On our backs
| On Our Backs Entertainment for the Adventurous Lesbian
|
|
|---|---|
| description | lesbian sex magazine |
| language | English |
| First edition | 1984 |
| Frequency of publication | quarterly, from 1989 every two months |
| Editor | Debi Sundahl, Susie Bright (until 1990), Tristan Taormino |
| ZDB | 1081162-x |
On Our Backs (German: On our back ) is an American sex magazine for lesbians . It was the first sex magazine designed and published by women when it was founded in 1984, and the first to target lesbians.
history
The magazine was founded in 1984 by Debi Sundahl and Myrna Elana in response to the increasingly anti-pornographic sentiment within American feminism . The title is a parody of the radical feminist magazine off our backs , which took an anti-pornographic stance. The original subtitle Entertainment for the Adventurous Lesbian alludes to the subtitle Entertainment for men of the men's magazine Playboy . It initially appeared quarterly.
From the second issue, Susie Bright was the editor-in-chief and designed the magazine until 1990. On Our Backs shaped the lesbian culture in the USA in the 80s and was one of the most prominent representatives of sex-positive feminism during the Feminist Sex Wars . Many women's bookstores refused to sell the magazine, but it was a great success and appeared every other month from 1989 onwards.
In 1994 the magazine ran into financial difficulties. The founders sold it to Melissa Murphy, the new owner only brought one more edition onto the market in 1995 before she had to file for bankruptcy herself. HAF Publishing bought the magazine in 1996 and reissued it in 1998. In 2006, Underground Networks Inc. acquired the rights. The print edition was discontinued in March 2006, from 2007 the magazine should appear as an online edition.
Web links
- History of On Our Backs by Susie Bright (English, PDF ; 1.3 MB)
- Susie Bright about On Our Backs - Part 1 Part 2 (English, video, 14 min)