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Lesbian Visibility Week 2026

Lesbian Visibility Week 2026 (LVW) runs from 20 April to 26 April, encompassing Lesbian Day of Visibility on 26 April.

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For 2026 the theme of Lesbian Visibility Week is ‘Health and Wellbeing’. For the past six years, LVW has supported the community through an unbelievably tough time, bringing vital attention to the experiences, perspectives and needs. LVW’s aims remain clear: to build public understanding of LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people’s lives, to increase lesbian visibility and to create a legacy that benefits our community everywhere.

The week also seeks to draw attention to the Fertility Justice Campaign, which is fighting for all LGBTQIA+ prospective parents to have equal access to fertility care in the UK. 

The history of Lesbian Visibility Week

Lesbian Day of Visibility has been celebrated in the UK since 2008 and in 2020, a week-long Lesbian Visibility Week was established by Linda Riley, the publisher of DIVA (a magazine for LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people). Linda has said: “…an annual Lesbian Visibility Day… was simply not enough. It was clear to me that we needed more than just one single day to shine the spotlight on lesbian visibility. This is also a time to acknowledge the full diversity and range of people who identify under the label lesbian.”

The Sunset Lesbian Pride Flag, which can be seen frequently during Lesbian Visibility Week, was designed by Emily Gwen. It features seven stripes in a gradient of orange to pink with their own meanings:

  • Dark orange: gender non-conformity
  • Coral orange: independence
  • Pale orange: community
  • White stripe: unique relationships to womanhood
  • Pinkish purple: serenity and peace
  • Darker purple-pink: love and sex
  • Deep magenta: femininity

Find out more

  • In February 2025, Queen Mary marked LGBTQIA+ History Month and published a list of Media Recommendations, including books and podcasts. Library Services also have several LGBTQIA+ reading lists to explore. Many of these recommendations include lived experiences of lesbian and non-binary people and are a great way to discover more about the community and to learn about their history.
  • Why not take a look at Stonewall’s Lesbian Hub where you can find a range of articles and stories about lesbian visibility and representation.
  • You can and also visit the Lesbian Visibility Week website and explore their events listings (Please note the listing of an external event is not an endorsement by Queen Mary).

Resources and good allyship

At Queen Mary we are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone can be themselves and be treated with kindness, dignity and respect and where the contributions of our LGBTQIA+ staff and students are celebrated.

However, many LGBTQIA+ people continue to experience bigotry, hatred and discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics. 

Homophobia, transphobia, biphobia and acephobia are terms used to describe the fear or dislike or someone, based on prejudice or negative attitudes, beliefs or views about people who are, or are perceived to be, lesbian, gay, queer, trans, bi or asexual (ace)+.

If you experience or witness homophobia, biphobia or transphobia, you can report it (anonymously if you like) and/or access support through the Queen Mary Report + Support tool.

The Queen Mary Bystander is a colleague who is equipped and confident to challenge unacceptable behaviour, encouraging inclusivity and collegiality in everything we do. Behaviours like bullying, intimidation, and sexual harassment contribute to a toxic working culture; intervening helps us to build a more positive workplace.

Find out more about bystander intervention tools for acting on unacceptable behaviour.

Support and networking for students

 

 

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