Rebel Dykes chronicles the lesbian movement in Britain since the 1980s. Usefully they had archive material in the form of home made video footage.
It starts with the Greenham Common peace camp of the early 1980s. The tabloid press were quick to sneer at the time that some of the women were lesbians who had abandoned their husband and kids.
It soon becomes clear from the interviews that some of the women went there to meet other lesbians. Protesting against nuclear weapons was not high on the agenda for them. It was about discovering themselves and meeting like minded women.
However it did empower these women with activist qualities. Badly needed in an era where homophobia was rife. There was the spectre of Aids. Later the Thatcher government brought in Section 28.
Now the lesbian movement had something to unite and fight against.
The documentary was not just about activism. I was surprised that a city like London had no clubs for lesbians even in the early 1980s. Maybe a few places that were underground but slowly there were meeting places for other women emerging. Clubs that were a safe pace for them.
That led to an explosion of queer fashion and a lesbian post punk scene. Even mainstream pop stars such as Sinead O Connor co-opted their style such as the shaven head.
The documentary makes clear that the women were not an homogenous group. Factions emerged over sexual preferences, some women explored the S&M scene. Others were aghast with the associated Nazi imagery and being dominated. An issue for some black women with its links to slavery.
It also explores the rise of queer magazines and literature. Having to skirt around the pornography laws. Others imported sex toys aimed at women from San Francisco. The toys available for women at the time needed to be hacked with a blade.
Directed by Harri Shanahan and Sian A Williams. Rebel Dykes is an important documentary charting the history of the lesbian movement in Britain.
It starts with the Greenham Common peace camp of the early 1980s. The tabloid press were quick to sneer at the time that some of the women were lesbians who had abandoned their husband and kids.
It soon becomes clear from the interviews that some of the women went there to meet other lesbians. Protesting against nuclear weapons was not high on the agenda for them. It was about discovering themselves and meeting like minded women.
However it did empower these women with activist qualities. Badly needed in an era where homophobia was rife. There was the spectre of Aids. Later the Thatcher government brought in Section 28.
Now the lesbian movement had something to unite and fight against.
The documentary was not just about activism. I was surprised that a city like London had no clubs for lesbians even in the early 1980s. Maybe a few places that were underground but slowly there were meeting places for other women emerging. Clubs that were a safe pace for them.
That led to an explosion of queer fashion and a lesbian post punk scene. Even mainstream pop stars such as Sinead O Connor co-opted their style such as the shaven head.
The documentary makes clear that the women were not an homogenous group. Factions emerged over sexual preferences, some women explored the S&M scene. Others were aghast with the associated Nazi imagery and being dominated. An issue for some black women with its links to slavery.
It also explores the rise of queer magazines and literature. Having to skirt around the pornography laws. Others imported sex toys aimed at women from San Francisco. The toys available for women at the time needed to be hacked with a blade.
Directed by Harri Shanahan and Sian A Williams. Rebel Dykes is an important documentary charting the history of the lesbian movement in Britain.
