BUILDING A LESBIAN COMMUNITY IN EDMONTON, ALBERTA ...

and the next time three . . . . you'd work your way in and it was very much like that. 3
Meeting the social needs oflesbians requires an assortment ofactivities intended to create
social bonds. An editorial provided by Womonspace News states, ''Making contact with other
lesbians whether it be social, political, or cultural is similar to finding a long lost relative or
returning to a childhood playground."4 Meeting regularly with others and sharing coming out
stories, attending dances, workshops or drop-ins strengthen a lesbian's sense ofidentity and
creates a sense ofbelonging with others. Hence, Womonspace incorporates the word "space" as
part ofits namesake. "Space" suggests locating the needs oflesbians into a central organization to
share their diversity with others. Lesbian historian Line Chamberland, for instance, argues that "to
exist socially, to create its own culture, an oppressed group must occupy social space within
which a collective can grow."s
The founding sisters understood the importance ofprocuring a social space in which to
explore and share their commitment to women in a supportive environment. In an interview for
FinePrint, one member ofthe organization offers her views on the origin ofthe name
''Womonspace." She states:
A couple of[members] were tossing around some thoughts. I think it really had a name
before we decided what it was going to be. I had run into a paper at Common Woman
Books called Women Spirit and I had that in mind when we were thinking ofa name. One
ofthe things that was foremost in our minds was that there has to be space in this city for
3NLPC, Debbie, [pseudo.], Interview by Noelle Lucas, 4 June 1999.
4''Editorial,'' Womonspace News 2, noA (April 1984): 2.
SLine Chamberland, ''Remembering Lesbian Bars: Montreal, 1955-1975," in Rethinking
Canada: The Promise ofWomen 's History. ed. Veronica Strong-Boag and Anita Clair Fellman
(Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1997),402.
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