I came out as lesbian in 1986 at the age of 18 to a thriving lesbian community in Melbourne. We had a feminist bookshop, a lesbian run sex shop, cafes, dances, women-only balls, discos and nightclubs. We even took over a gay men's sauna a few times (with their consent and blessings of course). Since 1986, I have seen a thriving lesbian community completely decimated by the trans movement. Everything we do now has gone underground. There are no lesbian or women-only events anymore because trans women i.e. men have infiltrated everything. Everything now is about the LGBTIQ movement and we all know this is about the TIQ movement at the expense of same-sex attracted people. Recently, a group of lesbians approached the new LGBTIQ centre opening in Melbourne and asked for one room to be made available for lesbian-only space. This was refused on the grounds it was transphobic. I have also noticed that there is no such thing anymore as butch baby dykes, i.e young lesbians, they're all "transing" to be men. I am now 54 and it breaks my heart to see my community reduced to secretive and underground meetings, being abused, doxxed and bullied by the trans movement just for standing up for our own rights.

#australia #melbourne #lesbiancommunity #lesbians #lesbianspaces