Lesbian Visibility Day

Lesbian Visibility Day (LVD) occurs every year on April 26, created to celebrate, recognise, and bring visibility to lesbian identified members of the LGBTQ+ community. It’s about honouring and elevating this unique community of people who are historically overlooked and dismissed by way of being both women and queer.

For Lesbian Visibility Day this year we spotlight a community group, Women on Wednesdays (WoW)

Authored by Deborah Lee (she/her), University EDI Advisor and committee member of WoW

Women on Wednesdays is a friendly social group based in Exeter for lesbian and bi women. This year we celebrate our 25^th year! The group is run by volunteers and hosts regular socials on the first and third Wednesday of the month from 8 pm, as well as joining in and running a variety of other events throughout the year.

WoW broadly encompasses women loving women identities, and is inclusive and welcoming of our trans and non-binary members.  The fact that we have been going for so many years and are still welcoming new members demonstrates the continued demand for lesbians to network and enjoy various activities together, from Prides, picnics, walks and sporting events to evening parties and trips to the theatre.  It’s also great that both students and staff from the University of Exeter have joined WoW over the years.

We are particularly keen to encourage more of our members to help with organising and promoting events. If you’d like to know more about WoW or local community groups, please contact me

After reaching our 25-year milestone, we hope to still welcome members of the community and the University for many years to come! 

Information and contact details for Women on Wednesdays and other local women’s social and activities groups are available on the Intercom Trust webpages.  You may also find numerous other south-west based groups active on Facebook including “South West Lesbians Connecting”, “Lesbians in Devon” and “SLN Members Group”. 

Lesbian Visibility Day (LVD) occurs every year on April 26, created to celebrate, recognise, and bring visibility to lesbian identified members of the LGBTQ+ community. It’s about honouring and elevating this unique community of people who are historically overlooked and dismissed by way of being both women and queer.

For Lesbian Visibility Day 2022, we are proud to highlight one of our lecturers, Dr Claire Davies. Dr Davies lectures in Physics and Astronomy on the Streatham campus.

In 2021, Dr Davies was awarded the prestigious Phillips Award from the Institute of Physics. The award is given to members who have played a significant role in leading innovative ideas and activities within the Institute of Physics. She received the award for her unwavering commitment to diversity and inclusion and her pioneering work fostering and nurturing networks between LGBTQ+ physicists in academia and industry.

Claire does this through the PRISM Exeter network, which she founded in July 2018 alongside colleagues and PhD students from the Physics and Astronomy department, and employees from Network Rail, the Meteorological Office, Exeter Science Park and Tech Exeter. Through PRISM Exeter, she focuses on raising awareness of LGBTQ+ contributions to Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine (STEMM) and sharing best practices regarding equity, diversity and inclusion across the STEMM sector.

Currently, PRISM Exeter are challenging all secondary school, college, and university students across the greater Exeter area to discover lesser-known LGBTQ+ scientists, technologists, engineers, mathematicians and medics. Students are invited to share stories of their lives and achievements by entering PRISM Exeter’s Queer Science Competition, organised in association with Intercom Trust, Exeter Pride, the University of Exeter, Exeter College, Exeter Science Centre, and the Devon Schools Leadership Partnership. To take part in this competition or to find out more, including how to get started on your discovery, click here.