Shifting inclusions: Identities and spaces of political lesbianism in Montreal from 1970 to 2020

Abstract

This article addresses current tensions around identity and spatial boundaries within Montreal’s lesbian and sexual diversity networks, underlining generational and linguistic questions framing identity politics. Based on phenomenological walking interviews (Kusenbach, 2003; Collie, 2013) with 21 variously identified women in Montreal, I posit the participants’ situated experiences as valuable horizons of perception to understand sociocultural transformations (Lee, 2015; Weiss et al., 2019). For the purpose of this piece, I look at political lesbianism’s history in Montreal from the 1970s to today through the lens of two self-identified political lesbians, exploring what it means politically for once-exclusive “lesbian-only” or “women-only” spaces to move forward in a context of shifting inclusions within lesbo-queer communities.