By Holly Near
Women’s Music was and is a cultural response to sexism and homophobia, and by extension, all of the other joys and challenges of our lives. In the early days, it was a spectacular invitation to get women out of the dark secrecy of bars and into a community well lit with courage and curiosity. With the songs and the concerts as a primary source of support, women left inappropriate marriages; men were given a non-violent tool to help unlearn sexism that this society so militantly teaches; lesbians were astounded to find that they were not alone in their love and their fear; teachers listened to affirming songs in the car en route to classrooms where they were required to stay in the closet; and children grew up positively acclimated to the idea of a single mom, two moms, two dads, and dressing up as fairies and warriors with equal fascination, dancing to the sounds of Women’s Music.
The women’s movement, the lesbian movement, the feminist movement and the women of color movement all contributed to changing the consciousness of both the left and the mainstream, with culture as the most important front line. Women’s bookstores, concert producers, record distributors and feminist philanthropists, along with the artists, laid this down, brick by brick. Without this courageous act of stepping out front with song/film/dance/art, there would have been no room for Oprah or Ellen or Melissa or The L Word. We all walk on a path created by those who went before.
I hope that young people someday have the opportunity to discover their lesbian culture and/or feminist cultural foremothers—Margie Adam, Linda Tillery, Berkeley Women’s Music Collective, Wild Mango, Alive!, BeBe K’Roche, Mary Watkins, Iris Films, Betsy Rose, Robin Flower. Libby McClaren, Pat Parker, Judy Grahn, Lichi Fuentes, Olivia, Wallflower Order/Dance Brigade, Wolfe Film and Video, Amy Bank, Leslie Ann Jones, Boo Price, Adrienne Torf, The Brick Hut, Jackeline Rago, La Peña, Ginny Berson, Barbara Higbie, Gwen Avery, KPFA, Irene Young, Jeanne Rizzo, Vicki Randle, Jill Davey, Montclair Women’s Big Band, and on and on. Apologies to those left out, the danger of lists. And these names are just in the California Bay Area. This was going on all over the U.S., Canada, Australia, Europe, Japan, and I don’t even know where else.
Here is to Women’s Music! And Happy Gay, Lesbian, Bi, Trans, Questioning, Ally Pride!
Holly Near is a singer-songwriter, actor, teacher and activist. She was one of the first women to create an independent record company. http://www.hollynear.com/index.html
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