Invisible Histories, which locates, collects, researches and creates community-based, educational programming around LGBTQIA+ history in the Deep South, is hosting a virtual discussion about southern sapphic history.
The free event, titled Southern Sapphic Herstory Talk, will take place over Zoom, led by the Birmingham nonprofit’s Maigen Sullivan and Margaret Lawson on Wednesday, June 26 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Through the event, attendees will discuss the rich sapphic history of the South, according to Invisible Histories. According to Queer in the World, the term, “sapphic” refers to women who are attracted to other women. It includes individuals who are identify as lesbian, pansexual, queer, bisexual, or omnisexual and is recognized within LGBTQIA+ circles and communities.
“[Sapphic] experiences is what it is to be a woman who is in relationships with other women and what it means for that history to exist, especially in a culture like America, which is so often based in misogyny,” said Josh Buford, co executive director of Invisible Histories.
Participants of the virtual event will discuss things such as the trials faced by sapphic women throughout southern history, iconic historical figures and the ways in which the community has grown and flourished despite being overshadowed by the feminist movement and men in the LGBTQIA+ community.
“They are going to facilitate a conversation specifically about sapphic and lesbian history in the American South. They're going to be looking at historical figures, movements in the ways which women have built a community, and the ways queer women have been able to advocate and to grow their local communities,” said Buford.
The event will also delve into the experiences of queer women of color, who are also often underrepresented in the community.
“Our goal in Invisible Histories is to elevate these collections,” said Buford. “This also includes the experiences of queer women of color. We want to make certain that even in conversations of lesbian history that we're not focused solely on the experience of white women, we want to make sure that Black and Latino women are experiences are part of this conversation.”
Invisible Histories, based in Birmingham, locates, collects, researches, and creates community-based, educational programming around LGBTQ+ history in the Deep South. Invisible Histories believes archiving is resistance to oppression and history leads to liberation.
Registration for the Southern Sapphic Herstory virtual event closes on Monday, June 24. Click here to register.
