Lesbian Connection Magazine, "the Longest-running Periodical for Lesbians in the US", 11 Issues

Lesbian Connection Archive

Periodical

Lesbian Connection archive spanning 1984 through 1999, documenting the continued growth of one of the longest running lesbian feminist periodicals in North America as it expanded from a movement newsletter into a national communications network maintained through reader correspondence, community announcements, cultural reporting, travel exchanges, and mail order distribution. Founded in 1974 by the Ambitious Amazons at the Helen Diner Memorial Women's Center in East Lansing, Michigan, Lesbian Connection became the longest running grassroots periodical created by and for lesbians in the United States, functioning largely without editorial staff, relying almost entirely upon subscriber contributions, correspondence, and community reporting. This group captures the publication during a period when lesbian bookstores, music festivals, feminist presses, and regional organizations increasingly depended upon independent print networks to circulate information beyond major metropolitan centers.

Lesbian Connection. East Lansing, Michigan: Ambitious Amazons, 1984 to 1999. Eleven issues in illustrated staple-bound wrappers, quarto digest, with three octavo digest, varied pages.

[1] Lesbian Connection. Volume VII, Issue 3. August–September 1984. Articles on "The Importance of Therapy," and "Spiritual Politics", review of "Black Lesbian in White America."
[2] Lesbian Connection. Volume VIII, Issue 4. January–February 1986. Articles on "Gays, Friends, & Closets," "3rd World Conference of Women - Nairobi, Kenya," and more.
[3] Lesbian Connection. Volume VIII, Issue 5. March–April 1988. Articles on "Aids and Artificial Insemination," "Lesbian Weddings," and "Ms. Magazine: Popular Feminism."
[4] Lesbian Connection. Volume XI, Issue 4. January–February 1989. Articles on relationship changes, divorce, and "What We Can't Always See: Hidden Disabilities."
[5] Lesbian Connection. Volume XII, Issue. 1 July–August 1989. Articles on "Passion, Intimacy, Laughter & Joann Loulan," and "Who Will Protect Us from Government Agencies."
[6] Lesbian Connection. Volume XIII, Issue 2. September–October 1990. Includes reader letters, book reviews, advertisements and announcements, and more.
[7] Lesbian Connection. Volume XIII, Issue 3. November–December 1990 Winter Catalog. Illustrated with lesbian advertisements, events, and community aid.
[8] Lesbian Connection. Volume XIV, Issue 3. November–December 1991 Winter Catalog. Illustrated with lesbian advertisements, events, and community aid.
[9] Lesbian Connection. Volume XVIII, Issue 1. July–August 1992. Articles on oppression, menopause, California legislation, and reader letters.
[10] Lesbian Connection. Volume XX, Issue 2. September–October 1997. Black and white photo illustration on cover. Articles on abuse, community news, and festivals.
[11] Lesbian Connection. Volume XXII, Issue 3. November-December 1999. Winter Catalog. Includes a two page spread of Alison Bechdel's comic Dykes to Watch Out For.

Across these issues the publication's changing visual identity parallels broader developments within lesbian feminist culture during the 1980s to late 1990s. Lesbian Connection functioned as a decentralized communication system through which readers exchanged housing, travel assistance, political organizing, personal correspondence, employment information, conferences, and local news. The Contact Dykes directory became one of the publication's defining features, connecting volunteer hosts across North America and beyond who offered travelers lodging, transportation, and introductions to local communities. Light toning and handling wear, original mailing labels on rear covers, occasional pen and pencil notation, primarily in the May 1978 issue, staples sound. Overall very good condition. The archive documents lesbian communities and how the Lesbian Connection helped to build national networks of communication, political debate, travel, publishing, and mutual aid during the formative years of the American lesbian feminist movement.

Item #23722

Price: $885.00