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26 Apr, 14 tweets, 7 min read

@openly

Today is #LesbianDayofVisbility!

Over the past 12 months, @openly has shone a light on the lives of lesbians around the world.

From adoption rights to the right to marry, here are a few of our articles focusing on the issues facing women who love women 👩‍❤️‍👩

Thread 👇

@pamelaadie

Nigeria’s first film depicting women who love women went online to beat the censors

"It will bring immense joy to the hearts of many of us who would be seeing people like us centred in a Nigerian film for the first time” - @pamelaadie, producer of “Ife”

openlynews.com/i/?id=2964461c…

@Openly

“It got scary. I really was feeling like I didn't want to be here any more."

@Openly spoke to @Emily_Estefan, Cuban-American pop icon @GloriaEstefan's musician daughter, on coming out as a lesbian

openlynews.com/i/?id=b3c0fc64…

"Religious leaders and religious structures all over the world have not yet arrived at the recognition that we are all fully human"

As world faith leaders called for a ban on conversion therapy, we spoke with Desmond Tutu’s daughter, Mpho Tutu van Furth

openlynews.com/i/?id=537e4377…

@HappiestSeason

"I would have loved to have grown up with a movie like this ... I feel really lucky to be in the first film, but I'm also baffled that it is."

Kristen Stewart starred in @HappiestSeason, the first mainstream U.S. lesbian Christmas rom-com

openlynews.com/i/?id=15f35e27…

Lesbians in Nigeria face blackmail on social media.

"I still feel like I am being monitored. Every single day, I wake up and wonder if today is the day. I am always waiting to see that text message of blackmail."

openlynews.com/i/?id=ca90201b…

@Wanuri

In April 2020, a Kenyan court refused to lift a ban on lesbian film Rafiki.

The producer @Wanuri Kahiu pledged to appeal: "It is very important for us to define what freedom of expression means in Kenya."

openlynews.com/i/?id=6ed854f9…

"Having experienced the pain of the Church’s or society’s rejection of LGBT+ people, I feel continually called to be true to myself in the midst of this oppression."

Lesbian nun Janet Rozzano reflected on her experiences of sexuality and religion

openlynews.com/i/?id=08cbdf3d…

In Hungary, where changing their gender on identity documents was banned in 2020, trans couple Tamara Csillag and Elvira Angyal got married.

"Our dream has come true. We are so happy.”

openlynews.com/i/?id=8c6404f6…

"This discrimination feels very personal and has shocked us."

A lesbian couple brought a test case to the European Union's top court over the nationality of their baby

openlynews.com/i/?id=7a1607ca…

Serbia’s lesbian prime minister Ana Brnabic was nominated for a historic second term

openlynews.com/i/?id=e6e208ac…

In the UK, the 1980s Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp gave many women the chance to express themselves for the first time.

"I came away a seasoned feminist, burgeoning lesbian and committed activist” - Stephanie Davies

openlynews.com/i/?id=f04e030e…

@HappiestSeason

"Being closeted is something that's a very painful experience and it takes a lot of strength to break out of that. I really wanted to tell that story"

We spoke to @HappiestSeason director @cleaduvall about her own experiences of coming out at Christmas

openlynews.com/i/?id=11f2d432…

In a year filled with both victories and defeats for the global lesbian community, we would like to hear your highlight from the past year as lesbians fight for visibility 👇 #LesbianDayOfVisibility

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More from @Openly

Openly 🏳️‍🌈

@Openly

26 Apr

Today is #LesbianVisibilityDay👭

While politics and business get a lot of attention, the world of art is another area where lesbian and queer women often struggle to be seen. From painters 🎨 to photographers 📸, here are 13 artists we think you'll enjoy.

Thread 👇

Lubaina Himid (b.1954)

The first Black woman to win the prestigious Turner Prize 🏆, the Zanzibar-born artist blends art with activism, addressing racial politics and the legacy of slavery.

Himid also works as a curator, shining a needed light on underrepresented Black artists

Adejoke Tugbiyele (b.1977)

The US-based 🇺🇸 artist and advocate's work intertwines notions of sexuality, gender, class and economy, often exploring LGBT+ issues and her own identity.

She uses materials to disrupt how we view the world by mixing natural and artificial substances

Read 15 tweets

Openly 🏳️‍🌈

@Openly

25 Apr

📽 The #Oscars are tonight!

But with no significant LGBT+ representation, why aren't queer films and actors gaining the recognition they deserve? 🏳️‍🌈

Let’s look back at pivotal moments in the long history of LGBT+ representation in cinema 🎞️

Thread 👇

🚔 Manslaughter (1922)

Although not an LGBT-themed film, Cecil B DeMille's American silent drama broke new ground in gay representation.

During a fantasy orgy scene in ancient Rome, two women can be seen kissing – the first same-sex romantic kiss in cinema 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩

👨‍❤️‍👨 Victim (1961)

Groundbreaking in its own way, Basil Dearden's survey of gay life in '60s London was the first English-language film to use the word 'homosexual'.

Censored at the time, it was later credited with helping to decriminalise gay sex in the UK a few years later 🧑‍⚖️

Read 13 tweets

Openly 🏳️‍🌈

@Openly

7 Apr

The gender binaries of "male" and "female" aren't as universal as you think 🌍

From Samoa 🇼🇸 to Albania 🇦🇱, here are eight cultures throughout history showing that the concept of non-binary gender is far from new 🧵👇

Two-spirit (North America) 🌎

Identifying with masculinity and femininity, indigenous North American two-spirit people are often said to contain both male and female 'spirits'.

They're often revered in their communities, seen as a channel between the physical and spiritual

Fa’afafine (Samoa) 🇼🇸

Identifying as a separate gender, fa’afafines' roles in society move fluidly between the traditional male and female.

While they're assigned male at birth, Samoa also recognises fa’afatama – an equally fluid gender for those assigned female at birth

Read 10 tweets

Openly 🏳️‍🌈

@Openly

1 Apr

#OnThisDay in 2001, four same-sex couples🏳️‍🌈tied the knot in Amsterdam's city hall, making history as the Netherlands 🇳🇱 became the first country to legalise gay marriage💒

Gert Kasteel & Dolf Pasker were one of those couples🤵🤵

“I’m very proud that it’s possible,” Gert said.

Before he could complete his sentence, Dolf added, “That we could play a little part of it. We made history.”

20 years after the first legal same-sex weddings in the Netherlands, gay marriage has taken off around the world🎉

Read 14 tweets

Openly 🏳️‍🌈

@Openly

31 Mar

Today is #TransDayOfVisibility

From Taiwan 🇹🇼 to Brazil 🇧🇷, these are some of the trans politicians working to make the 🌍 a better place for everyone, while creating visibility in places never seen before

Thread 👇 #TDOV

Tamara Adrián (b.1954)

In 2016, the lawyer was the first trans person to be elected to office in Venezuela 🇻🇪, and only the second in the Western hemisphere to be a member of a national legislature

Prior to her election, Adrián was already a prominent LGBT+ activist 🏳️‍🌈

#TDOV

Anna Grodzka (b.1954)

As the first openly trans MP in Poland 🇵🇱, Grodzka was elected to the Sejm in 2011 for the liberal Palikot's Movement party

Grodzka is also a founder of NGO Trans-Fuzja, a foundation promoting trans rights in Poland ⚧️

#TDOV

Read 11 tweets

Openly 🏳️‍🌈

@Openly

31 Mar

Today is #TransDayOfVisibility

In a year of both victories and defeats for trans people around the world, we take a look back at stories from the past 12 months that have covered their fight to be seen and heard.

Thread 👇#TDOV

"Most people support, encourage and accept me but when I receive negative comments, I try to have a conversation with them"

Noor Hesham Selim, the trans son of a prominent Egyptian actor, hopes his story will help other trans people in Egypt

#TDOV
openlynews.com/i/?id=2e920542…

"Everybody seems to think trans people don't think about having a family or the future. I want to show that the LGBT+ community are like anybody else."

Dao Minh Khang may be Vietnam's first trans father and wants acceptance for trans parents

#TDOV
openlynews.com/i/?id=2b3a40f0…

Read 12 tweets

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