In-betweenness

Lesbianity in socialist Slovenia

Bibliographic Data

ID12459368
AuthorsMaja Pan (0000-0002-5856-9692, University of Ljubljana, corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume30
Issue2
Pages211-231
Publication date2026-03-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Lesbian Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1089-4160 • E-ISSN: 1540-3548
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10894160.2026.2629225
PMID41772924
OpenAlexW7133334250
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited11

This paper examines lesbianity (i.e., a less pathological term in Slavic languages than lesbianism) and the politicisation of lesbianity in socialist Slovenia during the "democratisation" processes in the 1980s and the early 1990s. The cumulative effect of various developments led to the first collective lesbian public self-representation (such as the media pamphlet "We Love Women"), and subsequently to the establishment of the group Lesbian Lilit (LL) in 1987. This paper traces lesbian organising in the Socialist Republic of Slovenia through interactions with the Yugoslav new feminist scene and the Slovene gay movement until 1993, when the squatting of the emptied Yugoslav army complex Metelkova in Ljubljana took place. The alliance of lesbian activism with more established feminist and gay political activist organising allows an examination of lesbianity through what I call "in-betweenness". Finally, the paper accounts for the missed - and still missing - chance for establishment of the Yugoslav Lesbian Socialist Party

Alliance · Lesbian · Politics · Slavic languages · Socialist republic · Gender Studies in Language · Historical Gender and Feminism Studies · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy

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