"And you, how many lesbians do you know?"

Barcelona"And you, how many lesbians do you know?" The question is asked by Isabel Franc, lesbian writer and activist, co-author with Rosa Navarro of Behind the blinds, a comic about the silence that has historically surrounded lesbianism. In fact, trans women and gay men were the only faces of Franco's repression and the fight for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, which has gained acronyms over the years. In the images from the period that photographers like Colita did in the first demonstrations at the end of the 70s, lesbian women (those that refer to the L) do not appear. "Trans women stood up "because they had nothing to lose and were already visible," Franc replies.

Born in 1955 in Barcelona, Franc has no doubt that the invisibility of lesbian women is the responsibility of the "patriarchy and homocentrism", which have drawn societies with a prevalence of males. It occurs in all areas of life, and despite the diversity of the movement, lesbianism continues today in the background.

In the midst of commemorating the 20 years of the same-sex marriage law And of the legal and joint adoption by these families, Franc and her friend Joana Roch, 68, reflect on the invisibility that still persists. They assure us they are always there because, who knows, maybe with their words they can "help" other women. "Time has done us justice. We have gone from being social dangers to role models," laughs the writer, referring to the law on dangerousness and social rehabilitation, in force until 1978, which contemplated prison and psychiatric hospitalization for the group.

First lesbian marriage

Roch and her partner, Sabine Bisbe, were the first lesbians to make their decades-long relationship official in Barcelona. The day after King Juan Carlos I signed the same-sex marriage law, they made an appointment to get married. Roch recounts the "emotion" and the "tears" of that historic moment they had doubted they would ever see. It was July 2, 2005, the exact same day that 25 years earlier they had given each other rings to show their love.

They have never hidden their true selves and have always avoided the euphemisms of defining themselves as good friends, which even now tarnish lesbianism. "I've always referred to Sabine as my wife," she says. As a teenager, Joana Roc didn't even flinch when people at home mentioned a neighbor as a hypothetical boyfriend. "I was in the damn closet because I thought I was alone. If it had been now, maybe I would have had more role models," she recounts.

Political act

This shortcoming led her to realize that she no longer hesitated to turn her wedding into a political event, with journalists in attendance who publicized the historic event around the world. "I wanted to serve as a companion to women who don't feel accepted, so they would stop feeling like I did when I was little," the activist recounts.

That same desire prompted Franco to research lesbianism and write Behind the curtains, with illustrations by Rosa Navarro, which is an invitation for new generations to discover how lesbian women did things before the conquest of rights. The writer states that she has met young people who had no idea of the Franco regime's repression of all dissent, regardless of how it materialized.

In a way, she says, lesbians had an advantage because, for better or worse, it was accepted for two women to hold arms or even live together as friends. However, she points out that it was—and is, because the euphemism is still used close friend–, a way of "denying women's sexuality." With no lesbian role models in either public or private spaces, those of her generation grew up learning that homosexuality was an "aberration," just like exhibitionism, sadomasochism, and other forms of sexuality. -ism that Franco's authorities criminalized, without distinguishing whether or not they infringed rights. "They had to fight for their existence," reflects Franc, who asserts that feminism came to rescue lesbian women and empower them.

Less public presence

Despite the progress, both Franc and Roch agree that even among younger generations, it is more difficult to see public displays of affection between two women, and they warn that the struggle continues because, while "rights are hard to win, they are lost very quickly," referring to the regression due to pressure from extremist groups. On Pride floats and in the demonstrations, there is also a lower presence of lesbians.

When Marguerite Radclyffe Hall published in 1928 The well of loneliness, considered the first modern lesbian novel, suffered a brutal smear campaign. In current magazines, it is also difficult for women to appear as lesbians, and in films, lesbians are often shown as dark, mentally disturbed, and the stories frequently end badly, Franc points out. "I would like the [Sharon] Stone, who is my age, or one of these good actresses, played a lesbian role, to normalize it," says Roch.

Sexual freedom has led to the closure of gay bars, and although they say that those of their generation are more inclined to stay at home, Franc laments that the French are the same" with the excuse that there is no longer any need to protect themselves or hide. "Were they a ghetto? Aren't mountain bookshops or bike clubs?" she asks.