Lesbian Visibility: A Timeline
Celebrating Lesbian Visibility Week With a Look Back Through History
This is the Sunday edition of Paging Dr. Lesbian. Plus, this week’s dispatch from the lesbian internet. If you like this type of thing, subscribe! A note: this post is too long to fit in a single email – you might consider reading it on-site.
This past Monday marked 2021’s Lesbian Visibility Day, which kicked off this year’s Lesbian Visibility Week. To celebrate, I thought it might be illuminating to take a look back at lesbian and sapphic history over the last 100 years. What follows is a (highly abridged) timeline of some of the most significant lesbian moments of the last century, primarily in the realm of popular culture and with a special focus on moments that illustrate this much-discussed idea – visibility. I always find it useful to use timelines in this way, particularly due to the fact that they allow you to consider time on a more macro scale, illustrating various trends or concurrent events that you might otherwise miss. For those of us who were not alive or at least not pop-culturally savvy during these time periods, timelines such as these can also give us a sense of where we’ve been, so to speak.
It must be noted that it is very likely a number of the women mentioned here do not or wouldn’t have identified themselves as lesbians. Rather than get into the nitty-gritty of labels (which is further complicated by historical context) I include these moments as examples of events that likely affected and/or continue to affect lesbians or other sapphics. Again, this is by no means a complete list and is almost certainly biased as a result of my own pop-cultural leanings (though it may give you some insight into the random facts that are often rattling around in my brain). Enjoy, and comment below with your favorite moments.
1923 – Queer blues singer and “Empress of the Blues” Bessie Smith releases “Downhearted Blues.”
1927 – Queer blues singer Ma Rainey released “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” She would go on to make more than 100 recordings in her lifetime.
1928 – Radclyffe Hall publishes The Well of Loneliness, which is often considered the first book in the English language about lesbianism. The book met many legal challenges upon its publishing, eventually being ruled “obscene” by British courts.
1928 – Virginia Woolf publishes her novel Orlando, about a time-hopping gender-transforming character inspired by her long-time lover, Vita Sackville-West.
1930 – Josef von Sternberg and Marlene Dietrich’s film Morocco is released. It contains one of the earliest lesbian kisses in American film. (I say one of because earlier silent films such as Lady of the Night included ostensibly chaste “friendship” kisses). Dietrich, by the way, was also famously a part of the Old Hollywood “sewing circle,” that is, a group of “closeted” lesbian or bisexual stars during the period that also included the likes of Greta Garbo, Tallulah Bankhead, and Joan Crawford, to name a few.
1931 – Mädchen in Uniform, often known as the first feature film about lesbians, is released in Germany. It follows a teen girl who falls in love with her teacher at boarding school.
1934 – The Hays Code – Hollywood’s self-censorship system that prohibited or limited depictions of immoral behavior, including homosexuality – is implemented. (It was first created in 1930 though not initially enforced).
1945 –Queer singer and guitarist Sister Rosetta Tharpe, often known as “the Godmother of rock and roll,” releases “Strange Things Happening Every Day.” The song is sometimes cited as the first rock and roll record, and Tharpe would go on to influence artists like Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, and Johnny Cash.
1950 – Tereska Torrès publishes Women’s Barracks, often considered the first lesbian pulp novel in America. The book was banned in Canada and prompted the formation of the House Select Committee on Current Pornographic Materials in America.
1951 – The French film Olivia is released. It follows a teenage girl as she attends boarding school and develops strong feelings for the headmistress. It is fairly explicit in its queerness.
1952 – Billie Holiday releases her album Billie Holiday Sings, her first compilation of original material. Holiday famously dated actress Tallulah Bankhead.
1952 – Patricia Highsmith (under the pseudonym Claire Morgan) publishes The Price of Salt, often considered the first lesbian book with a happy ending. The book would later be made into the film Carol (2015).
1961 – The Children’s Hour premieres. Based on a Lillian Hellman play, the film stars Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine as teachers at a boarding school and follows a rumored affair between the two women. (It does not end well, but I find it to be quite an extraordinary film – it’s currently streaming on Tubi).
1968 – The Hays Code is lifted after the release of two controversial films that flouted its rules – Bonnie and Clyde and The Graduate.
1969 – The Stonewall Riots occur.
1973 – Alix Dobkin releases Lavender Jane Loves Women, often considered the first explicitly lesbian album.
1973 – Independent record label Olivia Records is founded by radical lesbian feminists in order to combat homophobia and sexism within the music industry. The company has since been rebranded as Olivia Travel, which runs Olivia Cruises (as seen on The L Word and this incredible article).
1973 – Rita Marie Brown publishes Rubyfruit Jungle.
1974 – The first National Woman’s Music Festival is held at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.
1981 – Angela Davis publishes Women, Race, and Class.
1981 – Billie Jean King is outed after winning “The Battle of the Sexes” against Bobby Riggs in 1973.
1984 – Audre Lorde publishes her collection Sister Outsider, which includes now-famous essays such as The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House.
1985 – Desert Hearts – often regarded as one of the first widely released films to positively portray lesbians – premieres.
1986 – Hill Street Blues features the first recurring lesbian character on American network television.
1988 – Tracy Chapman – who once dated author Alice Walker – releases her hit song “Fast Car.”
1989 – The Indigo Girls released their self-titled album, which includes the hit song “Closer to Fine.”
1990 – Scholar Judith Butler publishes her book Gender Trouble, introducing the public to the concept of gender performativity.
1991 – The first lesbian kiss on American television occurs in an episode of L.A. Law.
1992 – k.d. lang releases the hit song “Constant Craving,” which won her a grammy in 1993. (Fun fact – did you know that k.d. lang used to date The L Word star Leisha Hailey in the ‘90s?)
1993 – Melissa Etheridge comes out as a lesbian and releases her breakthrough album Yes I Am, which includes hits such as “I’m The Only One” and “Come To My Window.”
1995 – Xena: Warrior Princess premieres.
1996 – Cheryl Dunye’s The Watermelon Woman comes out. It becomes the first feature film directed by a black lesbian.
1996 – Deepa Mehta’s Fire premieres at TIFF, becoming the first Indian film to feature a lesbian relationship. Upon its release in India, violent protests occur.
1996 – The Rosie O’Donnell Show premieres.
1997 – Sarah McLachlan founds Lilith Fair, which features artists such as The Indigo Girls, Tracy Chapman, and Meshell Ndegeocello.
1997 – “The Puppy Episode” (part one and part two), of Ellen’s sitcom Ellen air. These are the famous episodes where Ellen’s character comes out as gay (Laura Dern plays her love interest and Oprah plays her therapist). Word of the episode leaked months before it was meant to air, and the “real” Ellen came out that same month in Time Magazine. The show was canceled after an additional season wherein each episode began with a parental advisory.
1999 – Jamie Babbit’s But I’m a Cheerleader is released. The film stars future lesbian icons Clea DuVall and Natasha Lyonne.
2003 – The first-ever lesbian sex scene on American network television occurs in an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
2003 – The Ellen DeGeneres Show premieres.
2004 – The L Word premieres, introducing the world to sexy made-for-cable lesbians and one of the greatest theme songs of all time.
2004 – D.E.B.S. – a lesbian spy movie directed by Angela Robinson – premieres.
2005 – Imagine Me and You, arguably the first lesbian rom-com, premieres.
2005 – Sarah Paulson kisses then-girlfriend Cherry Jones at the Tony’s.
2005 – South of Nowhere – which follows teen lesbians Spencer and Ashley – premieres.
2006 – Top Chef premieres. By my estimation, it features more lesbians or queer women than any other reality show (save The Real L Word).
2008 – Lindsay Lohan starts dating DJ Samantha Ronson.
2009 – Series Three of the British series Skins premieres. Audiences are introduced to Naomi and Emily, who become known as “Naomily.”
2009 – Callie and Arizona get together on Grey’s Anatomy, launching the exceedingly popular #Calzona ship. Callie becomes one of the first major bisexual characters on television.
2009 – Sapphic publication Autostraddle launches.
2010 – Pretty Little Liars premieres. The show includes multiple queer women (including main character Emily Fields), and also kills off four of them.
2010 – The Real L Word – the reality show spin-off of The L Word – premieres.
2010 – The lesbian series Lip Service premieres in the UK.
2011 – Santana Lopez comes out as a lesbian on Glee.
2013 – Netflix releases the first season of Orange Is The New Black.
2015 – Carol, based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Price of Salt – premieres.
2015 – Hayley Kiyoko releases her first lesbian music video, “Girls Like Girls.”
2015 – Lesbian vampire web series Carmilla is released; becomes a huge hit.
2015 – Marriage equality is legalized in the U.S., two days before the anniversary of Stonewall (and on Ariana Grande’s birthday).
2016 – Beloved lesbian character Lexa is killed off of the CW series The 100, launching worldwide fan campaigns and renewed discussions about the Bury Your Gays trope, fundraising efforts, and an entire fan convention.
2016 – Wynonna Earp premieres, puts its lesbian in a bulletproof vest.
2016 – The San Junipero episode of Netflix’s Black Mirror – starring Mackenzie Davis and Gugu Mbatha-Raw –is released.
2017 – Kristen Stewart hosts SNL, says she is “like so gay, dude.”
2017 – One Day at a Time – which features lesbian teen Elena Alverez – premieres.
2018 - Janelle Monáe releases her cyber-afro-futuristic emotion picture Dirty Computer (which co-stars rumored girlfriend Tessa Thompson), comes out as queer.
2019 – Portrait of a Lady on Fire premieres at Cannes; wins Best Screenplay and the Queer Palm.
2019 – (Now ex) girlfriends Cara Delevigne and Ashley Benson (of Pretty Little Liars fame) buy a sex bench together, get caught by paparazzi.
2019 – Gentleman Jack – which follows real-life 19th-century lesbian Anne Lister – premieres on HBO in the U.S. and the BBC in the UK.
2019 – The U.S. Women’s National Team wins the World Cup; purple-haired lesbian Megan Rapinoe does this; players Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger get married.
2021 – Child star JoJo Siwa comes out; announces she has a girlfriend.
Welcome to this week’s dispatch from the lesbian internet.
In legislative news this week, public comments are now open for Texas Senate Bill 1646, which would “designate gender-affirming care for transgender minors as child abuse.” You can add your comments here by scrolling down to the bottom of the page (you do not have to live in Texas to comment; the comments will connect to your Facebook account). In positive news, North Caroline House Bill 358, which would ban trans athletes from sports, has been killed in the house as legislators have “found that there had been no complaints in North Carolina on this topic.” Exactly!
On Sunday, legendary ex-girlfriends Céline Sciamma and Adèle Haenel were spotted at the Paris Dyke March. This is iconic because they are simply the most legendary ex-girlfriends of all time (Céline, if you didn’t know, cast Adèle as the lead in her sweeping lesbian love story Portrait of a Lady on Fire), but also because the only times we have seen them out and about over the past year has been at marches. Iconique!
Cara Delevigne and Paris Jackson might be dating (again – they dated previously in 2018). They spent the night together at an Oscar party, where Delevigne also debuted her new dark hair (incredible). Speaking of the Oscars, read this about the event itself, and this about Chadwick Boseman.
As I mentioned above, Monday was Lesbian Visibility Day, which also happened to coincide with a supermoon – and not only a supermoon, but a pink supermoon. (The moon is a lesbian). Some people online also spent the day reminiscing about some iconic moments in lesbian history, such as this Tumblr post and the time Brie Larson said “how can I top lesbians?”
On Wednesday, comedian Hannah Gadsby announced that she got married to producer Jenney Shamash in January in a typically sardonic Instagram post.
On Thursday, comedian Tig Notaro posted this promo photo for the upcoming Zack Snyder movie Army of the Dead, which she happens to be in because she replaced disgraced comedian and creep Chris D’Elia in the film (an iconic last-minute recasting, tbh). Fans were not prepared for Notaro to look like a swoon-worthy action star, as she does in these promo photos.
On Friday, Hayley Kiyoko released a music video for her new song Found My Friends, which does not include a lesbian love story, but is about self-love. On the same day, Dakota Johnson was quoted as saying that her favorite memory of last year was “kissing Olivia Colman” – presumably on the set of the new Maggie Gyllenhaal movie The Lost Daughter which filmed last summer in Greece. Thank you, Dakota.
Also on Friday, Taylor Swift posted an Instagram story in which she urged fans to listen to the new girl in red album, which she calls “spectacular.” This is funny if you, one, know that asking someone “do you listen to girl in red” (which, by the way, is also the name of a song) is code for asking someone if they’re gay, and two, you are aware of the gay conspiracy theories that have followed Taylor Swift for years. This particular incident really sent some people over the edge.
That’s all for this week, folks! I hope you enjoyed this journey through time. I will leave you with this iconic image from The Gay Freedom Day Parade in San Francisco in June of 1979.
