For the first time since its inception in 1993, the Lesbian Lives Conference is crossing the Atlantic to New York City! The conference is hosted by the Journal of Lesbian Studies, Sinister Wisdom, and CLAGS: the Center for LGBT Studies at the City University of New York. Lesbian Lives brings together academics, artists, writers, and activists to showcase, enjoy, and critically analyze lesbian culture.

Rooted in an ethos of inclusivity, dialogue, diversity, and accessibility, the conference welcomes people of all sexualities and genders.

Lesbian Lives 2025 will be held on October 24 and 25 at the Graduate Center CUNY, 365 Fifth Avenue, NY, NY 10016.

In keeping with its arrival in the global city of New York, this year's theme is:

"The Lesbian International: Creating Networks of Knowledge Across Space and Time"

Our aim is to foster international and interdisciplinary conversations on critical issues in lesbian studies today. By engaging with global scholars, activists, and artists, we seek to deepen understanding of the lesbian erotic and generate new knowledge, artistic imaginations, and activist strategies to sustain lesbian lives and resistance.

We invite proposals on (but not limited to) the following themes:

Lesbian Desires
The lesbian erotic, sexual practices, norms, sex work, BDSM and poly lesbian relationship; political lesbianism, the joy of lesbian sex, friendships, companionship, and chosen families.

Lesbian Memory Work
Lesbian oral histories, memory work, and counteracting lesbian erasure across global communities.

Lesbian Genius
Highlighting and engaging with the work of groundbreaking lesbian visual artists, choreographers, filmmakers, writers, poets, and activists.

The Sapphic State
Lesbian political resistance to lesbophobia, transphobia, and anti- gender ideology. Combating intersectional forms of oppressions, including patriarchy, capitalism, neoliberalism, racism, colonialism, and white supremacy. Anti-war, anti-genocide lesbian organizing and resistance to pink washing. Lesbian political theory from around the world.

Intergenerational Conversations
The evolving landscape of lesbian genders, sexualities, communities, and politics, and their impact on solidarity and intergenerational dialogues.

Lesbians Spaces
Gentrification, the disappearance of lesbian spaces, online lesbian culture, shift to the rural, the lesbian transnational, lesbian refugees and lesbian migrations.

Lesbian Earth
Exploring lesbian relationship to nature, interspecies entanglement, resistance to climate change, back to the land communities, and eco-lesbianism.

Imagining Lesbian Futures
Exploring new lesbian imaginations identities, sexualities, genders, cultural formations, and visions for the future.

The conference is hosted by the Journal of Lesbian Studies, Sinister Wisdom, and CLAGS: the Center for LGBT Studies at the City University of New York.

We welcome proposals for:
- Individual papers
- Panel sessions
- Roundtable discussions
- Workshops
- Film (after 2020) screenings
- Visual presentations

We encourage submissions across all genres—both factual and fictional—that align with the conference theme. The Lesbian Lives Conference aims to build bridges across disciplines and embrace innovative forms of critical engagement with the politics of solidarity.

Submissions are now closed. Successful applicants will be required to register for the conference by July 1, 2025.

For any questions, reach out to sinisterwisdom@gmail.com.

For more information about the Lesbian Lives conference, its history and commitments, please visit this website: https://blogs.brighton.ac.uk/lesbianlives24/about/

At this time, we do not have travel bursaries available. Should they become available, we will make an announcement here.

Donations

Sinister Wisdom, a 501c3 organization, is the fiscal agent for Lesbian Lives 2025. If you would like to make a donation to support Lesbian Lives, you can make a donation below–or email sinisterwisdom@gmail.com for more information.