Lesbian Visibility Week is also an opportunity to support lesbians by addressing the specific challenges they face daily in society. This year, Hinge is celebrating with GAY TIMES by providing answers to the Not-so Frequently Asked Questions (NFAQ) lesbian and queer women face as they navigate dating. 

Created initially as Lesbian Visibility Day in 2008, the celebration was extended in 2020 when journalist, activist, and DIVA magazine publisher, Linda Riley, called out that a single day was “insufficient” when it came to lifting up all the women and non-binary people in the LGBTQIA+ community. 

For too long, Riley said, lesbians and queer women had been undervalued and overlooked by the wider LGBTQIA+ community and fetishised by the heterosexual male gaze. Through Lesbian Visibility Week, all women and non-binary people, whether lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or queer, have the space and opportunity to be recognised, celebrated, and supported. 

As we empower queer women and non-binary people to have the freedom to express and explore their identities, this creates more space for the community to ask questions and have meaningful discussions around connection. For example, one query that arose was: “What are some things people should know about if they are new to lesbian dating?” To answer this, GAY TIMES and Hinge partnered with LGBTQIA+ creator, producer, and presenter Rosie Turner.

She shares that when dating as a lesbian or a queer person, an important thing to know is that you don’t have to adhere to gender roles. 

“I feel like this is a big thing: do I pay on a first date? Do they pay on a first date?” Rosie says. “Just split the bill. And if that person does decide to pay, it doesn’t mean they have more power in the dynamic or that they’re more masculine. They just wanted to treat you to a burger and fries.”