Dyke March Turns 20

The Dyke March celebrates its 20th anniversary this week. Heather Cassell at Bay Area Reporter notes its history.

The Dyke March started 20 years ago at the height of the AIDS epidemic. The crisis perpetuated lesbians being in the shadows of the Gay Liberation Movement, rendering them invisible rather than a significant part of the movement, especially during the early years of AIDS when lesbians were the caretakers of their gay male friends, said march founders. Tired of being invisible, leaders of three West Coast lesbian and feminist organizations came together with New York City's fire-eating Lesbian Avengers to plan a "spontaneous" march on Washington the night before the official March on Washington April 25, 1993, said founding members Leslie Mullin, 67, and Lisa Roth, 62.

The organizers named their political action the "Dyke March." It was in the spirit of the time when people were taking back traditionally derogatory words, such as "dyke," which historically was a slur used against lesbians. "There are a lot of women-loving-women who don't like the term dyke. I love it. Dyke is a very strong word," said L.A./Happy Hyder, 65, who has served on the committee for the past five years and has participated in the Dyke March since its beginning. Networking and spreading the news through women's bookstores and organizations the event planners were shocked and surprised to see an estimated 20,000 women gathered at Dupont Circle on April 24, 1993.

I'm proud to say that I was there to see it in DC that day.