Name/TitleBanner: We Recruit
About this objectLarge white/cream coloured textile banner with some newspaper backing on the reverse. The banner bears the name 'Glasgow Lesbian Avengers' around the Lesbian Avengers' bomb logo (originally designed by Carrie Moyer), all hand painted in black. Below, painted in larger black lettering, are the words 'WE RECRUIT'. A 'Lesbian and Gay ARA' badge has been pinned to the banner. The banner itself was created by members of the Glasgow Lesbian Avengers at the Trongate premises of Glasgow Women's Library in 1995 for a protest at the Mitchell Library (see subject and association description below).
MakerGlasgow Lesbian Avengers
Date Made1995
Period1990s
Place MadeScotland, Glasgow
Medium and MaterialsInorganic, paint
Organic, textile and newspaper
MeasurementsH: 1890 x W: 2395 mm
Subject and Association Keywordsarts - textiles
Subject and Association KeywordsLGBTQ+
Subject and Association KeywordsDiscrimination
Subject and Association Keywordswomen's organisations
Subject and Association Descriptionhttps://womenslibrary.org.uk/explore-our-collections/lgbtq-collections-online-resource/lgbtq-life-in-scotland:
Members of Glasgow’s Lesbian Avengers group [made] a banner for a protest at the Mitchell Library in 1995. The protest was sparked by a decision by the director of Glasgow Libraries to ban the stock of Pink Paper from libraries in Glasgow – the justification for this was the fact that advertisements and personal columns in particular could be interpreted as promoting homosexuality, and therefore the paper’s presence might contravene Section 28. The action by the Glasgow Lesbian Avengers involved flyering people outside and inside the library, as well as planting leaflets and back copies of the Pink Paper on reading desks and workspaces throughout the library.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesbian_Avengers:
The Lesbian Avengers were founded in 1992 in New York City, the direct action group was formed with the intent to create an organization that focuses on lesbian issues and visibility through humorous and untraditional activism. The group was founded by six individuals: Ana Maria Simo, Anne Maguire, Anne-Christine D'Adesky, Marie Honan, Maxine Wolfe, and Sarah Schulman. The founding members of the Avengers attempted to address the lack of visibility lesbians had throughout the media. Multiple members claimed that the lack of diversity and the focus on white men in the gay rights movement is one of the reasons that inspired them to create a movement for lesbians. There were multiple chapters of the Lesbian Avengers within different cities such as: New York, San Francisco, and Denver. Different chapters of the Lesbian Avengers expanded their missions to focus on issues of race, class, and gender. The Lesbian Avengers engaged in different forms of activism. One of the most notable accomplishments is the formation of the annual Dyke March. Other notable forms of activism include fire-breathing and protests against Proposition 8. Though some groups continue to hold demonstrations on an irregular basis (San Francisco Avengers demonstrated against Proposition 8), one of the Lesbian Avengers' most enduring legacy may be the annual Dyke March.
Named CollectionLesbian Archive @ Glasgow Women's Library
Object TypeBanner (textile)
Object numberGWL-2025-30
Copyright LicenceAll rights reserved