The Leaping Lesbian
Item
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Title
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The Leaping Lesbian
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Description
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Paraphrased from the University of Michigan Special Collections Finding Aid:
The creative and publishing force behind the Leaping Lesbian publication was formed in December of 1976 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This collective of four Ann Arbor women (Laura Sky Brown, Susan Fecteau, Nancy Silverrod, and Perry Silverschanz), funded by the University of Michigan Student Government, published their first newsletter early in 1977.
Initially a free publication with a small monthly circulation, the Leaping Lesbian sought to fill the needs of the Ann Arbor lesbian community. In order to achieve this objective, the collective accepted and published original material from its readers, which included poetry, articles, essays and letters. Topics of submitted and published materials varied, ranging from social, political and legal issues to emotional and erotic issues. Articles covered prostitution, lesbian child custody battles, gay violence, eating disorders, lesbian performers and lesbian profiles.
Within two years, it had grown from a small, monthly newsletter with a mainly local readership to a larger, bimonthly magazine maintaining a national lesbian following. In order to keep up with the growing demands, the collective asked all readers to subscribe to the magazine. The May-June 1978 issue (Vol. 2, #4) marked the last free issue of the Leaping Lesbian . Although the growth of the Leaping Lesbian reflected its success, the collective records, particularly the meeting minutes, show that the operation of the publication did not always run smoothly. Early in the collective's history, personality conflicts, heavy workloads and strained budgets added tension to its operation. Although it is not clear why the collective disbanded, or never reformed, the March 1980 (Vol. 3 #5) issue was the last Leaping Lesbian ever to be published.
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Leaping Lesbian Finding Aid
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Format
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Magazine
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Dates
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1976-1980
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Publisher
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The Leaping Lesbian Collective
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Location of Publication
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Ann Arbor, Michigan
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Number of Issues
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22
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License
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Permission to publish must be obtained from the Leaping Lesbian Collective.
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Holding Institutions
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University of Michigan Library Special Collections Research Center, Joseph A. Labadie Collection
The Leaping Lesbian: Volume I, #7