Madeleine and the Doctor and the Valkyries

By Jewelle Gomez–

I love discovering historical facts, especially those that reveal how powerful women and lesbians have always been— despite being disappeared, tortured, and humiliated into silence. I don’t care if another Superman movie is ever made in my lifetime, but here’s a movie I want to see: Madeleine and the Doctor starring Caitriona Balfe and Nicola Coughlin. Not Doctor Who, one of my faves, but about Madeleine ffrench-Mullen (1880–1944) and Doctor Kathleen Lynn (1874–1955), two heroic activists for Irish independence and women’s suffrage.

I can’t make definitive statements about the complicated history of “the Troubles” in Ireland or even about the Great Hunger (or Famine), which lasted almost a decade, except to say that, wherever there’s discord, war, and hunger historically, look for the British. And I say that as an Anglophile with sincere appreciation for the not-bad things for which they are responsible.

Despite British oppression, Madeleine and the Doctor (which is what Madeleine called Kathleen) managed to make a life for themselves as lesbians, living together for thirty years in Dublin. They advocated for women’s rights early in the 20th century, when women did not wear cute pink hats while they were being force fed in prison. They participated in the 1916 Easter Rising, a revolt against British subjugation, for which they were imprisoned along with many other “matriots” fighting for independence for the Irish.

Their most impressive legacy may be the establishment of St Ultan’s Children’s Hospital in Dublin in 1919. Against the rigid opposition of the Catholic Church and their government, they established a vaccination project saving thousands of children from dying of tuberculosis. It’s fortunate that RFK, Jr., wasn’t in the Irish government at the time!

I’m thrilled to remind folks of their amazing work that laid the groundwork for so many accomplishments for women around the world. And I want to remind us that women’s work is never done.

We are assaulted and killed by men at an alarming rate. Women who have killed their rapists in self-defense or the men who’ve sex trafficked them are still routinely sent to prison. In one case, a teenager was forced to pay reparation to the family of her rapist. In the most widely known human trafficking case currently in the news and involving #47, the trafficker’s girlfriend is in jail; no men. 

The internet keeps posting secret code words to alert bartenders when women feel endangered, and devices to protect women’s drinks from being spiked with drugs. But nobody ever arrests the guys who are the perpetrators.

We are still dismissed professionally whether in an office or in sports. At a recent WNBA basketball game played by the Golden State Valkyries, a man in the stands threw what the press delicately calls a “sex toy” or euphemistically an NSFW (not safe for work) on the court during play. This was one of apparently at least six incidents when a green dildo was thrown at the female players. They were all gracious and didn’t let the adolescent disruption interfere with their work … and it is work they are doing just like Steph Curry and LeBron James, even though women don’t get paid nearly as much.

As I watched the assault, I recognized it as that old-fashioned declaration: “Mine is bigger than yours.” And if we listen to history, the accusation behind the “toy” is that, if they’re playing sports, they must be dykes. That has been used to shut down women athletes for more than a hundred years and it’s alarming that men still think that’ll work.

Only two of the perpetrators have been arrested so far, probably because the media is acting like it’s just a prank. If an NSFW had been thrown on the court at a Warriors or Lakers game, I imagine the perpetrators would be, not in the jail, but under it. A dildo thrown at WNBA players isn’t a joke; it is an attempt to silence the amazing women athletes who are making history. Let’s make a movie about that.

Jewelle Gomez is a lesbian/feminist activist, novelist, poet, and playwright. She’s written for “The Advocate,” “Ms. Magazine,” “Black Scholar,” “The San Francisco Chronicle,” “The New York Times,” and “The Village Voice.” Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @VampyreVamp

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Published on August 14, 2025