Its pride month and we’re celebrating lesbians worldwide. Like other members of the LGBTQ+ community, lesbians have faced oppression and discrimination for centuries. Lesbians have also been closely tied to the women’s movement for decades, even when they protested their exclusion from such movements during the late 1960s and early 1970s. During this time in women’s liberation, some activists, notably Betty Friedan who was the then president of The National Organization for Women, opposed the inclusion of lesbians in the movement. She is said to have been the first to use the phrase “Lavender Menace,” which inspired a protest at the Second Congress to Unite Women on May 1st, 1970. This protest proved to be a turning point for second wave feminism, as the movement henceforth recognized lesbians and lesbian feminism. 

Over the last several decades, lesbians have made great strides in media representation. In 1997, Ellen DeGeneres made history when she publicly came out on the cover of Time Magazine and then again on her television series, “Ellen.” This was groundbreaking for the time and DeGeneres faced a lot of backlash, however, it certainly opened the doors for more lesbian-centered programming. In 2004, “The L Word” premiered on Showtime and featured television’s first ensemble cast of lesbian and bisexual women. The show ran for six seasons and gave rise to a reality show, “The Real L Word” and a sequel television series, “The L Word: Generation Q.” In the last twenty years, we’ve also seen a number of lesbian relationships positively portrayed on mainstream television shows, including “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Glee,” “Jane the Virgin,” “Orange Is the New Black,” “Riverdale,” “Euphoria” and “The Walking Dead.”

In honor of the lesbians of the past, present and future, take a look at 70 lovely lesbian tattoos. Then let us know your favorite tattoo from this list in the comments section on social media.