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Four women carrying signs saying: Gouines, Dykes, Woman to Women, Lesbians.
Photo from the video jacket
On June 20, Dominique Bourque, professor at the Institute of Feminist and Gender Studies within the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Ottawa, will present the documentary Amazones d’Hier, Lesbiennes d’Aujourd’hui: 40 Years Later (2021) at the University of Salento in Lecce, Italy. She co-directed the film with Johanne Coulombe and Julie Valancourt.

The documentary revisits the story of the Amazones d’Hier, Lesbiennes d’Aujourd’hui (AHLA) collective, founded in Montreal in 1977. This pioneering group produced the first French-language documentary about Quebec lesbians, launched a lesbian magazine (1982–2014), and organized cultural and political events centered on lesbian artistic and theoretical production.

Drawing on archival footage and interviews conducted in 2021, the film highlights the journey of the collective’s four founding members—Gin Bergeron, Ariane Brunet, Louise Turcotte, and Danielle Charest (1951–2011)—emphasizing the power of memory and the importance of documenting lesbian lives. The sudden death of co-director Johanne Coulombe before the film was edited adds emotional and historical weight to the project.

Following the screening, a roundtable discussion titled The Place of Lesbianism in the Feminist Movement will bring together professors Dominique Bourque, Daniela Danna, Katia Lotteria, and Irene Strazzeri. Together, they will reflect on the evolution of lesbian-feminist thought, drawing from the works of Monique Wittig, Nicole-Claude Mathieu, and Colette Guillaumin, and addressing the shifting dynamics between feminist and lesbian activism.

This initiative reflects the Faculty’s commitment to activist memory, social justice, critical knowledge, and the visibility of marginalized voices. Through this international event, contributes to amplifying lesbian and sexual minorities narratives within academic and cultural spheres.