A look at the Avengers after two years. Click to enlarge.
We Recruit: Avengers Worldwide
The San Francisco Lesbian Avengers recently re-appeared to protest Proposition 8.
Action Highlights *
Oct. 30, 1992. New York, NY -- After skinheads murder a lesbian and gay man in an Oregon firebombing, Avengers "eat fire" and chant "The fire will not consume us, we'll take it and make it our own." A tradition is born.
May 31, 1993. Austin, TX -- Avengers invade the state capitol building to protest Texas sodomy laws, lobbing paper airplanes and stinkbombs and stringing up banners.
June 1993. Tampa, FL -- Avengers from all over, including New York, travel to Tampa to rally in support of lesbian PWA Dee DeBerry who lost her home in a firebombing attack.
Aug. 14, 1993. Denver, CO -- Two Avengers are arrested when they chain themselves to the fence of the Governor's mansion during a protest against anti-gay Amendment 2.
Sept. 27, 1993. Colorado Springs, CO -- Seven Avengers crash anti-gay rights fete of right-wing Focus on the Family, big backer of anti-gay Amendment 2. Three are arrested.
Oct. 22, 1993. Lansing, MI Avengers rent a plane and fly a banner reading "Lesbian Avengers are Here" over the Michigan State Homecoming football game.
Fall 1993. Lewiston, ME -- New York Avengers spend six weeks in Lewiston at the request of local queers to help fight an anti-gay referendum. Meanwhile, a vanload of dykes wind through New England on a "Freedom Ride" to raise awareness about right-wing campaigns. The fight is lost in Lewiston, but district results vindicate Avenger strategy and inspire the Lesbian Avengers' Civil Rights Organizing Project (LACROP) to battle ballot measures around the country.
Nov. 18, 1993. New Orleans, LA --Fifteen Avengers stage a loud, spontaneous protest outside City Council chambers when councilors change their votes to back a mayoral veto of domestic insurance.
Winter 1993/94. Ovett, MS -- Avengers from around the country converge in support of Camp Sister Spirit, a feminist retreat that is threatened by local homophobes. After an Avenger letter campaign, the federal Attorney General's office intervenes.
Jan. 15, 1994. Seattle, WA -- Avengers roast hotdogs at a public "Bobbit-Q" to call attention to domestic violence during the Lorena/John Wayne Bobbitt trials.
Feb. 7, 1994. San Francisco, CA -- Avengers hold a kiss-in at the local ABC affiliate to protest the network's hesitation to broadcast the "lesbian kiss" episode of "Rosanne."
April 9, 1994. Atlanta, GA -- Avengers run 35 miles into notoriously homophobic Cobb County to protest the decision to hold the 1996 Olympic volleyball games there. An Olympic flame is symbolically extinguished.
April 17, 1994. Austin, TX -- Avengers dump a three-foot pile of horse manure near a Baptist church marquee which said: "Don't be deceived, homosexuals commit the most heinous crimes in America."
April 30, 1994. New York, NY -- Avengers disrupt a U.N. Development Fund for Women black-tie dinner to demand that the program address lesbian needs. Our slogan, "You can't raise chickens in jail."
June 1994. Pride Ride. One of the most ambitious joint actions, Avengers from all over the country converge on New York for the International Dyke March and Stonewall 25. One caravan of Avengers crosses through the Midwest from Minneapolis via Lansing and Pittsburgh staging visibility actions on the way. Another caravan takes a southerly route, originating in Austin.
* Info is largely drawn from the 1994 Avengers' map above and the '94 Lesbian Avengers International Communiqué (pdf). I am actively seeking to expand this section. To contribute information, photos and press clippings see the contact page.
New York lesbians weren't the only ones hungry for visibility and respect. In its heyday (1992-1995), there were as many as fifty-five separate Lesbian Avenger groups, locally controlled and operated. Most were in the U.S. and Canada, but there were also groups in Australia, the UK, with reported versions in France, Spain, and Costa Rica. Besides their shared commitment to lesbian visibility, many held a Dyke March which took place the Saturday before LGBT Pride.
Click to see complete clipping.
These will be replaced with better quality scans when I have access to the originals.
