"Sleeping Beauty: A Lesbian Fairy Tale" Hand Lettered, Independently Published LGBTQ Fairy Tale, 1972

Vicki Gabriner

Book

[LGBTQ] Sleeping Beauty: A Lesbian Fairy Tale. Words by Vicki. Drawings by Gail. Calligraphy by Ginny. Atlanta, GA: Sojourner Truth Press, 1972. Revised edition. Vicki Gabriner (1942-2018) was the author; a civil rights activist, feminist and LGBT rights activist. She was briefly a member of Weathermen, a radical student activist group in the late 1960s. Oblong octavo. Illustrated throughout with line drawings. Mylar covering. Printed purple wrappers, bound with two staples. Interior printed on yellow paper stock. An LGBTQ reimagining of the classic fairy tale Sleeping Beauty produced by a women’s printing collective in Atlanta, reflecting the feminist and lesbian separatist publishing movements of the 1970s. The book presents a vision of love and desire free from patriarchal constraints, telling the story of a princess, Stephen, who is awakened by a kiss from another girl, Lilith, with whom she creates a lesbian paradise. The dedication—“to all the little girls everywhere and always who want to love and be loved”—underscores its intention as both a children’s book and a statement of lesbian empowerment. The simple line drawings depict two women in romantic partnership, offering a direct challenge to traditional heterosexual fairy tale narratives. The story of Sleeping Beauty has long been interpreted as an allegory for sexual awakening, and in this lesbian retelling, the tale takes on new resonance as a metaphor for queer self-discovery. Very good condition. This hand lettered book embodies the DIY ethos of queer women’s liberation-era independent print culture.

Item #21572

Price: $285.00