The women’s movement understood the need for a profound breaking of boundaries when it embraced the slogan ‘the personal is political.’ I would like to carry it one step further: if the personal is political, the more personal is historical.
The more personal demands attention be paid to how we fill our days and nights as we participate in any given economic system, how our flesh survives under different political systems, how we humanise gender tyranny, how we experience womanness and maleness in all the superstructures of class and race.
– Joan Nestle, founder of the Lesbian Herstory Archives,
A Restricted Country (1987)
A Restricted Country (1987)
On whose shoulders do I stand?
Vijf essays vormen het theoretische fundament van dit project. Waar lesbische geschiedenis vaak wordt verteld via activisme en iconische figuren, richt ik mij op het alledaagse: relaties, dagelijkse activiteiten, de openbare plekken waar levens zich afspelen. Door persoonlijke observaties, verbeelding en archiefonderzoek samen te brengen onderzoek ik hoe queer gemeenschappen ruimte innemen en hoe subjectiviteit een methode kan zijn om verhalen zichtbaar te maken die in officiële geschiedenissen ontbreken. Teksten over herkenning, gemis en de mensen op wier schouders we staan.
Vijf essays vormen het theoretische fundament van dit project. Waar lesbische geschiedenis vaak wordt verteld via activisme en iconische figuren, richt ik mij op het alledaagse: relaties, dagelijkse activiteiten, de openbare plekken waar levens zich afspelen. Door persoonlijke observaties, verbeelding en archiefonderzoek samen te brengen onderzoek ik hoe queer gemeenschappen ruimte innemen en hoe subjectiviteit een methode kan zijn om verhalen zichtbaar te maken die in officiële geschiedenissen ontbreken. Teksten over herkenning, gemis en de mensen op wier schouders we staan.
Special mention, IHLIA LHBTIQ+ Geschiedenisprijs 2026. Opgenomen in de collectie van het Lesbian Herstory Archives, New York.
How We Fill Our Days and Nights is hoofdstuk II van het langlopende project A Place to Stand.
Five essays form the theoretical foundation of this project. Where lesbian history is often told through activism and iconic figures, I focus on the everyday: relationships, daily activities, the public places where lives unfold. By bringing together personal observations, imagination and archival research, I explore how queer communities take up space and how subjectivity can be a method for making visible the stories that are missing from official histories. Texts on recognition, loss, and the people on whose shoulders we stand.
Special mention, IHLIA LHBTIQ+ History Award 2026. Included in the collection of the Lesbian Herstory Archives, New York.
How We Fill Our Days and Nights is chapter II of the ongoing project A Place to Stand.
HOW WE FILL OUR DAYS AND NIGHTS
Preface — Speaking To Our Future
The preface autobiographically situates the subject, includes the acknowledgments, and outlines the structure of the complete work, How We Live Our Days and Nights.
The preface autobiographically situates the subject, includes the acknowledgments, and outlines the structure of the complete work, How We Live Our Days and Nights.
Addresses Are Characters
This essay is an exploration of spaces, primarily focusing on New York landmarks. It combines personal experiences, historical narratives, and socio-political perspectives. Starting with Jacob Riis Park, significant to the lesbian community, it depicts the park’s evolution from a safe haven for marginalised queer communities to its imminent erasure. This extends into the vanishing landscape of lesbian bars, emphasising their role beyond social hubs and highlighting the broader struggle for community and identity preservation in an ever-changing, inherently political landscape.
This essay is an exploration of spaces, primarily focusing on New York landmarks. It combines personal experiences, historical narratives, and socio-political perspectives. Starting with Jacob Riis Park, significant to the lesbian community, it depicts the park’s evolution from a safe haven for marginalised queer communities to its imminent erasure. This extends into the vanishing landscape of lesbian bars, emphasising their role beyond social hubs and highlighting the broader struggle for community and identity preservation in an ever-changing, inherently political landscape.
A Revolution Has Many Lanes
The central focus of this essay lies on the significance of vernacular photographs housed in the Lesbian Herstory Archives. These seemingly ordinary snapshots from everyday life serve as invaluable records of the lived experiences of lesbian women. I touch upon the complexities of representation, acknowledging that identities extend beyond sexual orientation, and I consider the ethical dilemmas associated with handling these personal documents.
The central focus of this essay lies on the significance of vernacular photographs housed in the Lesbian Herstory Archives. These seemingly ordinary snapshots from everyday life serve as invaluable records of the lived experiences of lesbian women. I touch upon the complexities of representation, acknowledging that identities extend beyond sexual orientation, and I consider the ethical dilemmas associated with handling these personal documents.
Subjectivity As A Strategy
The essay explores subjectivity as a tool for reclaiming identity and visibility within the context of lesbian movement. It highlights efforts to fill historical voids with alternative narratives, referring to works by photographer JEB and activist Karla Jay.
I am welcoming the infusion of imagination and subjectivity into my thoughts and texts. I am exploring how incorporating subjectivity into my research methodology can help uncover untold stories in dynamic and inherently political spaces.
As a case study, I examine two sets of vernacular images retrieved from the Archives collection, specifically captured on Riis Park Beach in New York City during the 1960s. Through these images, I look into the historical layers, cultural narratives, societal reflections, and political dimensions they embody.
The essay explores subjectivity as a tool for reclaiming identity and visibility within the context of lesbian movement. It highlights efforts to fill historical voids with alternative narratives, referring to works by photographer JEB and activist Karla Jay.
I am welcoming the infusion of imagination and subjectivity into my thoughts and texts. I am exploring how incorporating subjectivity into my research methodology can help uncover untold stories in dynamic and inherently political spaces.
As a case study, I examine two sets of vernacular images retrieved from the Archives collection, specifically captured on Riis Park Beach in New York City during the 1960s. Through these images, I look into the historical layers, cultural narratives, societal reflections, and political dimensions they embody.
Epilogue — Folding My Thoughts
The epilogue reflects on the project’s process and insights gained, as well as looks briefly forward.
The epilogue reflects on the project’s process and insights gained, as well as looks briefly forward.
