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= International Lesbian Day = International Lesbian Day is celebrated on October 8th. This is a day taken to observe, celebrate, and understand the meaning of being a lesbian and showing WLW (women-loving women)  representation. This day is used to honor the contributions made by lesbians to the LGBTQ+ community and to raise awareness for the issues that lesbians experience1. This also is quite similar to Lesbian Visibility Day, which is held on April 26th each year, that shows how lesbians are important and seen by many.

Why International Lesbian Day is Celebrated
International Lesbian Day is coined as an important day to many who identify with the lesbian label. There are many reported struggles within the LGBTQ+ community, including the constant pressure to appear as the general public thinks specific sexualities should look like. From UrBasics,  it is stated, “Butch and masculine-presenting WLWs are thus subjected to either more discrimination and stigmatization or are rendered virtually invisible to the eyes of men.” This can be celebrated because of the ability to exercise our unalienable rights to free speech and living in most countries where this is celebrated. Also, along with the rights to health care in our country of those with any orientation unlike most countries.

How We Got Here
Many of the people who advocated for women’s rights during the women’s rights movement were members of the LGBTQ+ community. Expressly, lesbian women were noted to be at the forefront of this fight that took place in the 1970s and ’80s. For instance, one of the most influential feminists at the time was Audre Lorde, who identified as lesbian. She influenced many people through her writings, openness to sexuality, and the push for equality. Even though the exact origin is unknown, there is strong credit given to Australia and New Zealand for this celebration. It is said that the day was declared in 1980 when there was a Lesbian Day March in New Zealand, yet there is an official first celebration recorded at the Collingwood Town Hall in Melbourne, Australia on October 13, 1990.

Lesbian Visibility Day
The creation of International Lesbian Day has led to a push to have a Lesbian Visibility Day. This was initially celebrated in July 1990 in California, but no other specifics of the creation are presented. This then led to the beginning of Lesbian Visibility Week during the week of April 26th. People often get confused between the two celebrations of one’s identity, yet they both convey the message of the importance of one’s sexual identity and expression.