Lesbian Avengers
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The Lesbian Avengers was originally founded in New York in June 1992 by a group of lesbian activists from ACT-UP. The purpose of the group is to identify and promote lesbian issues and perspectives while empowering lesbians to become experienced organizers who can participate in political rebellion. They work mostly through direct action and street theater acts like fire eating.
The Avengers are inclusive and work with and for women of all races and classes; bisexual, heterosexual, and queer women; and transgendered and intersex folks. Emphasis is placed highly on turning energy into action, and using that energy constructively against heterosexist, homophobic, heteronormative, classist, racist, sexist, and generally oppressive forces and institutions in society and the lesbian community.
There are about fifty-five Lesbian Avenger chapters, five of them international. There is no national organization or structure, and each chapter is locally founded and operated. Each chapter of the Lesbian Avengers works in collaboration on major events like the annual Dyke March and larger, national protests, as well as in coalition with other progressive groups in their communities.
Slogans used by the Lesbian Avengers include
- "The fire will not consume us - we take it and make it our own", chanted while other Avengers eat fire,
- "Be the bomb you throw", and
- "We recruit", referring to the societal fear that homosexuals 'recruit' children.
Text mostly copied from a Lesbian Avengers website. NPOV as necessary.
External link
- The Lesbian Avengers Handbook (http://www.actupny.org/documents/Avengers.html)