DYKES OF A VANISHED WORLD - SAN FRANCISCO 1990
ONGOING PROJECT, 2023-2025
This is a story of lesbian archaeology. This is the kind of quest you undertake when faced with an abyssal void, an archival rupture. When faced with a straight, and sometimes gay, hegemony that lets you think you’re on your own and no lesbian has ever existed here before. This is also the story of a lie, of the erasure of our history. Of course there have been lesbians here before us. Over there too, and everywhere else. Of course there's probably no trace of them. At least no trace left in sight. Read the full story in La Disparition n°56.
In this 8-minute teaser, you get a glimpse of the San Francisco's lesbian scene in the 1990s, through the voices of writer Michelle Tea, AIDS activist Peggy Sue and owner of the new Mission District queer bar Malia Spanyol. They discuss their early days in San Francisco, the beginnings of the Sister Spit collective, the importance of lesbians in Act Up, the effects of gentrification, the queer art scene, and their hopes for the city's future. Listen here.
Bad Cop / No Donut Street Party, GLBT Historical Society
Castro Sweep Sit-In, October 6 1989, Rick Gerharter
Bad Cop / No Donut Street Party, GLBT Historical Society
The Woman’s Guide to Valencia Street, Artemis Café, 1983, Lesbian Herstory Archives, New York
Community United Against Violence, Lesbian Herstory Archives, New York
Esta Noche Flyer, GLBT Historical Society
On Our Backs, Lesbian Herstory Archives, New York
Dyke March, San Francisco, CA, 1999, Phyllis Christopher
Summer in the City, mid-90s, Chloe Sherman
Just Sex, Boy/Girl With Arms Akimbo, 1988-92
Club Chaos and Klubstitute float in the SFLGBT Pride Parade, June 25, 1989, Danny Nicoletta
The Bearded Lady, Chloe Sherman, 1998
Castro Street Fair, San Francisco, CA, 1989, Phyllis Christopher