Autostraddle Autostraddle

  • About
    • About Autostraddle
    • Meet The Team
    • Advertise
    • Press
    • Events
    • Contact
  • Shop
  • Sign in
    • Register
    • Lost Password?
  • Support Us
    • Buy Our Merch
    • Become an A+ Member
    • Give Us Money
    • Shop Our Affiliates
  • Issues
  • A+
    • All A+ Posts
    • Join A+
    • The Autostraddle Insider
    • S L I C K Erotica
    • Into the A+ Advice Box
    • Some Answers to Some Questions
    • Sex Diary
    • Interview With My Ex-Girlfriend
    • Excerpts From My Secret Diary
    • Annual Report
    • Personal Essays
  • Television
    • All Television Posts
    • 2020 LGBTQ Television Guide
    • The L Word: Generation Q
    • The L Word: Generation Q recaps
    • The L Word
    • To L and Back Podcast
    • Recaps
    • Boobs On Your Tube
    • 202 Dead Les/Bi TV Characters
  • Arts+Pop Culture
    • All Arts + Pop Culture Posts
    • The 200 Best Lesbian, Queer & Bisexual Movies Of All Time
    • I Watched Classic Lesbian Movies
    • Film
    • Books
    • Vapid Fluff
    • Fashion/Style
    • Music
    • Comedy
    • Theater
    • Visual Art
  • Sex+Dating
    • All Sex + Dating Posts
    • Lesbian Sex 101
    • How To Have Lesbian Sex
    • How To Be Gay
    • NSFW Sunday
    • Shibari 101
    • Ultimate Lesbian Sex Survey
    • Anonymous Sex Toy Reviews
    • View From the Top
    • Bottoms Up
    • Poly Pocket
  • Politics
    • All News + Politics Posts
    • COVID-19
    • This Is Not The Church of Social Justice
    • The Resistance
  • Community
    • The Autostraddle Yearbook
    • Roundtables
    • Herstory
    • First Person
    • Queer IRL
    • The QTPOC Speakeasy
    • Advice
    • You Need Help
    • Events + Meet-Ups Hub
    • Queer Girl City Guides
  • Columns
    • Year Of Our Lorde
    • Come Vibe With Me
    • Straight People Watch
    • The Dyke Kitchen
    • For Your Consideration
    • Things I Read That I Loved
    • Queering Disability
    • Find Your Fit
    • Queer Horoscopes
    • No Filter
    • What I Wore
    • Butch Please

Life

  • Food and Drink
  • DIY / Crafting / Food / Home
  • Health + Athletics
  • Travel
  • Business + Work

Geekery

  • All Geekery Posts
  • Drawn to Comics
  • Queer Your Tech
  • Saturday Morning Cartoons
  • Notes From A Queer Engineer
  • Gayme Corner
  • Video Games

LGBT Culture

  • Politics + Activism
  • Herstory
  • Marriage Equality
  • Coming Out
  • International News

Our Best Work

  • Greatest Hits
  • Ranked By Lesbianism
  • Epic Lists
  • Research/Investigations
  • Personal Essays
  • Longreads
  • Photo Essays
  • Shopping Guides
  • Listlings Without Commentary
  • Serious Business
  • Playlists

Etc.

  • Things I Read That I Love
  • Fake News
  • This Business Of Art
  • The Way We Were
  • Events
  • Video
  • Lists/Top Tens
  • Calendar Girls
  • Hot 100
  • Autostraddle Merch

Autostraddle Autostraddle

  • Support Us
    • Buy Our Merch
    • Become an A+ Member
    • Give Us Money
    • Shop Our Affiliates
  • Issues
  • A+
    • All A+ Posts
    • Join A+
    • The Autostraddle Insider
    • S L I C K Erotica
    • Into the A+ Advice Box
    • Some Answers to Some Questions
    • Sex Diary
    • Interview With My Ex-Girlfriend
    • Excerpts From My Secret Diary
    • Annual Report
    • Personal Essays
  • Television
    • All Television Posts
    • 2020 LGBTQ Television Guide
    • The L Word: Generation Q
    • The L Word: Generation Q recaps
    • The L Word
    • To L and Back Podcast
    • Recaps
    • Boobs On Your Tube
    • 202 Dead Les/Bi TV Characters
  • Arts+Pop Culture
    • All Arts + Pop Culture Posts
    • The 200 Best Lesbian, Queer & Bisexual Movies Of All Time
    • I Watched Classic Lesbian Movies
    • Film
    • Books
    • Vapid Fluff
    • Fashion/Style
    • Music
    • Comedy
    • Theater
    • Visual Art
  • Sex+Dating
    • All Sex + Dating Posts
    • Lesbian Sex 101
    • How To Have Lesbian Sex
    • How To Be Gay
    • NSFW Sunday
    • Shibari 101
    • Ultimate Lesbian Sex Survey
    • Anonymous Sex Toy Reviews
    • View From the Top
    • Bottoms Up
    • Poly Pocket
  • Politics
    • All News + Politics Posts
    • COVID-19
    • This Is Not The Church of Social Justice
    • The Resistance
  • Community
    • The Autostraddle Yearbook
    • Roundtables
    • Herstory
    • First Person
    • Queer IRL
    • The QTPOC Speakeasy
    • Advice
    • You Need Help
    • Events + Meet-Ups Hub
    • Queer Girl City Guides
  • Columns
    • Year Of Our Lorde
    • Come Vibe With Me
    • Straight People Watch
    • The Dyke Kitchen
    • For Your Consideration
    • Things I Read That I Loved
    • Queering Disability
    • Find Your Fit
    • Queer Horoscopes
    • No Filter
    • What I Wore
    • Butch Please
  • More
    • Life
      • Food and Drink
      • DIY / Crafting / Food / Home
      • Health + Athletics
      • Travel
      • Business + Work
    • Geekery
      • All Geekery Posts
      • Drawn to Comics
      • Queer Your Tech
      • Saturday Morning Cartoons
      • Notes From A Queer Engineer
      • Gayme Corner
      • Video Games
    • LGBT Culture
      • Politics + Activism
      • Herstory
      • Marriage Equality
      • Coming Out
      • International News
    • Our Best Work
      • Greatest Hits
      • Ranked By Lesbianism
      • Epic Lists
      • Research/Investigations
      • Personal Essays
      • Longreads
      • Photo Essays
      • Shopping Guides
      • Listlings Without Commentary
      • Serious Business
      • Playlists
    • Etc.
      • Things I Read That I Love
      • Fake News
      • This Business Of Art
      • The Way We Were
      • Events
      • Video
      • Lists/Top Tens
      • Calendar Girls
      • Hot 100
      • Autostraddle Merch
  • About
    • About Autostraddle
    • Meet The Team
    • Advertise
    • Press
    • Events
    • Contact
  • Shop
  • Sign in
    • Register

      Lost Password?

lesbian history

Books

Jenn Shapland Names What Needs Naming in “My Autobiography of Carson McCullers”

It has taken over 50 years for us to get the full, queer truth about Carson McCullers’s life, and now I know why. We were waiting for Jenn Shapland.

By Kate Gorton| January 7, 2020 | 28 Comments
Herstory

Lesbian and Bisexual Women of History Who Were Obsessed with Their Dogs, Part 4

We’re back for a barely conceivable fourth installment looking at the big dogs, little dogs and doggy dogs of more lesbian and bisexual women of history who were obsessed with them!

By Sally| December 6, 2019 | 10 Comments
Politics + Activism

Attempting to Excavate British Queer History

The tipping point was at the start of June, when I saw a rainbow sign outside the big Sainsbury’s on the edge of town. It dawned on me there might be a reason: Oh yes, it’s pride month. Except it’s not pride month here. Is it?

By Sally| October 22, 2019 | 30 Comments
Herstory

Precious and Adored: Reading Victorian Love Letters, Writing Queer History

When Rose Cleveland and Evangeline Simpson met in 1890, they fell for each other hard. Their once-hidden letters are collected in a new book.

By Lizzie Ehrenhalt| June 12, 2019 | 16 Comments
Books

“The Lesbian South” Carries Lesbian History, Ideology and Gossip into the Present

Along with the Civil Rights Movement, the blues, and the Moon Pie, we also have the American South to thank for a 50-plus year bounty of lesbian literature.

By fonseca| January 3, 2019 | 6 Comments
Hothead... "fuckin' what???" tell us, how does one become a homicidal lesbian terrorist? How does one NOT YOU ASSHOLE? What fucking planet did you grow up on?!?
Herstory

Revisiting “Hothead Paisan: Homicidal Lesbian Terrorist” in a World Needing Her More Than Ever

Despite her early resonance, Hothead Paisan has faded from lesbian and queer cultural memory. Today we’re bringing her back.

By Maddy| January 3, 2019 | 31 Comments
Herstory

The Queer Spirits of Christmas Past

Demonic witch queens are always queer. Fact.

By Siobhan| December 24, 2018 | 6 Comments
Herstory

Lesbian and Bisexual Women of History Who Were Obsessed With Their Dogs, Part 3

Eleanor Roosevelt, Frida Kahlo, Naomi “Micky” Jacob, Elsie de Wolfe and Elisabeth Marbury — and their puppers!

By Sally| November 21, 2018 | 22 Comments
Books

13 Mind-Expanding Nonfiction Books to Read for LGBTQ History Month

Pick up one of these 13 books about LGBTQ history and learn about your queer and trans ancestors!

By Casey| October 18, 2018 | 6 Comments
Herstory

The Gay Love Stories of Moomin and the Queer Radicality of Tove Jansson

For too long, Tove Jansson’s lesbianism has been ignored or written out of history. But scratch the surface, and the true impact of her queerness on her work becomes apparent.

By Hannah Williams| October 3, 2018 | 20 Comments
Herstory

16 Lesbian, Bisexual and Queer Instagram Accounts to Introduce You to Our Herstory

I want to devour everything that came before us so we can continue to grow better, brighter, louder, closer. These Instagram accounts are a great place to start.

By Vanessa| October 1, 2018 | 7 Comments
Herstory

Lesbian and Bisexual Women of History Who Were Obsessed With Their Dogs, Part 2

What further revelations lurk in our woefully unexplored queer pupper past? Find out literally right now, as we continue our historical adventures with gal’s best pal!

By Sally| August 9, 2018 | 25 Comments
Herstory

Lesbian and Bisexual Women of History Who Were Obsessed With Their Dogs, Part 1

If you’ve been waiting your whole life to find people in history that really reflect who you are, today is that day! We’re examining the many ways gay, bisexual, queer and other unquantifiably not-straight women have built lasting, meaningful and downright obsessive relationships with their canine friends over the years.

By Sally| May 9, 2018 | 46 Comments
Herstory

Can You Name These Historic Lesbian Couples and Other Gal Pals Through the Years?

Which pair of extremely close female friends decided to “marry” each other in 1844?

By Siobhan| April 19, 2018 | 21 Comments
Society + Culture

Also.Also.Also: Everyone’s Favorite CIA Lesbians and Other Stories for Your Week

Trans teachers, abolish ICE, Nan Goldin protests at the Met, opioids, class anxiety, drag kings, pregnancy risks for bi and lesbian teens, ‘intersectionality’, a look at the West Virginia teacher strike, and so much more!

By Laneia| March 12, 2018 | 9 Comments
Herstory

Lavender Menace Gift Guide: For Passionate Feminist Lesbians and Herstorical Queers

Feminism encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians. Happy holidays!

By Riese| December 13, 2017 | 31 Comments
Books

25 LGBT History Books to Add to Your Epic Queer History Reading List

Celebrate LGBT History Month by reading LGBT history books!

By Carolyn Yates| October 27, 2017 | 8 Comments
Herstory Vapid Fluff

BREAKING: Natalie Barney and Liane de Pougy Break Up Because Amour Is a Lie

We could hardly believe it was real, and now we can hardly believe that it’s over.

By Riese| October 13, 2017 | 15 Comments
Herstory Vapid Fluff

BREAKING: Is Charlotte Cushman Cheating On Her Wife Emma With Her Gal Pal Emma?

Charlotte Cushman is at it again!

By Riese| October 6, 2017 | 25 Comments
Film Music

CHAVELA Documentary Highlights the Pain and Poetry of the Seminal Mexican Lesbian Singer’s Life

Though her life was characterized by solitude and her love for it and the freedom it gave her, CHAVELA is a story of a remarkable person told by the people who loved and admired her most.

By Raquel| October 3, 2017 | 6 Comments
Herstory

LGBTQ History Month Starts Now: An Epic Autostraddle Reading List

It’s LGBT History Month, a month-long annual observance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history, a topic which is near and dear to our hearts because it is definitely NOT near OR dear to the hearts of anybody in charge of public education.

By Riese| October 3, 2017 | 11 Comments
1 2 3 Next Page →

BECOME AN A+ MEMBER!

Reads: Who else? ...is gonna tell you that NO YOU SHOULD NOT TEXT YOUR EX no matter how many times you need to hear it? Support our writers who are doing this WORK. Become a Member! (Just $1 / Week)

Affiliate of the Month

wet for her logo

Wet For Her is an online sex toy retailer that's a welcoming space for queer women and the folx they love — celebrating a diverse range of bodies, genders, and orientations.

shop Wet For Her →

Support Autostraddle While You Shop!

Illustration of shopping bag surrounded by sparkles. Text reads Visit the Affiliate Marketplace

kickback some of your amazon purchase to us!

From the Archives

  • I’m Not Broke As F*ck Anymore, Does This Mean I Made It

    I’m Not Broke As F*ck Anymore, Does This Mean I Made It

  • If Joan Of Arc Can Do It, Why Can’t I?

    If Joan Of Arc Can Do It, Why Can’t I?

  • 50 Shades of Grey Cats

    50 Shades of Grey Cats

Latest Comments

  • Chandra On Also.Also.Also: I’m Out of Puns, but This Year We’re Getting the Therapy We Need "Oh yes, for sure. It’s the same here in Canada, though on a smaller scale, but still it sometimes feels…"

  • Verveine_au_lait On “Portrait of a Bernie on Fire” (and 24 Other Lesbian Shenanigans) "Legends of Tomorrow and Portrait are the most … organic ones 😂 Thanks for this!"

  • Jonathon Possell On “Euphoria” Returns With a Wonderful and Frustrating Zendaya Tour De Force "I clicked on this review because it was one of the few negative ones about a tv episode that seemed…"

  • thatottergirl On “Portrait of a Bernie on Fire” (and 24 Other Lesbian Shenanigans) "There really aren’t enough supportive-but-naturally-grumpy Jewish Socialist Grandfathers in queer media, despite my having two of them IRL (one was…"

  • Sav On How to Write a Really Hot Sext in 5 Easy Steps "My take on noodz: I definitely don’t want one you specifically took for someone else. Yeah that just rubs me…"

  • Caitlin On Call It Off: A Very Subjective Primer on Breaking Up with Someone You’re Casually Dating "“2018 has been a living hell” We were so naive . . ."

  • msanon On Also.Also.Also: I’m Out of Puns, but This Year We’re Getting the Therapy We Need "i was nodding my head reading your comment. worth it to note that politicians in the u.s. do equivocate for…"

  • Chandra On Also.Also.Also: I’m Out of Puns, but This Year We’re Getting the Therapy We Need "Amanda Gorman’s poem was the only part of the inauguration I watched. She managed to say everything that needed to…"

Support Us

Latest Posts

  • Also.Also.Also: I’m Out of Puns, but This Year We’re Getting the Therapy We Need

    Also.Also.Also: I’m Out of Puns, but This Year We’re Getting the Therapy We Need

  • “Portrait of a Bernie on Fire” (and 24 Other Lesbian Shenanigans)

    “Portrait of a Bernie on Fire” (and 24 Other Lesbian Shenanigans)

  • How to Honestly Tell When It’s Time to Break Up

    How to Honestly Tell When It’s Time to Break Up

  • “Riverdale” Episode 501 Recap: Cheryl Blossom and Toni Topaz Are Prom Queens But At What Cost

    “Riverdale” Episode 501 Recap: Cheryl Blossom and Toni Topaz Are Prom Queens But At What Cost

  • Shakina Nayfack on Her New Audible Play, NBC’s “Connecting…,” and Forming Trans Community Through Art

    Shakina Nayfack on Her New Audible Play, NBC’s “Connecting…,” and Forming Trans Community Through Art

Upcoming Meet-Ups & Events

Submit to our Community Calendar →
View More Meet-Ups & Events →
1 2 3 Next Page →
Autostraddle Autostraddle

Our Network

  • Community
  • Store
  • A-Camp

About Us

  • What is AS?
  • Meet The Team
  • Press
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Write for Us

Follow Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Instagram
  • RSS

Copyright 2009 - 2021 The Excitant Group, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Comment Policy

NEW SHIRTS, SWEATSHIRTS, STICKERS AND FACE MASKS IN THE AUTOSTRADDLE STORE! Get your gay apparel while its hot →