A look at the Avengers after two years. Click to enlarge.
We Recruit: Avengers Worldwide
Most groups were in the U.S. and Canada, but there was also a very active chapter in London, with other Avengers reported in Scotland, Ireland, France, Germany, and Australia.
How many groups were there exactly? And what did they do? We need your help to find out.
Loosely United
The most important was the '94 Pride Ride crisscrossing the U.S. One caravan originated in Houston, Texas and passed through Vidor, TX (Klan country), New Orleans, Montgomery, Durham, and D.C. with a visit to the embattled Camp Sister Spirit in Ovett, Miss. The other began in Minneapolis and passed through Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.
They converged near New York City to join lesbians from all over the world marching in the International Dyke March, and celebrating the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.
Action Highlights
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.
The Lesbian Avengers may have begun in New York, but lesbians everywhere were hungry for visibility and respect. In its heyday (1992-1996), there were more than sixty separate Lesbian Avenger groups sharing common goals and tactics. In short, the Lesbian Avengers had evolved into a worldwide lesbian movement.
Each chapter operated separately, but shared a sense of solidarity fostered by conference calls (click on pdf at right for notes from July 18, 1993), and joint projects.
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.
LESBIAN AVENGERS WORLDWIDE
UNITED STATES
Tucson, AZ
Los Angeles, CA
San Diego, CA
San Francisco, CA
Santa Barbara, CA
Santa Cruz, CA
Colorado Springs, CO
Denver, CO
New Haven, CT
Washington, DC
Sarasota, FL
Tampa/St. Pete, FL
Atlanta, GA
Honolulu, HI
Moscow/Palouse, ID
Chicago, IL
Bloomington, IN
New Orleans, LA
Boston, MA
Northampton MA
Baltimore, MD
Lewiston, ME
Brighton, MI
Detroit, MI
Kalamazoo, MI
Lansing, MI
Minneapolis, MN
St, Louis, MO
Ovett, MS
Charlotte, NC
Durham, NC
New Jersey
Albuquerque, NM
Albany, NY
Buffalo, NY
Clinton, NY
New York, NY
Cincinnati, OH
Cleveland, OH
Columbus, OH
Gambier, OH
Yellow Springs, OH
Portland, OR
Pittsburg, PA
Memphis, TN
Austin, TX
Houston, TX
Seattle, WA
Madison, WI
Northfield???
CANADA
Vancouver, BC
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Guelph, Ontario
Ottawa, Ontario
Waterloo
EUROPE
London, England
Glasgow, Scotland
Dublin, Ireland
Paris, France (Les lesbiennes se dechainent)
Berlin, Germany
AUSTRALIA
Sydney, Australia
