Lesbians of Color Speak Out
In February 2001, Samiya A. Bashir declared in Curve that anti-Black racism was pervasive in the lesbian community.
The article “Fear of a Black Lesbian Planet” was not the first time the magazine tackled racism. In 1994 Tatiana de la Tierra’s article “In Living Color at Michigan” profiled women of color who formed a separatist camp at the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival and delved deep into their experiences of marginalization in the women’s music community. Lisa Moore’s comment in “Fear of a Black Lesbian Planet” illustrated differing experiences of Black and white lesbians in a more universal context.
‘It’s so scary for dykes to come out that they cling to their race card. A white dyke comes out in an upper class community, and the separations are profound...White lesbians are fighting for marriage benefits and the right to stay home and have kids. You’ve got to have money to stay home and have kids unless you’re ready to live on welfare.” - Lisa Moore 1
Black lesbians faced intersecting oppressions and felt excluded from the community because of both race and class. It Indeed, the lifestyle promoted in Curve, including frequent travel, fashionable clothing, and expensive weddings, is inaccessible to many women. Despite these divisions, authors like Victoria A Brownsworth revealed the reality of working-class lesbian life in pieces like “Class Conscience.” 2 Articles like Alison Peters March 2010 profile of Valerie Rochester’s struggle against racial disparities in breast cancer care emphasized how racism affects women across all spheres of life. 3
Diane Anderson Minshall’s April 2003 “Without Reservations: Native American Lesbians Struggle to Find Their Way” described the lives of indigenous lesbian activists like Lakota Beverly Little Thunder, who faced homophobia and threats from prominent leaders in her community while struggling to preserve Lakota traditions.4
The article inspired numerous letters to the editor from indigenous readers, demonstrating the transformative impact of representation. Kristen Alkrie described how rare articles about Indigenous lesbians were, and hoped “your article will reach women both on and off the rez to let them know they are not alone.” 5 Despite these articles, sociologist Margaret E. Gonsoulin found in 2007 issues of Curve, 80% of models were white.6 The magazine echoed the community’s own internal conflicts and unrealized aspirations of unity and equality.
1. Tierra, Tatiana de la. "In Living Color at Michigan." Deneuve: The Lesbian Magazine, vol. 4, no. 4, 1994. Archives of Sexuality and Gender, Bashir, Samiya A. "FEAR OF A BLACK LESBIAN PLANET." Curve, vol. 11, no. 1, Feb. 2001, p. 20.
2. Peters, Alison. “Why it Matters if You're Black or White,” Curve, Vol. 20, no. 2. Mar. 2010.
3. Anderson Minshall, Diane. "Without Reservations: Native American Lesbians Struggle to Find Their Way." Curve, vol 13, April 2003.
4. Thunder, Beverly Little. "Homophobia is everywhere." Curve, vol. 13, no. 6, Oct. 2003, p. 9 "Letters." Curve, vol. 13, no. 5, Aug. 2003, p. 9
5. Gonsoulin, Margaret E. “Liberated and Inclusive? An Analysis of Self-Representation in a Popular Lesbian Magazine.” Journal of Homosexuality 57, no. 9 (September 30, 2010): 1166.