Happy International Lesbian Day to my fellow dykes! I celebrate being gay every day that I wake up in my lesbian bed and open my lesbian eyes to greet the lesbian sun, but today is a chance to intentionally honor what it means to be a part of such an ethereal community. Lesbians have always been here, and we’ll always make our mark. There are countless reasons to appreciate lesbians, but here are my top 10 reasons why I love them.
- Our Music and Art
The way that lesbians view the world through a divine feminine lens allows lesbian artists and musicians to capture the pain and beauty of life in a way that’s both tender and powerful, creating art that resonates deeply with anyone who experiences it.
2. Our Fashion
This includes both our avant-garde, overexaggerated disregard for the norm and comfy staple pieces like flannels and overalls. Anything lesbians put on just looks good on us because our confidence is the accessory that brings any look together.
3. Our Sense of Humor
Lesbians are known for being extremely emotional, but with that comes a sense of humor that is unmatched. The shared jokes, memes, and humor that only other lesbians get is like a language all of our own. We could try to explain it to straights, but they would never really get it.
4. Our Queer Spaces
No one puts together an event like lesbians. It could be an intricately themed dance party or an all-inclusive food-music-art-craft-reiki-astrology pop-up, but it’s always going to slap. The deep yearning for community that lesbians have is matched by the unbridled joy and excitement we have when we can all get together. Who cares that the line for the bathroom is 3 hours long? We’re together, dammnit!
5. Our Activism
Lesbians are and have always been at the forefront of social justice causes, standing up for equality and fighting for what’s right. Maybe it’s our knack for organization or our profound sense of empathy and community, but when there’s a fight for justice, you can bet lesbians are leading the charge, using their voices to make real, lasting change.
6. Our Solidarity in Dating Struggles
Whether you go for femmes or butches or somewhere in between, all lesbians have an unspoken understanding of how complicated and wonderfully chaotic dating other women can be. As absolutely brutal as lesbian heartbreak can be, knowing we’re all navigating this beautiful mess together somehow makes it all the more worthwhile.
7. Our Iconic Representation in Media
There could always stand to be more lesbian representation in media, but what we do have is truly iconic. The L Word is the most obvious, but in recent years, we’ve been getting an influx of steamy on-screen chemistry and pop music written by WLW for WLW that gives us all a chance to see ourselves.
8. That Thing We All Do When We See Other Lesbians In Public
You know what I’m talking about. If you’re with your partner, you might lean into each other and whisper, “lesbians.” If you’re by yourself, you might try to catch the other person’s eye as if to say, “I see you, and I’m one of you.” I’ve heard about a lesbian head nod, but I don’t think I’m masc enough to pull that off. Either way, it’s like a celebrity sighting, but even better.
9. Our Immediate Support and Understanding
If you are able to make contact with another lesbian in the wild, you know you have a friend. When I meet another lesbian somewhere: at a wedding, a party, at work, or on the subway, I suddenly feel 100% safer. It’s like finding a secret ally in a world that doesn’t always get us. We have a shared understanding that, no matter what, we’ve got each other’s backs.
10. Our Effortless Cool
Lesbians are just f*cking cool. There’s no other way to put it! How punk rock is it to reject everything society has built for us and live the life that WE want to live. We break the rules, shatter expectations, and redefine what it means to live authentically. We’re not doing it for the sake of rebellion, either. We’re creating a world where we can be unapologetically ourselves, and there’s nothing cooler than that. And on top of that, we pull hot chicks. Wow. The power.
I hope all my fellow lesbians celebrate themselves by wearing their gayest outfits, walking with their heads a little bit higher, and getting all their straight friends to Venmo them $20.
