Résistance Lesbienne, a French lesbian group, was threatened at Bordeaux Pride. The group’s assailant – believed to be a member of Antifa – was part of a group calling for the women to leave the march. He then lit a flare and attempted to burn members of Résistance Lesbienne, forcing them to give way or risk injury. Résistance Lesbienne posted footage of the attack on their Twitter account:
https://twitter.com/ResistanceLesbi/status/1437388509233418255
Résistance Lesbienne is a grassroots activist group “behind the action for lesbian visibility and against GBT lesbophobia.” Following the attack, they Tweeted: “We are the lesbian pacifists who proudly affirmed our homosexuality at Pride Bordeaux, and a transgender member of Antifa tried to burn our banners and our legs with a flare.”
As Résistance Lesbienne’s footage shows, they were marching peacefully. The group carried a banner with their name, the Labrys (a symbol of lesbian pride), and two interlocking signs of Venus. Their chants translate as “lesbian, not queer” and “lesbians don’t like penises.”
https://twitter.com/ResistanceLesbi/status/1437050475803824131
Lesbians around the world are punished for rejecting sex that involves a penis. For decades, violence has been weaponized as a way of forcing lesbians into heterosexual compliance. From conversion therapy to corrective rape, this history is brutal. And now – at a Pride March – lesbians are threatened with burning because they claim same-sex attraction.
Team AfterEllen condemns violence against lesbians and stands in solidarity with Résistance Lesbienne.
