A Political History of the Dyke March in the US by Queer University

A Political History of the Dyke March in the US is a virtual class taught by Professor Sara Angevine as a part of Queer University.

The Damn Lesbians, a San-Francisco group largely unknown, came together in one member’s basement to create an alternative to the 1993 March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation. Interested in decentering gay men and resisting capitalism, they partnered with the Lesbian Avengers and the ACT UP Women’s Caucus to create the official Dyke March route in Washington DC. The organizers expected roughly 1000 people to attend the March (“We only brought one bullhorn”) but over 20,000 self-proclaimed “dykes” showed up, seeding the Dyke March political resistance across the country for decades. This class will offer students insight on the origins of the Dyke March, the growth of Dyke Marches across the United States, and some of the critical queer event spin-offs, such as Dyke Day in Los Angeles and the Trans March in San Francisco.

In addition to this virtual class, there is a Queer University Launch event happening on October 28 at The LGBT Center. Another virtual class taught by Professor Sara Angevine will take place on October 6.

Virtual class link: https://ohyay.co/s/queeruniversity (Participants will need to sign up for Ohyay in order to attend this virtual class)

Participant Bios

Sara Angevine (she/her) is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Whittier College in Whittier, California. Her research and teaching interests focus on political institutions, democratic representation, and identity politics. She earned her PhD in Political Science at Rutgers University and Master’s in Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa. Prior to Whittier College, Angevine taught political science and gender and sexuality courses at Brooklyn College, CUNY; Barnard College, Columbia University; and Rutgers University. Angevine has published in Political Research Quarterly, Politics and Gender, and the SAIS Review of International Affairs.

This program is organized by Queer University as part of the 2023 Circa: Queer Histories Festival, presented by One Institute.

QUEER UNIVERSITY is an online educational platform that foregrounds queer perspectives and identities in its teaching, structure, and ideology. We re-imagine what education can look like in an environment of care, acceptance, and inclusion.