Womansong" Lesbian Feminist Newspaper Archive

[Feminism][LGBTQ] Archive of seven issues of Womansong, 1974–1976. Columbus, Ohio: Womansong Collective. Feminist newspaper, presented in a folded booklet format. This rare and regionally specific lesbian and feminist newspaper was published by the Womansong Collective in central Ohio between 1974 and 1976. Each issue documents the radical political consciousness of the period, with sustained attention to racism, sexism, violence against women, women's spirituality, and gay liberation. The collective’s intersectional lens and emphasis on lived experience, consciousness-raising, and sisterhood situates Womansong within the national wave of lesbian-feminist (truncated) publications of the 1970s, but its regional focus and collaborative editorial voice make it a unique example of Midwestern feminist community-building. Archive includes:

[1] Vol. I No. 4 (October 1974), which headlines “Give Women Some CREDIT!” and includes full columns on abortion and the implementation of the ERA in Ohio.

[2] Vol. I No. 5 (December 1974), whose lead story “Racism and Sexism” covers a joint lecture by Gloria Steinem and Jane Galvin-Lewis on how internalized racism and patriarchy intersect within feminist organizing.

[3] Vol. I No. 6 (March 1975), centered on “Action Agenda ’75,” reporting from an Equal Rights Amendment conference with a cover cartoon satirizing gender imbalance in politics.

[4] Vol. II No. 2 (June/July 1975), with a lead story on “Women Against Violence Against Women,” summarizing an all-day NOW conference addressing rape, legal reform, and cultural misogyny.

[5] Vol. No. 4. (December 1975/January 1976). Titled “Unity,” featuring dense illustration and collage-style art, showcases the paper’s transition toward more expressive, less text-dominated formats.

[6] Vol. III No. 1 (February 1976) is themed “Women’s Culture,” with a Valerie Solanas epigraph and a philosophical critique of “male culture” as inherently alienating and destructive.

[7] Vol. III No. 2 (September 1976) leads with “The Feminist Wicca,” an extended defense of a Los Angeles-based feminist witch prosecuted for practicing Goddess worship. The article articulates feminist spirituality as a liberatory alternative to patriarchal religious institutions.

Each issue combines essays, movement updates, poetry, artwork, consciousness-raising reflections, and reader submissions. The editorial voice emphasizes feminist autonomy, anti-capitalism, and radical queer liberation, frequently referencing goddess spirituality, Second Wave lesbian feminism, and local activism. Notably, the contributors include both white and BIPOC feminists, and regularly critique racism within feminist spaces—a core theme addressed explicitly in the December 1974 issue. All issues in very good conditions with owner's signature to covers. This archive preserves a critical Midwestern node in the grassroots lesbian and feminist publishing network of the 1970s, offering researchers and curators valuable insight into the intellectual and emotional life of the radical women's press. (Inventory #: 21749)