Organizers Promised a Lesbian Apocalypse And Delivered – 700 Scholars, Activists and Artists Descend on NYC For Lesbian Lives Conference 2025
Collaborators from all over the world convened to celebrate Sapphic spaces, share ideas and to strengthen our solidarity.
At the start of the weekend, co-organizer and Sinister Wisdom publisher, Julie R. Enszer, landed “on brand” at JFK at Gate 69. From there it just got better. Participants came from as far as Poland, Turkey, South America, Hong Kong and beyond, to join with academics and creatives from across the U.S. at the CUNY Graduate Center to exchange knowledge, and delve into Lesbian history and identity.
Offerings were abundant, with dozens of mouthwatering panels and workshops throughout each day – whether to explore women soldiers’ relationships in the 18th century, “Big Fat Brown Pleasures,” anatomy of a lesbian breakup, trans lesbian representation, queer abolitionist activism, screen a film work in progress or hear from a “data dyke” driving the preservation of our grassroots zines. To name a few.
Gen Z mixed with movement-makers from the 70’s and 80’s – like women’s music luminaries Margie Adam and Judith Casselberry, and photographer Morgan Gwenwald who gave us erotic mag, On Our Backs. A few were delightfully surprised to see what the queer foremothers were up to (think photos of semi-naked women perched in trees on “the land”). Intergenerational dialogue as queer resistance? That was a panel too.
A Meow Mix bar reunion was the cherry on top (with surprise visit from Cynthia Nixon and Zohran Mamdani). Did I mention that dating-minded attendees had the option to wear a purple sticker on their name badge? And there was a cute bulletin board with hearts and post-its for those inspired to locate a missed connection, or make a new one.
This was the first time the conference took place in the U.S., prior bases being the UK and Ireland where it got its start in 1994. Can’t wait to see where 2026 brings us. Until then, the spirit of the conference remains a joyful invite: “to treat Lesbian Lives as an emerging lesbian oasis—one that depends on our collective care and cultivation.”
