ALFA, the Atlanta Lesbian Feminist Alliance, was the first out lesbian organization in Georgia whose members participated in movements such as Women’s Liberation, Civil Rights, antiwar, Lesbian and Gay Liberation, and socialist efforts. 

Through nurturing a womens only space, marches and rallies, and lesbian joy, these women protested the institutions that oppressed them and others that could not or refused to conform to the white heterosexual norms. In 1975, the Great Southeast Lesbian Conference was organized by ALFA members. ALFA also participated each year in the Gay Pride Committee, and at least one member served as co-chair of Gay Pride. Representatives for ALFA also attended various antiracist organizations including the Police Advisory Committee of the Atlanta Police Department and the National Anti-Klan Network. These women valued communal living, the idea of nonmonogomy, and confronted ideologies resulting from the patriarchy.

At its peak, ALFA had a hundred members and the ALFA house served as a meeting place for dozens of other activist groups. While the focus of ALFA was activism, the organization, and the groups it housed, became a social hub for lesbians in Georgia. Some of these social groups included two softball teams sponsored by ALFA, the Women’s Chorus, and the Red Dyke Theater. 

In the 1980s, ALFA membership began to decline. This decline was bittersweet; by fighting for more spaces, rights, and resources, for queer people in Georgia the necessity and urgency of ALFA waned. After 22 years of serving the Georgian lesbian community, ALFA ceased official operations in 1994. Yet, ALFA’s work continues to reinforce a positive lesbian identity and to inspire global activism.

Join Sinister Wisdom on June 21 for a celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of ALFA. ALFA@50 will celebrate ALFA's history as part of queer history and the ongoing struggle for human rights in our world. Former ALFA members Lorraine Fontana, Margo George, Elaine Kolb, and others will speak. Register for the zoom event here.

This feature was adapted from “ALFA: Intersections, Activism, Legacies 1972–1994,” by Charlene Ball, published in Sinister Wisdom 93. Sinister Wisdom 93 is available through the purchase of a Oral Herstorians box set.  “ALFA, AA, and the Spiritual Path” by Lorraine Fontana in Sinister Wisdom 124, also informed this piece.

ALFA primary sources are available at the Duke Archives. Various articles published in the Great Speckeld Bird in the 1970s about ALFA and Atlanta lesbians are available online to read: “ALFA Demands Equals Rights,” “ALFA,” “ALFA,” “Lesbians on the Move.”

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Curated with community, history, and an understanding that every present moment is a nexus of many pasts. May these stories of queer culture inspire, enthuse, and rouse you to lesbian actions. We hope you've enjoyed the ninth installment of Sinister Snapshot! Have a lovely weekend.