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.

Herstory

38 Lesbian and Bisexual Women From History Who Did That Thing First

What do the first Chinese-American filmmaker, the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and the first woman to wear man-tailored shorts at Wimbledon all have in common? They had romantic feelings about other women, just like you!

Herstory

18 Lesbian Power Couples From History Who Made Really Great Art For You

These are the ladies who made kickass sculptures, movies, music, children’s books, regular grown-up-books and, of course, wrote fabulous, sick, neurotic, tortured love poems to one another.

Herstory

41 Super-Hot Butches and Tomboys of the Early 20th Century

Just a little vintage eye candy for you.

Herstory Vapid Fluff

“Hollywood Lesbians”: This 1994 Interview Book Valiantly Attempted To Out Over 31 Legendary Ladies

“Numerous Hollywood actresses — Garbo, Gish, Dietrich, Jean Arthur, um, Kay Francis, Stanwyck, Bankhead, Del Rio, Janet Gaynor, etc., etc., — have enjoyed lesbian or bi relationships. Have you ever…?”

Herstory

16 Lesbian Power Couples From History Who Got Shit Done, Together

Just some low-key relationship goals for ya.

Herstory Television

9 Lesbian and Trans Women Activists In the Spotlight Of “When We Rise”

Summaries of the historical events chronicled in “When We Rise” and background on some of the incredible women portrayed in this historical miniseries, debuting tomorrow on ABC.

Herstory

Swords, Satan and Sexuality: Queer Nuns of the Past

“Somehow convincing the convent that she genuinely wanted to take holy orders Julie entered the nunnery with her girlfriend. Around a month in an elder nun died of natural causes and the two of them saw their chance; putting the dead nun in the girlfriend’s bed they set the nunnery on fire and ran off into the night.”

Herstory Vapid Fluff

The Lesbian or Bisexual Heiress: 22 Women Who Had It Made, In Theory

From Winnaretta Singer to Nats Getty, you’ll learn so much in this post and even meet another Mountbatten!

Herstory

24 Very Gay Excerpts from Eleanor Roosevelt’s Love Letters with Lorena Hickok

“Most clearly I remember your eyes with a kind of teasing smile in them, and the feeling of that soft spot just northeast of the corner of your mouth against my lips.”

Herstory

Kitty Genovese’s Murder: Everything You Know About The “38 Bystanders” Is Wrong

The alleged behavior of witnesses to the 1963 murder of Kitty Genovese, a lesbian barmaid who lived in Queens with her girlfriend, inspired the concept of “the bystander effect.” The only problem is that the story of the 38 apathetic bystanders isn’t even remotely true.

Herstory

12 Women They Didn’t Tell You Were Queer In History Class

Really unclear why we didn’t spend at least one semester reading Emily Dickinson’s love letters to her girlfriend.

Feminism Herstory

Rebel Girls: Meet (Some Of) the Gal Pals of the Suffrage Movement

We’ve broadly written off intense and deep relationships between these fearless suffrage leaders as “friendships” for years, but it’s worth considering what we’re erasing when we do.

Herstory

Rebel Girls: Bessie Smith Was a Queer Pioneer, and We’re Finally Gonna Get to Talk About It

When HBO’s Bessie premieres May 16 to bring the Empress of Jazz back to life, nobody will be skirting the issue of Bessie Smith’s bisexuality.

Herstory

12 (More) Ladies Who Were Writing Sexy Lesbian Love Letters Before You Got Born

“I slept in your place and on your pillow — it was most as good as the cigarette you lit and gave me all gooey — not quite, for we had you and the sweet taste too — I am foolish about you I admit.”