Lesbian Visibility Week (related to Lesbian Visibility Day) is an annual observance in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and other countries dedicated to increasing the awareness of

lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...

women and their issues. It was originally celebrated in July in 1990 in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, and more recently in April, around the Lesbian Visibility Day, which is celebrated on April 26. It has been celebrated in England and Wales.

Historical observations

In mid-July from 1990 to 1992 in

West Hollywood West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. History Most historical writings about West Hollywood be ...

, Lesbian Visibility Week was celebrated annually. It was conceived out of lesbians' frustrations with the higher visibility of gay men than lesbians, and intended to gain awareness and sociopolitical capital. The week was coordinated by West Hollywood Lesbian Visibility Committee and the

Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center The Los Angeles LGBT Center (previously known as the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center) is a provider of programs and services for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The organization's work spans four categories, including health, so ...

and devoted to raising awareness of lesbian identities and topics and celebrating the lesbian community. The celebration was "a combination of cultural programming, workshops addressing current and impending needs, awards ceremonies, and social events." The events included film screenings, safe sex discussions, dog shows, marches, and more.

Recent observations

2020

In 2020, Linda Riley, publisher of ''Diva'' magazine, began a new Lesbian Visibility Week. The inaugural week took place from the 20th of April 2020, ending on Lesbian Visibility Day, 26 April. LGBT speakers included president of

GLAAD GLAAD () is an American non-governmental media monitoring organization. Originally founded as a protest against defamatory coverage of gay and lesbian demographics and their portrayals in the media and entertainment industries, it has since ...

Sarah Kate Ellis Sarah Kate Ellis (born November 27, 1971) is an American media executive and activist. After Ellis's graduation from Russell Sage College in 1993 with a degree in Sociology and minor in Women's Studies, she began her career in media through the ...

Henderson,

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

Newsreader Jane Hill, and UK Black Pride founder Phyll Opoku Gyimah. Some brands and companies hosted their own events.

2021

Lesbian Visibility Week 2021 took place between 26 April and 2 May 2021, and was powered by ''DIVA magazine'', Stonewall (a charity) and

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

. During this week, the

Mayor of London The mayor of London is the chief executive of the Greater London Authority. The role was created in 2000 after the Greater London devolution referendum in 1998, and was the first directly elected mayor in the United Kingdom. The current ...

Sadiq Khan Sir Sadiq Aman Khan (, ; born 8 October 1970) is a British politician serving as Mayor of London since 2016. He was previously Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Tooting (UK Parliament constituency), Tooting ...

flew the lesbian flag at

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

to launch the week.

2023

Lesbian Visibility Week 2023, celebrated from April 24 to April 30, highlighted the theme of trans-inclusivity, featuring collaborations with prominent organizations such as Deliveroo, Greene King,

, and Mermaids. The week was notable for its use of social media campaigns employing hashtags like #LWithTheT and #LVW23 to promote engagement and visibility across the LGBTQIA+ community. A highlight of the week was the DIVA Awards, hosted by

Sophie Ward Sophie Anna Ward (born 30 December 1964) is a British stage and screen actress, and a writer of non-fiction and fiction from London. As an actress, she played Jocelyn Sheffield in '' The Nanny''; she also played Elizabeth Hardy, the female l ...

, which underscored the achievements within the

sapphic Sapphic may refer to: * Sappho, Greek poet of the 7th century BC who wrote about her attraction to women ** Sapphic stanza, a four line poetic form * Sapphism ''Sapphism'' is an umbrella term for any woman Interpersonal attraction, attracted ...

community.

Related observations

''International Lesbian Day'' is a related observation that is observed on October 8 annually. It started in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

in the 1980's and is celebrated mainly in New Zealand and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. ''

Sapphic Sapphic may refer to: * Sappho, Greek poet of the 7th century BC who wrote about her attraction to women ** Sapphic stanza, a four line poetic form * Sapphism ''Sapphism'' is an umbrella term for any woman Interpersonal attraction, attracted ...

Visibility Day'' is observed on April 9 annually. It started in the US as a celebration of the diverse identities within the LGBTQ+ spectrum, emphasizing the significance of sapphic individuals - including queer, nonbinary, and transgender people. ''National Day of Lesbian Visibility'' (Portuguese: ) is an established date in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

created by Brazilian lesbian activists and dedicated to the date on which the 1st National Lesbian Seminar - Senale took place, on August 29, 1996. It happens every since 2003.

In popular culture

Several celebrities have come out in Lesbian Visibility Day including

Megan Rapinoe Megan Anna Rapinoe (; born July 5, 1985) is an American former professional Association football, soccer player who played as a Midfielder#Winger, winger. She spent most of her career playing for Seattle Reign FC, OL Reign of the National Wom ...

Da Brat Shawntae Harris-Dupart (née Harris; born April 14, 1974), better known by her stage name Da Brat, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Chicago, she began her career in 1992 and signed with Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Recordings two years l ...

, and

Lena Waithe Lena Waithe (; born May 17, 1984) is an American actress, producer, and screenwriter. She is the creator of the Showtime drama series '' The Chi'' (2018–present) and the BET comedy series ''Boomerang'' (2019–20) and '' Twenties'' (2020–2 ...

References

{{authority control Lesbian culture LGBTQ awareness periods Awareness weeks in the United States