Esther D.

Who are the women who struggled to form lesbian communities--and how did they fund their activism?

In Everyday Mutinies: Funding Lesbian Activism, two dozen lesbians--including well-known activists such as Martina Navratilova, Alison Bechdel, Dee Mosbacher, and Jewelle Gomez--tell the stories of their activism, with an emphasis on how they support themselves and fund their political activities. Their examples can help you deal with raising and allocating money. Less than 0.3 of all philanthropic dollars are awarded to lesbian and gay projects each year. Yet Everyday Mutinies shares amazing success stories of women surviving, thriving, and making an impact by using the resources they have with intelligence and skill. You will be moved and inspired by the stories behind Naiad Press, The Ladder, Straight from the Heart, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

Everyday Mutinies presents the voices of scientists, political strategists, artists, writers, fundraisers, and community organizers. These courageous women discuss their strategies for getting and using money to pursue their visions, including:

• funding scientific studies in creative ways

• liberating corporate resources

• encouraging responsible stewardship of inherited wealth

• getting paid for working on lesbian causes

• choosing a job to support activism

• financing lesbian media from magazines to documentaries

• giving time versus giving money

  Everyday Mutinies is an essential resource on the history and practice of lesbian activism. It also contains valuable ideas for any political lesbian who has wondered how she can possibly pay her bills and make the rent while remaining a full-time activist.