History is written by the victors; herstory is written by the brave women who persevere.
Queer positivity is incredibly important: we cannot stress enough the significance of celebrating all non-heterosexual, non-cis people, no matter what their particular sexual orientation is.
However, this does not mean that we should not or cannot also celebrate particular queer identities. At Curve, we are here to facilitate community building, knowledge sharing, and encouragement among the lesbian community. As such, we couldn’t be happier to encourage all Curve readers living in NYC to head to The Lesbian Herstory Archives, 484 14th St, Park Slope, Brooklyn, from 1 – 5pm on Sunday, May 21, to help NYC Dyke March preserve and document 25 years of the March, so that future dykes will know their herstory.
NYC Dyke March is calling all the legends who have participated in Dyke March over the years to find their favorite photos for inclusion in LHA’s Dyke March collection. Got a pic of you and your ex screaming and topless down 5th Avenue? They would love to see it! Or a photo of you and your wife and baby, getting the backpack supplies ready at home before you head out to march? Also amazing! This project is about celebrating the NYC dyke community in all its wonderful diversity.
We have some information on how to do this ready for you: there is the official donation form that needs to accompany all image donations so we’re in the clear on how materials can be used and there are instructions that explain how to submit photos and video, give technical specs and also explain how to organize your digital files.
If you have any other relevant mementos – think t-shirts, flyers, correspondence, journal entries, etc., they are also very much encouraged. Whatever you have is one step further towards cementing lesbian history and counteracting millennia of lesbian erasure. On the day, you are encouraged to share your stories and memories with fellow attendees. There will also be a slide show of Saskia Scheffer’s photographs of the Dyke March through the years.
Come on NYC! It is often said that history is written by the victors. We say that herstory is written by the brave, smart women who persevere despite not winning, again and again. Ours is a story of love, and resilience.