Radiant Avengers show off their new jewelry after invading the Sunday Times. Photo: Sered.
London, England
Founded, at least in part, by ex-members of OutRage!, the London Avengers sprang into action, quickly gaining a reputation for their high-profile zaps that took on lesbophobia everywhere from The Sunday Times to schmucks in the LGBT community.
Known Actions
June 1994. First Action, Queen Vic
October 5, 1994. Children's Society Action
1994. "Romeo and Juliet"
November 1994. Men's Group Conference.
January 1995. Sunday Times Invasion.
1995. Emma Nicholson Action.
Recycling MX actions
June 1995. Visibility Day Actions
Several stop-offs were made. A kiss-in was held by Rodin's The Kiss, at the Tate; in a branch of Laura Ashley they mocked the pretty dresses and thrust their leaflets on customers; in Marks & Spencer's lingerie department they distributed more information and mucked around with the underwear. The Independent
London Lesbian Avengers invade the Queen Victoria monument near Buckingham Palace to demonstrate -- contrary to queen Vic's assertion--lesbians do exist. (article mention)
The Avengers protested the charity Save the Children after they dumped Sandi Toksvig. The comedian, who was supposed to MC an event for their 75th anniversary, had just come out, not just as a lesbian, but as a lesbian mom. The charity apologized afterwards. (article)
"They performed an all-lesbian version of "Romeo and Juliet" outside Hackney Town Hall to support Jane Brown, the head teacher vilified by press and councillors last year for "failing to take pupils to see Shakespeare's play on the grounds that it was too heterosexual."" Megan Radclyffe
Took over the right-wing conference objecting to their pro-family stance.
Eight Avengers invade the offices of the Sunday Times in Wapping, East London, with four handcuffing themselves to the editor's desk to protest the publication of an article that accused the Avengers of hating men. Sixty officers turned up to remove them.
A zap against the conservative MP Emma Nicholson, taking the form of a tea party-cum-protest on the lawn of her Devon fastness. She had refused to sign the UN Year of Tolerance declaration while it included sexual orientation.
Avengers grab MX magazines from bars and leave message, "Not Available due to misogyny", after the editor of "MX" magazine, Tony Claffey, wrote and published an article attacking lesbians. ""If dykes desire women so much why don't they want to look like women?" and "bull dykes eat as much as possible, wear no make-up and try to grow moustaches." The Avengers are widely attacked in the community for their actions. Megan Radclyffe
A writer in The Independent described this on July 2, 1995 as
"their piece de resistance." This tour of the West End by 50 Avengers on an open-top bus marked the seventh anniversary of Clause 28, which banned the promotion of homosexuality in schools. A megaphone taped to the side of the bus was used to address passers-by. "We were talking to specific people from the bus, saying, 'Yes, you in the brown coat, hello, we're lesbians ... we can spot your homophobia,' " says Ms Sutcliffe, one of the prime movers of the group, with some satisfaction.
| JUST THE FACTS |
London Avengers
Date formed: June 1994
Founders: Roz Hopkins and...
Avg. at meetings:
Zine: Pussy Bites Back
| SCRAPBOOK |
