Happy International Rebel Dykes Day!
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE PROVIDED BY REBEL DYKES
1980s. Big hair, shoulder pads and leg warmers are taking over. In the UK, Margaret Thatcher’s government is getting ready to introduce Section 28, a law which prohibits local authorities from “promoting” homosexuality. It’s during this landscape that a small group of radical activists and artists change lesbian culture forever. They were, of course, the Rebel Dykes.
Today marks the inaugural International Rebel Dykes Day (29 Jan). The date recognises the anniversary of the first-ever Chain Reaction club night – the legendary dyke fetish club. This space was more than just a club night. It built the dyke community, creating space for activism, power and pleasure.
Siân A. Williams and Harri Shanahan’s 2021 documentary Rebel Dykes delves into the world built by the Rebel Dykes in the 1980s and 1990s. These Rebel Dykes were pro-sex worker and celebrated trans people, set on creating a space that was an escape from the oppressive rules and laws of society at the time. They were DIY, they were punk, they were leather-clad, and they were vital in shaping lesbian culture today.
As the Rebel Dykes Instagram page (@rebeldykes) puts it: “The Rebel Dykes are not one stereotype or one idea, they are communities. They’re the punks, the bikers, butches, femmes, protestors, sex workers, artists, activists, organisers and fighters who built dyke life where none was provided.”
While the significance of the Rebel Dykes has been often overlooked, the Rebel Dykes Archive, held at the Bishopsgate Institute, is hoping to amplify this seminal piece of queerstory. The Archive specifically focuses on the group of lesbians and young women who lived in Brixton, Vauxhall, Peckham, Soho, Forest Gate and Hackney in the 1980s. This group was part of political movements like the South London Women’s Hospital Occupation, anti-censorship, sex-positive feminism, sex workers’ rights, anti-Section 28, the Poll Tax Riots, OutRage! and other HIV/AIDS activism.
In the face of anti-LGBTQIA+ movements around the world, we’ve seen a bold new wave of dyke activism take to the streets and online. It feels only fitting that the official banner for International Rebel Dykes Day is Emily Witham’s “Descendants of Rebel Dykes” banner. Whether you know the history of the Rebel Dykes or simply feel their spirit, we can all draw inspiration from their legacy as a reminder to keep pushing forward towards progress. To lift the community around us and fight for justice. To stand together, united.
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