Wednesday, 21 February, at 4pm GMT

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LGBT History Month Special: ‘A BullDyke in a Queen City’: Queer Women in the U.S. Urban South

This paper will discuss the significant differences between gay men’s and lesbian women’s lived experiences. Lesbians often missed out on the promises of prosperity that benefitted some members of gay communities. Money, class, and race were significant variables in the divergent life experiences for the lesbian communities of Atlanta, Georgia and Charlotte, North Carolina; whiteness especially bestowed certain privileges. In Atlanta, an inclusive corporate culture bolstered the city’s queer community, while in Charlotte, tenacious lesbian collectives persevered. Many queer people in Charlotte leaned on Atlanta’s enormous Pride celebrations for sanctuary when similar institutional community supports were lacking at home.

With a focus on queer Pride celebrations and national lesbian gatherings in the U.S. South, Mims will demonstrate the complicated inner workings of lesbian visibility and sisterhood.

La Shonda Mims is the author of Drastic Dykes and Accidental Activists: Queer Women in the Urban South (2022).