With yet another economic downturn having a disproportionate impact on minorities, it is important that those of us who can, pick up the slack. We must fight alongside our American counterparts against the onslaught they are facing while, at the same time, ensure that we do not become infected by the poisonous rhetoric of intolerance. But that does not stop those who seek to diminish our rights gaining inspiration from the other side of the Atlantic. Much of this rollback of rights is driven by the hard religious right and we can count ourselves lucky that, in the UK, the conservative Christian right holds little sway over Westminster. I spend a lot of time in the US, and some of the anti-LGBTQIA rhetoric and, even worse, legislation is truly horrific. Those who seek to sow division, when standing together makes us all stronger, will never win! If you are a trans woman and you are reading this, I want to assure you that DIVA and the overwhelming majority of lesbians stand with you. I am saddened that there is a vocal minority within our community which appears to have forgotten about its own struggles against prejudice and bigotry and is now directing precisely the same narrow-minded intolerance against a tiny section of the population. Lesbian Visibility Week is fiercely inclusive of trans people, as is DIVA magazine, which celebrates its thirtieth birthday next year. And if you’re not sure why Lesbian Visibility Week is needed, ask yourself what the lesbian flag looks like. But while our brothers’ achievements over the past five decades should not be ignored, neither should the seminal part played by women who love women in the fight for equality be airbrushed from history. It cannot be denied that the past 50 years have seen huge strides made by the LGBTQIA community as a whole but, even now, so many of the victories that are now taken for granted – equal marriage, the right to serve in the military, the right to adopt children – have been laid at the door of gay men. The DIVA Power List is one of the highlights of Lesbian Visibility Week, a time where we celebrate a community that has for so long existed on the margins – under-appreciated, undervalued and under-represented. Tough for those who missed out, but what an endorsement of the depth of talent in our community of strong, proud women. Today, seven years later, we have – very reluctantly – been forced to be more ruthless than ever as we have faced the unenviable task of not including a host of high achievers from the list. When DIVA magazine launched the DIVA Power List just seven years ago, with the aim of shining an unashamedly bright spotlight on some of the incredible women in our community, we struggled to find 100 out-and-proud women to make up the numbers. Meet the visionaries blazing a trail for LGBTQIA women and non-binary people
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