How the HIV/Aids crisis led to “L” moving to the front of the LGBTQ+ acronym
April 22 to April 28 marks Lesbian Visibility Week for 2024.
Originally conceived in the US in 1990, the occasion was born out of frustration that gay men were so much more visible and prominent in every day society, and aimed to redress that balance.
Re-established a few years ago, it continues with that same aim until this day.
Some elements of visibility are more subtle than others though. People can stand up and make statements, but one of the most common forms of visibility for the lesbian community comes in the form of the acronym LGBTQ+ itself.
Of all the terms included, lesbian is the oldest. It comes from associations with the ancient Greek poet Sappho, who lived on the island of Lesbos and often wrote works on same-gender love.
Its use to describe same-gender love dates back to at least the 17th century, older even than homosexuality which was first documented in the 1860s. It would be another 100 years before the term “gay” was embraced by the community, having been used as a slur for decades.
With all that in mind, it may seem obvious that the “L” in LGBTQ+ would lead the way, but that was not always the case.
Campaigners for LGBT+ rights from the 1960s onwards would usually lead with gay, as seen in such groups like the Gay Liberation Front or Gay Switchboard.
That changed – as so much did for the LGBTQ+ community – in the 1980s with the devastating impact of the HIV/Aids crisis.
While before, groups within the community were splintered and divided as to the best way to fight for progress, suddenly the extent of the suffering and death forced them to band together.
When so many gay men, who were often estranged from their families, struggled at home or were lying in hospital beds, it was the lesbian community who stepped up to take care of them when it felt like nobody else would.
Lesbian activists, in the wake of gay men being banned from donating blood, organised drives to keep supplies high at a time of great need.
In a world where women have so often been disrespected throughout the years, even within the LGBTQ+ community, their value shone through in those years.
Their impact during that time changed perspectives, and it is no coincidence that groups that began to pop up from the late 1980s began to place the L at the start of the acronym, like LGBT Youth Scotland which was founded in 1989.
It was to honour the influence that lesbians had in pulling the community together. They were the white knights that so many people needed.
Although it may seem like a small gesture in 2024, then, placing lesbians at the beginning of the LGBTQ+ acronym is a reminder that they were at the forefront of the fight against one of the darkest chapters in LGBTQ+ history.
