A post to inform you if either you decide to visit France, then please go to Toulouse, the pink city that now is finally deserving her reputation, not only by the color of the rooftops.
Because unlike in Paris you will find there some lesbian-only activism (led by radical lesbians or lesbians separatists and some feminist lesbians) in varied forms, this even if we do not have yet a place of our own :


Lesbian Appetizer and aperitif

A warm welcoming and mouthfull of information addressed to the new lesbians coming in Toulouse and made by volunteering great dykes aware of what is going on for lesbians only (no men!) :
Every second Friday of the month, from 5pm to 7pm, Josefine, Gabriele and Valérie will await you at the lesbian-friendly tea shop Vert Caramel, 45 rue des Paradoux, metro Esquirol, to tell you all you must know. The first session attracted 5 lesbians from 24 to 48 y.o. coming from the disappointing LGBT world (where the information had been left on purpose) and who had no idea that lesbian-only networks, associations, festival, bar and disco existed there in Toulouse
http://i17.servimg.com/u/f17/14/67/12/32/lesbia10.jpg
Site (under construction) www.lezbiennes.com
Email : bienvenue@lezbiennes.com


Main Course

There is a lesbian-only network who is in charge of information and of organizing a Spring Lesbian Festival in Toulouse, which is working since 20 years now and internationally reknown, speakers being invited from abroad, for ex. Carolyne Gage, the color of the festival is clearly radical and feminist (non-mixed) lesbianist.
Free suscription to the information email at bagdam@bagdam.org and website at www.bagdam.org
Next Spring Festival will be held, well they don't know yet when it will be held, but will be held, in April somewhere!

Cheeseboard, yes cheese, you are in France, you've got to get the cheese!

La Luna Loca (means the Mad Moon in Spanish or Catalan) , 9 chemin du Prat Long in Toulouse, at 600 meters from metro Barrière de Paris, is a kind of lost-in-middle-of-nowhere-and-looking-more-like-a-garage-from-the-outside-but-nice-and-great-once-stepped-inside cosy charming cafe for lesbians only, built there with her little arms and held there since by Sylvie whose activism and commitment is responsible for the birth and life of this vital place for us, keeping the drinks rates at a very low rate, drinks from 1.50 euros for a fruit juice, and most importantly keeping the gate to women only, this comes every Thursday evenings from 7:30pm to midnight and all Saturday nights from 10pm to 3am, no entrance fees. On Fridays, there are a totally different atmosphere and guests because anybody is welcome, practically it means still a lot of lesbians but coming with their male friends, mostly gays, but all this is not interesting, and thanks Saturdays are ours!!!
The website is there : www.lalunaloca.fr

And now the most-waited for dessert

La Luna Loca decided she could as well invite us to a strictly women-only disco, meaning lesbians of course behind the word, once in a month on a Saturday (then the Luna Loca is not opening), this is taking place in a bigger place, which name is Dancing La Roseraie, in a very quiet place pile in front of the metro gate La Roseraie (but in Toulouse, very small city, some metro gates, you would not guess they are metro gates), you can't miss it, it is the only dancing around, it looks bad and old and closed from outside but great once inside, no entrance fees, drinks are slightly more expensive but still very ok, from 3 euros. And it is always full with good music, all lesbians dancing, no one staying in a corner or sad, and STRICTLY NO MEN ALLOWED and you see there the most beautiful dykes in France if you like mediteranean types of course, unfortunately a lot in couple already, age range is more around 40-60.

Now you can diversify your menu and if you get some time, then you can as well have a look on the various lesbians-only associations, 16 associations in Toulouse area, gathering 2000 lesbians, we even have a web dyke TV which name is Vidéobstinées (www.lesvideobstinees.org) and all the addresses are on the Bagdam website..
There is a big fest for the Lesbian Pride and a train to show us around Toulouse in June as well..

As Germany is not far from France, I need to inform you about the new creation of a Women's Music Festival, first was held in July 2009 : http://www.frauenmusikfestival.de/web-c ... tival.html

And Denmark is close too, there is since long a women camp on Femoe island : http://www.kvindelejren.dk/index.asp?side=3&sprog=EN

Still quite close, in Austria a lesbian bookshop in Graz (all written in German) dedicated to lesbian archives : http://wolfsmutter.com/modules.php?name ... p=8&id=820 , it has been launched by a separatist friend Leni and she sings as well, below a link to the songs she made for the international day against violence against women, most songs being in English :
"You don't have to take it like I did - Feministische Lieder gegen Maennergewalt, Part 1 and Part 2", each part lasts one hour and is feminist songs against male violence
http://cba.fro.at/show.php?lang=de&query=post

Now I want to inform you about the other end of the planet, New-Zealand, you will find activism there too, this is the website of a friend Miriam I have met in Paris at Cineffable, she created a lesbian museum, have a look at the links :
http://www.charlottemuseum.lesbian.net.nz/


If you really want to, you can join my humble virtual separatist forum, open to feminist (in non-mixity) and radical lesbians too, it is very small, very new, not in English yet and awaiting better design, do not hesitate to send yours, and more contributions, just let's say it is sleeping at the moment, but already 5 great dykes are registred there, 1 separatist claiming the label radical too (whatever wrote monique wittig), 3 separatists including one from Australia and 1 radical.
The purpose is to link separatists together, especially because there are a lot of spread out separatist communities and individuals worlwide who are not far to think they are the last survivors and who could get huge benefits to know others exist too and where, there is another goal wich is to help launch a renewal in the lesbian political discussion groups in France.
The address is there : www.lesboseparatiste.forumactif.com

Personal announcement : I live at 40 miles from Toulouse, at the mediteranean sea, I know a long-time existing separatist community very near but they are not recruiting, also I would like to settle my own mini-separatist community there by just renting a house in a village, hopefully with a garden, because the goal would be to live with lesbian separatists *roommates (more than just roommates of course!)* but as well to welcome for free other lesbians willing to have a rest and relax at the sea. So if you know of one or two lesbian friends in France who may be interested to move and rent with me, the rent may be as low as 170 euros a month id divided equally (from 330 to 500 euros in total).. If I fail, I will rent all alone a small flat in Toulouse, but I prefer to live with other lesbians..

Thank you and see you maybe one day in Toulouse !

Monique