A History of Lesbian Feminism: How Softball Became Activism

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Talks on Tuesdays is a live event series bringing big ideas, real experts, and curious minds together - at your favourite local venues. Think thought-provoking lectures, audience questions, and post-talk mingling over drinks and dinner.

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Event Schedule:

6.30pm Arrival & Doors Open

7pm Lecuture Starts

7.45pm Q&A

8pm Talk Concludes

8.30pm Event Closes.

*Please arrive close to 6.30pm

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A History of Lesbian Feminism: How Softball Became Activism

Sport underpins Australia’s national identity. While sport can foster a sense of mateship and community, haters often point to the way it can be male-centric and “blokey”.

During the 1980s, women’s liberationists and lesbian feminists attempted to rattle cultural norms. In particular, they attempted to use community women’s sport to disrupt what they saw as the dominant heterosexual masculine sporting culture.
Join Dr Jacquelyn Baker as she explores community softball in Melbourne in the 1980s. Drawing on archival research, she examines accounts written by lesbian feminists to understand how sport was an important aspect of lesbian feminist activism. How did participation in community softball help lesbian feminists feel a strong a sense of community and ‘show pride to a heterosexual society’?