International Lesbian Day of Visibility and Lesbian Visibility Week

Why do we need to promote lesbian visibility?

DIVA magazine publisher Lisa Riley was instrumental in starting Lesbian Visibility Week in 2020. Writing for Stonewall, she stated “I want us to use this time to not only celebrate our community, but to come together to uplift the L in LGBTQI. We must represent it as it is – an inclusive, diverse and joyful community full of people who continue to empower and support one another.”

Lisa has also commented that women often experience a specific mix of misogyny and homophobia, which doesn’t fit neatly under the label of “homophobia”. Many lesbians have also felt historically excluded from gay-rights campaigns and organisations. Currently, another significant issue is the division caused by anti-trans groups between cis lesbians and trans women.

This year, Lesbian Visibility Week aims to specifically show solidarity with all LGBT+ women, by fully embracing trans and non-binary inclusion with the hashtag #LWithTheT. See Lesbian Visibility Week for more information.

How visible are lesbians already?

The 2021 Census asked about sexual orientation for the first time. Of those who answered the question on sexual orientation in the Vale of Glamorgan, 3.07% selected a 'Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Other (LGB+)' orientation, 90.3% of people aged 16 years and over selected 'straight or heterosexual', and the remaining 6.6% chose not to answer the question.

The Stonewall Rainbow Britain 2022 report shows that the percentage of people identifying as lesbian increases down the generations, with 3% of Gen Z identifying as lesbian compared to less than 1% of Baby Boomers and Gen X. This is backed up by UK Census data which shows more women than men are identifying as ‘queer’ than men, at 3.32% compared to 3%.

Research by Pride in London 2018 showed that gay women are almost twice as unlikely to be out in the workplace as gay male colleagues. Whilst this research predates Stonewall and Census data, it is still a relevant concern.

Lesbian Visibility Week helps to platform lesbian voices, increasing the visibility of lesbians, allowing frank discussion and celebration. Visibility can help others come forward and live their lives honestly as who they really are. Diversity and inclusion are crucial to a positive and equitable workplace and society.

What can you do?

There are lots of ways to celebrate Lesbian Day of Visibility and Lesbian Visibility Week. There are free virtual events such as The L-Chat Lesbian Visibili-tea – or a host of online and in-person events listed by Diva Magazine. Alternatively, you could research some films or documentaries by lesbian film makers or featuring lesbian actors or stories, or reading works by lesbian authors and writers. Remember to uplift and celebrate the lesbian people in your life.

You can also explore stories, accounts and campaign’s on Stonewall’s Lesbian hub and Lesbian Visibility Week’s website.

The Council work extremely hard to ensure that we offer a safe and enjoyable place for LGBTQ+ people to work and to ensure that the Vale of Glamorgan area is a positive and nurturing environment therein. If you would like to get involved in this, or if you have any suggestions for how to make things better, please contact GLAM, our LGBTQ+ Staff Network.

There are also some useful and interesting courses available for all staff on iDev.

If you are concerned about discrimination or harassment, or want more information about how to report it, please refer to the Vale of Glamorgan Council’s grievance policy.