The day marks an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of lesbians, and celebrate the culture, diversity and history of those who align with the L in LGBTQIA+.
It appears International Lesbian Day was born around 1980, when a proud Lesbian Day March was held in New Zealand.
It appears the first recorded Australian event was held at the Collingwood Town Hall in Melbourne on October 13, 1990. The original event celebrated with music, markets and readings, and a dance later in the evening.
The occasion is now celebrated around the world and includes everyone who finds community under the lesbian umbrella.
Here in WA, there are so many ways to connect with lesbians and other sapphics in our community.
Of course, there’s the iconic Dykes on Bikes here on the west coast who lead our Pride parade every year, as per tradition. The friendly folks at Lez-B-Friends host regular catch ups with Dykes in the Den, Gay and Lesbian Rights in Ageing (GRAI) have a long-running Lesbians Who Lunch group and Sapphic Disco has emerged as an exciting new event on the local queer calendar – and this is by no means an exhaustive list!
Happy International Lesbian Day from OUTinPerth.
Image: Dykes on Bikes and friends for PrideFEST 2023
