Thursday 26 April was International Lesbian Visibility Day. According to the latest report (2022) by SOS Homophobia, 12% of the cases of lgbtphobia reported to the association are specifically lesbophobic. This violence mainly occurs in the family environment (for 28% of cases), followed by the professional environment (13%), the neighborhood (9.5%) and the school environment (9.5%).
” The manifestations of lesbophobia are polymorphic: often the refusal (in 64% of cases) and insults (39%) also take on the connotations of harassment (25%) and threats (23%) “. Leads to ” lesbians to live in a climate of constant fear and vigilance “, hammers the association. It also leads to a true self-censorship, especially in the world of work where, fearing double discrimination (sexism and lesbophobia), many lesbians feel compelled to step aside. In this context, the issue of lesbian visibility is more crucial than ever. decryption.
What is International Lesbian Visibility Day?
This day was created in 1982 in Montreal. It aims to combat lesbophobia in the different spheres of society, to make lesbian paths, their experiences and the systemic reality of the violence suffered visible. By highlighting lesbian people, this day of visibility makes it possible emphasize their permanent invisibility in the media, in history or even in politics…
Lesbian representations are too often stereotyped, to the detriment of real experiences. The violence of everyday life, on his part, is constantly kept silent. This day therefore encourages awareness to offer fairer representations.
Why celebrate lesbian visibility on April 26?
The April 26 choice refers to April 26, 1993, when the United States Supreme Court issued its decision in the “Lambert V. Wicklund” case, which for the first time recognized the parental rights of lesbian women around the world. separation. If Lesbian Visibility Day was already celebrated in Canada, it was then decided to set the date for April 26 in various countries, including France, which has officially recognized it since 2021.
How to explain this constant invisibility, especially in battles?
As the Observatory of Lesbophobia reminds us so well, ” lesbians have always been at the forefront of social and political struggles, ideas, struggles. However, they remain totally invisible, even today “. How to explain this? For the Observatory, one of the reasons is the very low percentage of openly lesbian public figures (and therefore visible models) in France. The Observatory asks the question simply: can you name more than 10 famous lesbians? Since the answer is sadly often no, the association has embarked on a major book project that collects the words of lesbian public figures. Journalists, artists, writers, political and sports personalities… Their testimonies are intended to “ highlight issues of lesbian visibility and emphasize the importance of lesbian representations “. The release date is not yet known.
But this work of visibility is necessarily accompanied by a fight against lesbophobic stereotypes that afflict the dominant collective imagination. Even today, for example, the word ” lesbian remains strongly associated with pornography. The association Lesbian SEO since 2019 he has been fighting to change SEO (and mentality). His work notably helps ensure crucial access to quality information and valuable resources on the subject. Because visibility is played out in all areas, even online!
Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
