Lesbians on the loose

Call Number
Nq 306.7663099441 LES
Created/Published
Newtown [N.S.W.] : Lesbians on the loose, 1990-
Issue
Issue 12 (December 1990)
Images
30
Notes
Supplement included at end of issue.
View Catalogue

Text

LESBIANS ON THE LOOSE  

DECEMBER 1990  

ISSUE 12  

FREE  

Off Our Backs!  

In follow-up to the Streetwatch Report which  

documented violence against lesbians and gays, the Gay  

and Lesbian Rights Lobby is launching separate anti-  

lesbian violence project. The survey called "Off Our  

Backs" appears in this issue of Lesbians on the Loose  

with extra copies available from the Feminist Bookshop  

and the Bookshops at Newtown and Darlinghurst. The  

survey is designed to establish the extent and level of  

physical and verbal abuse directed at lesbians. This is the  

first time for such project in Australia. Previous gay  

and lesbian surveys have had low lesbian response.  

The ADB's "Homosexual Phone-in" in 1980 had 20%  

while Streetwatch had 6%.  

Carole Ruthchild, co-convenor of the Gay and Lesbian  

Rights Lobby, says the lack of lesbian response to  

Streetwatch was due to the limited avenues available for  

advertising at the time, and to the limited means of  

collecting data. Lesbian Line and the Gay and Lesbian  

Counselling Service administered the surveys. Carole  

thought many women would prefer to call Lesbian Line  

which only operates one night week. Inserting "Off  

Our Backs" in Lesbians on the Loose maximises the  

number of lesbians reached, while survey specifically  

targetting lesbians is more likely to generate lesbian  

response. "Violence against lesbians has been under-  

researched" says Carole. "It's either been part of study  

into violence against gays or violence against women."  

The necessity for such survey is stressed by US statistics  

which show that lesbians are nine times more likely to be  

assaulted than non-lesbian women. While straw poll  

taken at the Lesbian Discrimination Workshop on  

October 27 showed that over 20% of women present had  

been physically assaulted, 90% verbally abused and 25%  

had their property damaged because of their lesbianism.  

"Off Our Backs" intends to find out the types of violence  

inflicted upon lesbians, when and where it occurs and  

who the perpetrators are. Carole says "the survey is also  

concerned with finding out if women go to the police and  

how police respond in their more caring role. suspect  

most women don't go to the police".  

Carole hopes lot of lesbians will fill in the  

questionnaires. Depending on feedback the Gay and  

Lesbian Rights Lobby will do basic analysis of the  

findings in late January '9l. The Lobby then intends to  

approach the Law Foundation for grant to employ  

someone to analyse the surveys in depth and compile  

and interpret the data.  

Carole says the Lobby would also then like to do more in-  

depth research perhaps into police response, and into  

medium and long term effects of violence upon lesbians.  

"Off Our Backs" was first proposed at the Gay and  

Lesbian Rights Lobby annual strategic planning  

weekend held at the gay and lesbian country resort, Tara,  

near Berry, in early November.  

The other top priority for the Lobby in the coming year is  

the establishment of Lesbian and Gay Legal Centre.  

This will provide legal advice, particularly in the areas of  

discrimination, business and relationships. The legal  

centre will also investigate and research areas such as  

bias related crime legislation, superannuation and  

inheritance, next-of-kin status in hospitals, etc.  

The Lobby, in joint venture with the Women's Legal  

Resource Centre, also intends to publish lesbian legal  

booklet early next year. It will contain information  

concerning custody, discrimination, IVF, wills and list  

of lesbian, or lesbian sympathetic lawyers.  

For the Lobby to carry out these projects it needs $64,000.  

Carole Ruthchild says "this is our biggest commitment to  

date in terms of the finance needed. We need all the help  

we can get from our community if our projects are to  

become reality".  

Frances Rand  

Katherine V. Forrest and Claire McNab  

during Katherine's Sydney visit. Story p. 20  

inside...  

wine, women and...xmas...jewish dykes...discrimination...  

Cite

Citation options:
Work identifier

http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-881422264

APA citation

(1990). Lesbians on the loose Retrieved May 18, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-881422264

MLA citation

Lesbians on the loose Newtown [N.S.W.]: Lesbians on the loose, 1990. Web. 18 May 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-881422264>

Harvard/Australian citation

1990, Lesbians on the loose Lesbians on the loose, Newtown [N.S.W.] viewed 18 May 2025 http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-881422264

Wikipedia citation

{{Citation
  |
  | title=Lesbians on the loose.
  | year=1990
  | issn=1324-6542
  | issue=Issue 12 (December 1990)
  | location=Newtown [N.S.W.]
  | publisher=Lesbians on the loose
  | url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-881422264
  | id=nla.obj-881422264
  | access-date=18 May 2025
  | via=Trove
}}

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