Cambridge opened its doors for a night of celebrating queer spaces
BY CAITLIN NEWMAN
On 17 October, Churchill College, Cambridge opened its doors for a night of lesbian love and rage. Curated by current undergraduate and award-winning poet Amy Walpole, Rebel Dyke Futures archived and narrated the dyke euphoria of Chain Reaction, a legendary lesbian club night active from 1987 to 1993. Through poetry, photography and community-driven conversation, Amy transformed one Cambridge lecture hall into a desperately sought-after dyke utopia.
Beyond Amy’s research and archival work, the event featured a panel discussion with Karen Fisch (original Rebel Dyke and current Master of Ceremonies at The Royal Vauxhall Tavern) and Tabs Benjamin (founder of Butch Please). For the many queer students in the audience, the discussion was a vital history lesson on dyke roots, as we were signposted to essential queer media from Stone Butch Blues to Rebel Dykes (2021).
However, looking beyond Chain Reaction’s heyday, the night was an urgent call to action for all generations of queer women+. When discussing the need for permanent sapphic spaces, Tabs reminded us of the ongoing power of the dyke community: “when we meet together, we draw strength from each other, so that we can continue to survive and continue to fight for the right to be whoever we want to be.” In an age where growing transphobia and lesbophobia are pushing queer spaces to the confines of the Internet, Rebel Dyke Futures was a staunch reminder of the need to resist erasure and build community beyond the screen.
In the exhibition space, a series of photos taken at Chain Reaction were displayed alongside archive material from Bishopsgate Institute, original poetry from Amy and a collaborative archival piece to build on throughout the night. Attendees were encouraged to fill a scrapbook with their hopes and demands for the future of the dyke community. Entries included powerful testimonials on sapphic spaces, referencing the unique duality of intersectional queer community as a space for “organising in the daytime and partying at night.”
As an audience, we were instructed to connect with as many people as we could in the exhibition space, forging community across generations of queer and trans folks. Perhaps unlike what we see in heteronormative or male-led spaces, the community discussions that led on from Amy’s presentation were truly radical. Earlier in the night, Amy had reminded us of the intersectionality of the dyke community, celebrating “femme dykes, trans dykes, POC dykes, disabled dykes, working class dykes, every flavour of dyke that exists among us”. As the exhibition space filled, conversations flowed effortlessly between dykes from all walks of life.
It was undeniable that this event – and the broader discourse demanding permanent lesbian spaces – has been long overdue. As one student wrote: “give us dykes everywhere”
Towards the end of the exhibition trail, attendees were introduced to a new permanent FLINTA space looking to establish itself in South-East London. On Rainbow Street, Southwark, proud lesbians Molly and Beth are building a new, permanent, trans-inclusive lesbian bar, Dorothy’s. All funds raised from the event were donated directly towards the bar’s community crowdfund. As Amy’s research highlighted, dyke community spaces have been stripped of “protection from financial and political threats” for all too long, but Dorothy’s hopes to change this. If you would like to support this project, click here to donate now.
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