#morgan gwenwald

[genderoutlaws]

Black and white photograph of three lesbians in shorts and tank tops walking, likely at NYC Pride, two of them holding up a sign that says "LESBIANS OFTEN MISTAKEN FOR MEN IN WOMEN'S RESTROOMS"

ph: Morgan Gwenwald | June 24 1990

[ileaveclawmarks]

Photography by Morgan Gwenwald for On Our Backs, date unknown.

simple at first glance, there is a tense depth to this scene. in the same way the two subjects are layered, so too is there meaning that escapes an initial gaze. shiny leather boots glisten at the foot of the image, paralled by both the suggestive, subtle glint of the dangling metal handcuffs and the pearls at the femme's exposed chest. the delicate nature of the pearls, met with the hardness and severity of the handcuffs and boots, sends an elegant and explicit sexual signal as to the erotic dynamic between the pair. the landscape of the butch’s back poses a carnal, sensual image.

notice the posture of the femme, which may be interpreted as submissive but for the striking clarity of her pale hand against her lover’s thigh, clothed in black denim; both femme and butch viewers will recognize the power that well-placed touch can command, especially when paired with the anticipatory sting of femme nails. her hand is there by knowing, deliberate design. although she seems suppliant at the steely feet of her lover, exposed in reverent worship, her passivity is a calculated illusion. in offering herself, her body, and her devotion, there is an elusive but unmistakeable demand for acknowledgement and reciprocation - let me express my ache and desire for you, and spare me no measure of your adoration in return: in fact, i demand it from you. it makes me tremble to think of an erotic relationship so grounded in profound, equal desire of each other, bordering on religiosity - the defining characteristic of butch and femme romance.

[that-butch-archivist]

"Dyke March 1994" by Morgan Gwenwald

source: The Wild Good: Lesbian Photographs & Writings on Love, edited by Beatrix Gates

[lesbianlenses]

Morgan Gwenwald, one of the first out lesbian photographers in the early gay rights movement.

[unapologeticallygay]

Stormé DeLarverie in the Stonewall Veterans Car at the New York City Gay Pride Parade, June 25, 1995, by Morgan Gwenwald

[transsexual-menace]

photo of leslie feinberg in 1998 speaking during they lived it "out!" an event that honored transgender people who were victims of hate crimes | photo: morgan gwenwald

[laithesque]

Butch/Fem picnic by Morgan Gwenwald

[hellostranger1961]

hey yall. i'm laney! 22. butch. appalachian. theatre, media studies, and history student. writer. retro media connoisseur. lover of vintage ephemera.

letterboxd 💿 spotify

– larry mitchell, the faggots & their friends between revolutions.

powerhouse mechanic, photographed by lewis hine, 1921 (icon)

a lesbian softball tournament in park slope, brooklyn, photographed by morgan gwenwald and published in the lesbian almanac, 1996 (banner)

[thecaenis]

Morgan Gwenwald, butch/fem picnic

[preenchimentosensivel]

algumas fotos do flickr de leslie feinberg.

happiness

photo sensitivity

self-portrait, 60th birthday

hoje terminei de ler stone butch blues. li as últimas páginas encolhido na cama, passando calor, mas sem conseguir me mexer. naquele frenesi que os olhos pulam de uma palavra pra outra quase sem captar os significados, agitado e emocionando, tremi num choro seco que a testosterona não ajuda a aliviar.

agora me sinto vazio, sem saber o que fazer com o resto do meu dia. fui pesquisar fotos de leslie e achei sua conta no flickr. vibrei e junto veio um peso furtivo - invadir a intimidade pública de alguém que já se foi, encarar um perfil fantasma, seus comentários e experimentações congeladas no tempo. ele tinha doença de lyme assim como a kathleen hanna. eu já tinha visto essa informação e tinha esquecido. vida besta.

vou escolher um vídeo bem longo dele falando e ouvir enquanto lavo louça. meu peito fracote dói de desejo de apertar sua mão, que seja uma breve troca de olhares, um abraço, se não for pedir demais. quem sabe um dia? o livro também já fez isso, da forma que livros fazem.

Morgan Gwenwald, Leslie Feinberg Interviewing Quentin Crisp, backstage at Night of 1,000 Legends, Club 58, NYC. April 13, 1995. Photo courtesy the artist.

[ileaveclawmarks]

Morgan Gwenwald, Butch/Fem Picnic.

Joan Nestle and Deborah Edel, the two subjects pictured here, were partners when Nestle started the Lesbian Herstory Archives project in 1974 out of their shared apartment.

[traumaxprincess]

Quote from: Stone Butch Blues

Photo: photo of leslie feinberg in 1998 speaking during they lived it "out!" an event that honored transgender people who were victims of hate crimes | photo: morgan gwenwald

[that-butch-archivist]

"Pearls" by Morgan Gwenwald

source: The Femme Mystique, edited by Lesléa Newman

[lesbianlenses]

Morgan Gwenwald

[unapologeticallygay]

Two members of the Dykes on Bikes contingent, June 30, 1991, New York City, Gay Pride March, by Morgan Gwenwald, via the LHA

[abwwia]

Madeline Davis (L), Frances Dowdy next to her, Gayle Rubin third from left, Pat Califia (R). Sabrina Williams is pictured sitting on the floor. This gathering took place after the Barnard Sex Conference in 1982. Photo by Morgan Gwenwald.

We founded The Lesbian Herstory Archives in the 1970s when a group of women involved in the Gay Academic Union realized that Lesbian history was “disappearing as quickly as it was being made.” Our mission is to gather and preserve records of Lesbian lives and activities so that future generations will have ready access to materials relevant to their lives.