The Lesbian Project

The consequences for lesbians of at least 20 years of institutional neglect are clear. We have little reliable knowledge about the lives of same-sex-attracted females in the UK today (or internationally). We lack detailed information in such crucial areas as: the specific health needs of lesbians; lesbian parenting; lesbians and the housing crisis; young lesbians in the education system; lesbians in minoritised communities; lesbians and ageing; and more. There is currently little effective lobbying or political campaigning on behalf of lesbians specifically, except at the grassroots. Lesbian needs and interests are not specifically represented in government, in the judicial system, in education, in the third sector, or in corporate life. The mainstream LGBTQ+ organisations assumed to serve those interests are failing lesbians. Lesbians considered as a group with their own sex-specific interests are not well-represented in mainstream media and have practically no voice as such. With a few recent exceptions, there is little consideration of how lesbian interests might differ from other members of the LGBTQ+ coalition in response to current affairs. There is an urgent need for the reinvigoration of single-sex lesbian social spaces and networks, to reconnect members of this disparate and beleaguered community, both nationally and internationally.