There’s a new spirit of optimism and activism in the air lesbians breathe. Perhaps it’s knowing that the rest of the world joined them in laughing at Mitt Romney’s gaffe when he talked about women job applicants as “binders full of women” and that income inequality for women, especially woman of color, is a front-and-center issue for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who officially launched her campaign Saturday in New York. At the end of her inspirational speech, Clinton wished that her beloved had lived to see, “An America where a father can tell his daughter: yes, you can be anything you want to be. Even President of the United States.” Maybe one day, lesbian parents—who are harassed on the job, if they can find one, and are lower on the economic scale than any other demographic—will say the same thing to their lesbian daughter.
But Friday night was a night to celebrate lesbian Pride in West Hollywood, with about 300 lesbians, bisexuals and allies taking over the streets chanting “Whose streets?” “Our streets!”
Before the march, the lesbians rallied to honor a legend in the lesbian community, author and “outlaw” activist Jeanne Cordova. Sharing the stage with Cordova were her friends Diane Abbitt, first female co-chair of MECLA, the nation’s first gay political action committee, and Ivy Bottini, the original “Lavender Menace,” and WeHo Lesbian Visibility’s Margaret Smith. They were there to help the City of West Hollywood honor Cordova with this year’s Melissa Etheridge Award as a lesbian who has spent 40 years as an activist and leader in the movement.
Mindful that many of the young folks in the crowd may not be aware of LGBT history—especially Lesbian history—Cordova told them about what she called the “birthday of our lesbian nation.” While Cordova no doubt honors the work done by icons Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin in founding the Daughters of Bilitis, Cordova marked the beginning of the lesbian movement from the shocking moment when lesbian activists zapped and stood up to the straight women’s movement that was oppressing them:
It was May 1, 1970 when a group of lesbians, mostly from the Gay Liberation Front & NOW got together and zapped the National Conference of the Second Congress to Unite Women, in New York City. They were a band of 17 young women who wore purple t-shirts with “lavender menace” stenciled in black letters on them.
Why those particular words? That was the exact phrase–lavender menace– that the women’s movement led by NOW President Betty Friedan used in 1969 to describe what they saw as the single arrow that could wound the Women’s Movement irreparably.
Yes, “THE LAVENDER MENACE”. Those straight women and men said that any mention of lesbians or their mannish activities would draw condemnation to the women’s movement by those in our society who feared lesbians. And there were plenty of them who wanted to take down the women’s movement by charging that it was led by lesbians.
The Lavender MENACE wasn’t going to accept this.
They planned a zap for the opening session of the Congress, which would be used to raise awareness of lesbian issues as a vital part to the emerging women’s movement. They prepared a manifesto entitled “The Woman-Identified Woman” and made T-shirts for the entire group.
Finally, they were ready. The Second Congress to Unite Women got under way….About three hundred women filed into the auditorium”….
And lesbian feminism was born. After the zap, many of the organizers created the “Radicalesbians” and at the next national conference of NOW in Sept. 1971, which I was at, all of us delegates adopted a resolution recognizing lesbianism and lesbian rights as “a legitimate concern for feminism.” The lesbians won, Cordova said, adding:
“I’m telling you this story about OUR BIRTHDAY so you can know that you too can start a movement! Or a wing of a movement–just by creating an action that grips people! Come up with a radical idea that pushes our agenda forward! Think about it—-tonight, while we are going to march out on Santa Monica Blvd …………..join me marching. Let’s March!”
But before they left for the streets, Cordova got an unexpected surprise, according to Renee Sotile & Mary Jo Godges at LGBT Hollywood:
Just in case we forget what it’s really all about #JeanneCordova Butch Pioneer Honoree gets Big Hugs & Tears seconds before #dykemarch “I’ve wanted to meet you all my life! YOU are the legend that has helped me all my life!” #LAPride2015
And then they were off. Cordova’s longtime partner Lynn H. Ballen summed it up, holding a sign saying Mother Earth is a Lesbian:
SUCH a beautiful sight. All those happy marching faces… THIS is why we march, to be together with our Lesbian Tribe, to share the space & the energy … and to be visible!
Whose Streets? OUR STREETS! #dykemarch #weho #LESBIANVISIBILITY
And THEN they were off. Another 400 lesbians showed up at DYKE DAY LA on Saturday, BTW.
(Photos courtesy Jeannette Bronson and Renee Sotile & MJ Godges.)
Here’s Cordova’s speech, as prepared for delivery:
WHO I AM
Hey Women, Lesbians, Dykes & Queers,
My name is Jeanne Cordova and I’m your Etheridge award winner for the year! Why am I your award winner this year? What did I do to deserve this honor? Well I’ve spent my whole life–the last 40 years founding a magazine, The Lesbian Tide, and throwing 3 national lesbian Conferences, and founding The Gay & Lesbian Community Yellow Pages.
But tonight I wanted to tell you about the BIRTHDAY of our lesbian nation! Yes, we really do have a birthday…and it’s important that you know this. The birthday is May 1, 1970 when the lesbian movement was born. And I’ll tell you how it happened!
It was May 1, 1970 when a group of lesbians, mostly from the Gay Liberation Front & NOW got together and zapped the National Conference of the Second Congress to Unite Women, in New York City. They were a band of 17 young women who wore purple t-shirts with “lavender menace” stenciled in black letters on them.
Why those particular words? That was the exact phrase–lavender menace– that the women’s movement led by NOW President Betty Friedan used in 1969 to describe what they saw as the single arrow that could wound the Women’s Movement irreparably.
Yes, “THE LAVENDER MENACE”. Those straight women and men said that any mention of lesbians or their mannish activities would draw condemnation to the women’s movement by those in our society who feared lesbians. And there were plenty of them who wanted to take down the women’s movement by charging that it was led by lesbians.
The Lavender MENACE wasn’t going to accept this.
They planned a zap for the opening session of the Congress, which would be used to raise awareness of lesbian issues as a vital part to the emerging women’s movement. They prepared a manifesto entitled “The Woman-Identified Woman” and made T-shirts for the entire group.
Finally, they were ready. The Second Congress to Unite Women got under way.. About three hundred women filed into the auditorium. Just as the first speaker came to the microphone they switched off the lights and pulled the plug on the mike. (They had cased the place the previous day, and knew exactly where the switches were and how to work them.) Karla Jay was planted in the middle of the audience, so she could hear her coconspirators running down both aisles. Some were laughing, while others were emitting rebel yells. When they flipped the lights back on, both aisles were lined with seventeen lesbians wearing their purple Lavender Menace T-shirts and holding the placards they’d made.
Some invited the audience to join them. Karla Jay stood up and yelled, “Yes, yes, sisters! I’m tired of being in the closet because of the women’s movement.” Much to the horror of the audience, she unbuttoned the long-sleeved red blouse she was wearing and ripped it off. Underneath,she was wearing a Lavender Menace T-shirt. Then Rita [Mae Brown] yelled to members of the audience, “Who wants to join us?”
“I do, I do,” several audience members shouted back.
Then Rita also pulled off her Lavender Menace T-shirt. but underneath she had on another t-shirt.
The audience was on the lavender menace’s side!
After the initial stunt, the “Menaces” passed out mimeographed copies of “The Woman-Identified Woman” and took the stage, where they explained how angry they were about the exclusion of lesbians from the conference. the group and the audience then used the microphone for a spontaneous speak-out on lesbianism in the feminist movement, and several of the participants in the “zap” were invited to run workshops the next day on lesbian rights and homophobia (Jay 144). Straight and gay women from the congress joined an all-women’s dance later that night.
“Lavender Menace” originated as a negative term for lesbianism, it was later reclaimed as a positive term by lesbian feminists.
The “Lavender Menace” zap, and the publication of “The Woman-Identified Woman,” are widely remembered as a founding moment for lesbian feminism.
After the zap, many of the organizers continued to meet, and decided to create a lasting organization to continue their activism, which they decided to call the “Radicalesbians.” At the next national conference of NOW, in September 1971, which I was at, all of us delegates adopted a resolution recognizing lesbianism and lesbian rights as “a legitimate concern for feminism”.[1]
We had won the battle!
I’m telling you this story about OUR BIRTHDAY so you can know that you too can start a movement! Or a wing of a movement–just by creating an action that grips people! Come up with a radical idea that pushes our agenda forward! Think about it—-tonight, while we are going to march out on Santa Monica Blvd …………..join me marching.