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On Our Backs Magazine: A Historical Overview
On Our Backs, a pioneering publication, bravely explored lesbian sexuality and feminist perspectives, now largely accessible through a comprehensive PDF archive.
The Origins and Founding Principles
On Our Backs emerged in 1976 from a palpable need within the lesbian feminist community for a dedicated publication. Existing feminist media largely overlooked lesbian perspectives, and mainstream LGBTQ+ publications often marginalized women’s experiences. A collective of activists and writers in Cambridge, Massachusetts, envisioned a magazine by lesbians, for lesbians, centering their voices and desires.
The founding principles were rooted in a commitment to radical feminism, sexual liberation, and challenging patriarchal norms. They aimed to create a space for honest, open discussion about lesbian sexuality, relationships, and identity, free from censorship or societal expectations. The magazine explicitly rejected the medical model of homosexuality and embraced a sex-positive approach.
Crucially, On Our Backs prioritized representing diverse experiences within the lesbian community, including women of color, working-class lesbians, and those with disabilities. This commitment to inclusivity shaped its editorial direction from the very beginning, laying the groundwork for its lasting impact.
Early Years & Editorial Focus (1976-1985)
During its formative decade, On Our Backs established itself as a vital platform for lesbian voices. Early issues boldly tackled taboo subjects like lesbian sexuality, BDSM, and alternative relationship structures, offering a counter-narrative to mainstream representations. The magazine featured a mix of personal essays, poetry, fiction, artwork, and political analysis, all through a distinctly lesbian feminist lens.
A key editorial focus was challenging the prevailing societal silence surrounding lesbian desire and pleasure. Articles frequently explored female eroticism, sexual health, and the complexities of lesbian relationships. The magazine also provided a crucial space for discussing issues like homophobia, discrimination, and the fight for lesbian rights.
The collective structure of the magazine ensured diverse perspectives and fostered a collaborative environment. The PDF archive from this period reveals a consistent commitment to radical inclusivity and challenging conventional norms.
The Significance of the PDF Archive
The On Our Backs PDF archive safeguards decades of queer feminist thought, making this historically significant content readily available for research and exploration.
Preserving a Queer Feminist History
The digitization of On Our Backs represents a crucial act of historical preservation. Before the advent of widespread digital archiving, publications like this faced an uncertain future, vulnerable to loss through physical deterioration, limited distribution, and societal neglect. The PDF archive ensures that the magazine’s unique contribution to queer feminist discourse isn’t relegated to dusty library stacks or forgotten personal collections.
This archive actively combats the erasure of lesbian and bisexual women’s voices, experiences, and perspectives – voices historically marginalized within both mainstream feminist movements and LGBTQ+ narratives. It provides a tangible record of a vibrant community, its internal debates, its creative expressions, and its political activism. The archive isn’t simply a collection of texts; it’s a repository of lived realities, offering invaluable insights for scholars, activists, and anyone interested in understanding the evolution of sexual and gender politics.
Accessibility & Challenges of Digital Preservation
While the On Our Backs PDF archive dramatically increases accessibility to the magazine’s content, digital preservation isn’t without its hurdles. Ensuring long-term access requires ongoing effort to migrate files to new formats as technology evolves, preventing obsolescence. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) – crucial for searchable text – isn’t always perfect, leading to errors and hindering research.
Furthermore, maintaining the archive’s integrity demands robust storage solutions and disaster recovery plans. Copyright concerns and permissions also present challenges, requiring careful navigation to balance accessibility with the rights of contributors and the magazine’s estate. Despite these obstacles, the benefits of having this vital resource readily available far outweigh the difficulties, offering a powerful tool for education, research, and community building.
Content Categories & Recurring Themes
The magazine consistently featured diverse content, including personal essays, erotic stories, political analysis, and art, all centered on lesbian experiences.
Sex-Positive Feminism & Sexual Liberation
On Our Backs fundamentally challenged prevailing feminist discourse by embracing a sex-positive stance, a radical act during its time. The magazine actively refuted the notion that female sexuality was inherently oppressive or in need of ‘liberation’ from itself, instead advocating for sexual agency and pleasure as empowering forces.
Through explicit imagery, personal narratives, and thoughtful essays, On Our Backs provided a platform for lesbians to openly discuss their desires, experiences, and boundaries. This was a direct response to both patriarchal control over female bodies and the often-puritanical attitudes within some segments of the feminist movement.
The PDF archive vividly demonstrates this commitment, showcasing articles that celebrated lesbian eroticism, explored diverse sexual practices, and promoted healthy attitudes towards sex and relationships. It was a space where pleasure wasn’t a guilty secret, but a source of strength and self-discovery.
BDSM, Kink, and Alternative Sexualities
On Our Backs distinguished itself by openly addressing BDSM, kink, and a spectrum of alternative sexualities, topics largely absent from mainstream feminist and LGBTQ+ publications. The magazine provided a rare and vital space for exploration and discussion, challenging societal taboos and dismantling shame surrounding these practices.
The PDF archive reveals articles and personal accounts detailing consensual power dynamics, fetishism, and diverse expressions of desire within lesbian communities. This wasn’t about sensationalism, but about acknowledging the reality of these interests and fostering safer, more informed conversations.
On Our Backs emphasized consent, communication, and responsible exploration as cornerstones of any sexual activity, including those considered ‘kinky.’ It offered a nuanced perspective, moving beyond judgment and towards understanding and acceptance, a truly groundbreaking approach for its era.
Lesbian Culture & Community Representation
On Our Backs served as a crucial platform for representing the diversity within lesbian culture, moving beyond stereotypical portrayals prevalent in mainstream media. The magazine actively showcased the experiences of lesbians of color, working-class lesbians, and those with disabilities, voices often marginalized even within LGBTQ+ spaces.
The PDF archive demonstrates a commitment to documenting lesbian history, art, music, and literature. It featured interviews with prominent lesbian artists, writers, and activists, preserving their contributions for future generations. Community events, political activism, and the challenges faced by lesbian communities were consistently highlighted.
Through personal essays, poetry, and fiction, On Our Backs fostered a sense of belonging and solidarity among its readership, creating a virtual community where lesbians could see themselves reflected and celebrated.
Navigating the On Our Backs PDF Collection
Accessing the digitized On Our Backs archive requires understanding its structure; the PDF format presents both opportunities and unique navigational considerations for researchers.
Where to Find the Digital Archives
The primary digital repository for the complete run of On Our Backs magazine is the Lesbian Herstory Archives (LHA) in Brooklyn, New York. The LHA undertook a significant project to scan and create PDFs of each issue, making them available to researchers and the public. Access to the collection is generally available online through the LHA’s website, though some restrictions may apply depending on the user’s location or research purpose;
Additionally, several university libraries and digital collections have mirrored or partnered with the LHA to provide access to the On Our Backs PDFs. These include institutions with strong women’s studies or LGBTQ+ research programs. A comprehensive list of these partner institutions can often be found on the LHA website or through scholarly databases. Researchers should be aware that access methods and search capabilities may vary between these different platforms.
It’s also worth noting that individual issues or articles may be found on platforms like the Internet Archive, but the LHA remains the most complete and authoritative source for the magazine’s digital archive.
Search Functionality & Indexing Issues
While the digitization of On Our Backs is a monumental achievement, searching the PDF archive presents certain challenges. Many PDFs were created from scans, resulting in text that isn’t always fully machine-readable. This impacts the accuracy of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and, consequently, the effectiveness of keyword searches within the documents.
The Lesbian Herstory Archives (LHA) is continually working to improve indexing, but complete and consistent metadata is still under development. Searching by author, article title, or specific keywords may yield incomplete results. Researchers often find it necessary to browse through issues manually to uncover relevant content.
Furthermore, the magazine’s diverse subject matter and evolving editorial style mean that relevant articles may be categorized under unexpected headings. Utilizing a combination of search terms and browsing strategies is recommended for thorough research within the On Our Backs PDF collection.
Impact and Influence on Queer Culture
On Our Backs profoundly shaped queer discourse, offering vital representation and fostering sex-positive conversations, now preserved within its accessible PDF archive.
Challenging Mainstream Media Representations
Before the widespread availability of LGBTQ+ media, On Our Backs served as a crucial counterpoint to overwhelmingly negative or entirely absent portrayals of lesbian life in mainstream publications. The magazine deliberately and consistently presented diverse lesbian experiences – encompassing a wide range of ages, bodies, sexualities, and perspectives – that were systematically ignored or misrepresented elsewhere.
Through its explicit content and unapologetic focus on female pleasure, On Our Backs directly challenged societal taboos and the heteronormative gaze. The PDF archive now allows researchers and readers to examine how the magazine actively deconstructed harmful stereotypes and offered a platform for self-definition. It provided a space where lesbians could see themselves reflected, validated, and empowered, a stark contrast to the often-pathologizing or sensationalized coverage found in conventional media outlets. This act of representation, preserved in the PDF collection, was a radical act of resistance.
Influence on Sex-Positive Discourse
On Our Backs was instrumental in fostering a sex-positive feminist discourse, particularly within lesbian communities, and its impact resonates even through the digital accessibility of its PDF archive. The magazine openly discussed female sexuality, pleasure, and desire, dismantling the shame and silence often surrounding these topics. It presented sex as a natural and healthy part of life, advocating for sexual agency and consent long before these concepts gained mainstream traction.
The PDF collection demonstrates how On Our Backs challenged traditional feminist perspectives that sometimes viewed sexuality with suspicion or as inherently oppressive. By centering lesbian desire and experiences, the magazine contributed to a more nuanced understanding of sexual liberation. Its willingness to explore kink, BDSM, and diverse sexual practices, documented within the archive, broadened the scope of sex-positive thought and paved the way for more inclusive conversations about sexuality today.
The Magazine’s Later Years & Transition (1986-2006)
Despite continued relevance, On Our Backs faced increasing challenges, ultimately ceasing publication in 2006, though its PDF archive endures.
Shifting Editorial Landscape
As the cultural climate evolved from the mid-1980s through the early 2000s, On Our Backs navigated a changing editorial landscape. While maintaining its core commitment to lesbian voices and sex-positive feminism, the magazine responded to emerging issues within the LGBTQ+ community, including the AIDS crisis and debates surrounding identity politics.
There was a gradual broadening of topics, sometimes leading to internal discussions about maintaining the magazine’s distinct focus. The rise of the internet and alternative media outlets also presented both opportunities and challenges, impacting readership and advertising revenue. Editors attempted to balance established readership expectations with the need to attract new audiences and remain relevant in a diversifying media environment. The PDF archive reflects these shifts, showcasing a magazine adapting to, and often challenging, the prevailing social and political currents of the time.
Financial Challenges & Publication Cease
Throughout its later years, On Our Backs faced escalating financial difficulties, a common struggle for independent, feminist publications. Declining advertising revenue, coupled with rising production and distribution costs, created a persistent budgetary strain. Despite dedicated fundraising efforts and loyal subscriber bases, securing sustainable funding proved increasingly difficult.
The advent of the internet further impacted the magazine’s financial viability, as advertisers shifted budgets to online platforms. Attempts to transition to a digital-first model were explored, but ultimately insufficient to offset losses. In 2006, after three decades of groundbreaking work, the difficult decision was made to cease publication. Fortunately, the extensive PDF archive ensures the magazine’s legacy endures, offering researchers and readers continued access to its vital content, preserving a crucial piece of queer history.
The Legacy of On Our Backs Today
The digitized On Our Backs PDF collection powerfully sustains its radical vision, inspiring contemporary discourse and fostering crucial queer feminist scholarship.
Continuing Relevance in the 21st Century
Despite ceasing publication in 2006, On Our Backs maintains remarkable relevance today, largely due to the accessibility provided by its extensive PDF archive. The magazine’s unflinching exploration of lesbian sexuality, kink, and BDSM continues to resonate with contemporary audiences navigating evolving conversations around sexual liberation and identity.
The archive serves as a vital resource for understanding the historical roots of sex-positive feminism and queer activism. It offers a unique counter-narrative to mainstream representations, providing nuanced perspectives often absent from dominant media. Researchers, students, and activists alike utilize the PDF collection to examine the evolution of lesbian culture and feminist thought.
Furthermore, the magazine’s commitment to diverse voices within the lesbian community – including women of color and those with disabilities – remains profoundly important in fostering inclusivity and intersectionality within contemporary queer movements. The PDF archive ensures these voices are not lost to time.
Scholarly Research & Academic Interest
The digitization of On Our Backs via its PDF archive has dramatically increased scholarly engagement with the magazine’s content. Researchers across disciplines – including gender studies, queer theory, history, and media studies – are utilizing the archive for diverse projects.
Academic interest focuses on the magazine’s unique contribution to feminist discourse, its pioneering representation of lesbian sexuality, and its role in shaping queer community. Studies analyze the magazine’s editorial choices, its visual aesthetics, and its impact on broader cultural conversations.
The PDF format facilitates textual analysis and allows for the creation of digital humanities projects. Researchers are exploring the archive to map the evolution of lesbian identity, track the development of sex-positive feminism, and understand the complexities of BDSM representation. The archive’s accessibility is fostering a new wave of critical scholarship.