of 2005, Miami was home to an estimated 15,277 self-identifying gay and bisexual individuals. The Miami metropolitan area had an estimated 183,346 self-identifying LGBT residents.
Linda Riley is a British journalist, publisher and LGBTIQ+ rights advocate. She owns the Jack the Ripper Museum and is the publisher of Diva magazine and founder of the Lesbian Visibility Week.
Pride Month, sometimes specified as LGBT Pride Month, is a monthlong observance dedicated to the celebration of LGBT pride, commemorating the contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) culture and community. Pride Month is observed in June in the United States, coinciding with the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots, a series of gay liberation protests.
Chanacomchana was an independent publication in bulletin format, zine, by the São Paulo collectives Lésbico-Feminista (LF) and Grupo Ação Lésbico-Feminista (GALF), which played an important role in the political organization and resistance of the Lesbian community during the 1980s in Brazil. The content of the bulletin brought together progressive and revolutionary collages and focused on women's issues, especially lesbians, through the dissemination of activities and reflections relevant to the community.
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