''Lavender Woman'' was a lesbian periodical produced in Chicago, Illinois, from 1971 to 1976. The name ''Lavender Woman'' comes from the color lavender's prominence as a representation of homosexuality, starting in the 1950s and 1960s. It is believed that the color became a symbol due to it being a product of mixing baby blue (a traditionally masculine color) and pink (a traditionally feminine color). Lavender truly hit the spotlight as a symbol of homosexuality empowerment in 1969 when lavender sashes and armbands were distributed during a "gay power" march in New York. There were 26 issues, published irregularly. ''Lavender Woman'' was a collaborative newspaper aimed at voicing the concerns of many in the lesbian community and also being an outlet for those concerns. The strive for inclusiveness was important to the lesbian community as a way to combat their feelings of exclusion from the mainstream feminist movement. It is said to be one of the "earliest out lesbian periodicals in the United States." The paper took submissions from the public and included letters, articles, poetry, photos, drawings, and advertisements.

History

In November 1971, ''Lavender Woman'' began as a segment of the larger paper ''The Feminist Voice'', written by members of the Women's Caucus of Chicago Gay Alliance, just 24 years after the "

Lavender Scare The "lavender scare" was a moral panic about homosexual people in the United States government which led to their mass dismissal from government service during the mid-20th century. It contributed to and paralleled the anti-communist campaign wh ...

". ''The Feminist Voice'' was a magazine that was "published in the interest of women". It is said that the writing of the 1970s had two goals. It helped minority women define feminism for themselves, but it also served in defending their right to feminism. The original cover art is credited to Susan Moore. The first issue of ''The Feminist Voice'' was published in August and in only four months ''Lavender Woman'' became its own publication. The Women of the publication felt as though, ''The Feminist Voice'', as well as the

Chicago Lesbian Liberation The Chicago Lesbian Liberation (CLL) was a gay liberation organization formed in Chicago for lesbians during the Women's liberation movement (WLM). The group was originally part of an organization for both men and women, but in 1971, the women br ...

, had become too large and unfocused for their goals. Different women contributed to each issue and, on the second page of each, the contributors' names were listed. Allowing different women to contribute to each issue was a way to include many different lesbian voices and lesbian works in the magazine. It was their hope to include as many of these submissions as they could. ''Lavender Woman'' referred to these submissions as "bits of themselves" affirming that the art, writing, photos, etc., being shared were personal to those who chose to share their experiences. The paper was distributed on the streets of multiple neighborhoods in Chicago, in small bookstores, and in women's centers around the area. It also had hundreds of local paid subscribers.

The final edition

Lavender Woman Volume 5 Issue 1 July 1976

The last edition of the Lavender Woman was published in July 1976, titled "WE QUIT." It cited four reasons for the end of the newspaper:Lornita Watkins, et al. “Lavender Woman.” ''Lavender Woman'', vol. 5, no. 1, July 1976. ''JSTOR'', https://jstor.org/stable/community.28039127 . * The staff of the Lavender Woman had dwindled down to four main editors, two of whom were soon moving away from Chicago and would no longer be able to work on the paper. Staff credited in the final issue were Cynthia Carr, Muffy Halsted, Su Friedrich, Amy Sillman, and Susan Edwards. * A feeling of disconnect from the community. *The paper consumed too much time and energy, and took too long to get done. * There was a loss of interest and a feeling of boredom over the topics of the paper.

Importance

Responses to ''Lavender Woman'' convey the importance of lesbian publications during a time where the lesbian community was feeling excluded from many different facets of life, such as feminism, their families and society at large. Overall, the feedback consisted of gratitude for the publishing of the paper, and for how the newspaper helped readers to feel less alone in their lives. In 2017, ''Lavender Woman'' was inducted into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame, being called "groundbreaking and extraordinary."

Controversy

When the

group split from ''Lavender Woman'', it published its own newsletter from 1973 to 1974. ''Lavender Woman'' canceled the Chicago Lesbian Liberation's one-page space over a controversial cartoon. In response, the Chicago Lesbian Liberation published two issues of ''The Original Lavender Woman'' in September and October 1974, claiming it was the new ''Lavender Woman'' collective and even going so far as to tell their distributors they were the ''Lavender Woman'' and replacing issues with their own publication. The result was the first significant division in the lesbian periodical publishing community.

External links

Complete digital archive

References

{{Lesbian feminism 1971 establishments in Illinois 1976 disestablishments in Illinois Lesbian culture in Illinois Lesbian feminist mass media LGBT culture in Chicago Defunct newspapers published in Chicago LGBT-related newspapers published in the United States Feminist newspapers Feminism in Illinois Inductees of the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame