These lesbian power couples are wearing dyke rings with pride

Amy Spalding’s jewellery brand shines a spotlight on three lesbian power couples this Valentine’s Day

BY YASMIN VINCE, IMAGES BY CORRINE AMOS

I Kissed A Girl’s Amy Spalding is about to make your Valentine’s Day a whole lot more dykonic. Her jewellery brand, SLT Studios, is all set to launch a V-Day campaign, called “DYKE Love”, shining a spotlight on three lesbian power couples, their queer journeys and what the word “dyke” means to them.

The campaign stars lesbian poet Joelle Taylor and her partner, founder of the London DYKE Market, Emily Witham. Fellow I Kissed A Girl castmates, Meg Homer and Lailah Muscat are also featured, as is the founder of lesbian night Bonanza, Sophie Ward and her partner, Rachel Ellison. Each couple has been chosen for their role in pushing the needle for sapphic representation. 

Decked out in the brand’s viral DYKE rings as they head out on a date, each pair discusses what the word “dyke” and the rings mean to them. First meeting each other and SLT founder Amy on Britain’s first sapphic reality TV dating show, it’s no surprise that Meg and Lailah were one of the first couples to get their hands on these rings. As they head to an arcade, they reflect on the conversations they’ve had with friends and family members about the word “dyke”. 

“Before, when I heard the word dyke, I could feel it in my chest. It would drop,” says Lailah. “But now I hear it and I’m happy.” While their families cautiously asked if the ring was offensive, to their friends, the word is a term of endearment. So instead of feeling afraid, when both Lailah and Meg hear it said in public, they look out for someone in their community. 

Over at Queer Britain, Joelle and Emily looked at the rings as something through which they could show off how proud they are of their sexuality. “It’s like a secret code, if you spot it, you see it, and you know [the wearer] is someone like you,” says Emily. 

Growing up in the 1980s, Joelle has seen “dyke” transform from a “cold thrill of a word” to one that has accompanied the rise of a distinctive lesbian community voice. “I first identified with the word dyke when I met the women who were using the word. These incredible post-punk women who escaped the male gaze.” There was power in the word, one that stemmed from escaping heteronormative, male-centred culture. 

“Thinking back to the girl I once was, who was terrified of this word, wearing it proudly now makes me feel pretty emotional,” says Rachel Ellison. “It was a word that was used against me. I was called a dirty dyke when I was younger. So this feels very full circle and empowering for me.”

Creator of the DYKE rings, Amy, the campaign is “both a way of celebrating queer love as well as spotlighting the individuals flying the flag for lesbian visibility and providing a platform for queer expression. We chose these couples because they are at the forefront of getting dykonic stories out there for the world to see.” Wearing the dyke ring, for Amy and those joining her campaign, is a way to own the once-denigrating slur. 

Ultimately, as the company themselves say, this Valentine’s Day is an opportunity to “celebrate queer love, not just for your partner, but for your community.”

DYKE rings can be bought at SLT Studios

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