On September 9, 1992, sixty New York City dykes made history when they met in Middle Village, Queens on the first day of school. They didn't chain themselves to anything, or clash with cops. They did something much scarier. They stood outside an elementary school as open dykes, and gave balloons to school kids that encouraged them to "Ask about Lesbian Lives."
This action was in support of a new multicultural curriculum that, after years of racist violence in New York City, was supposed to teach young kids that there were many kinds of people in the world and they should all be respected. Out of its four hundred and forty-three pages, only six mentioned LGBT people. Still, the Christian Right waged an effective divide and conquer campaign to sell it to frightened racial minorities as the "gay" curriculum that would corrupt their children.
Between homophobes and racists, the Rainbow Curriculum was soon sidelined. But not the Avengers. That simple action encouraging students to, "Ask about Lesbian Lives," still ranks as one of the most radical LGBT efforts ever to fight the erasure of LGBT people, confront bullying, and take on homophobic taboos.
Taking place just a few months after Pat Buchanan's speech at the 1992 Republican National Convention pitting blacks against Asians, and everybody against queers, the action not only inserted a lesbian voice into a huge New York City debate, but into a nationwide battle for the soul of the country.
Lesbians everywhere embraced the Lesbian Avengers' expansive vision, and signature mix of anger and humor. And two years after that first action, the fire-eating Lesbian Avengers had become a worldwide lesbian movement.
This video is an excerpt of the 1993 documentary video, Lesbian Avengers Eat Fire, Too, produced and copyrighted by the Lesbian Avengers.
Eat Fire, Too
Produced by
The Lesbian Avengers
Directed and edited by
Janet Baus
Su Friedrich
Camera
Janet Baus
Jean Carlomusto
Julie Clark
Su Friedrich
Harriet Hirshorn
&
Kristina Deutsch
Alison Froling
Lisa Guido
Phyllis Lutsky
Dolly Meiran
Morgan Grenwald
THANKS TO
Avengers Everywhere
Caroline Buckler
Cynthia Carr
Linda Chapman
DYKE TV
Norman Cowie
Kristina Deutsch
Samara Halperin
Kathy High
Anastasia Kedroe
Phyllis Lutsky
Mary Patierno
Carrie Martin
Stacey Morris
Avery Revere
Sue Schaffner
Ana Simo
&
The New Orleans
Video Access Center
