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Adyke march is alesbian visibility andprotest march, much like the originalGay Pride parades andgay rights demonstrations. The main purpose of a dyke march is the encouragement ofactivism within the lesbian andsapphic community.Dyke marches commonly take place the Friday or Saturday beforeLGBTQ pride parades. Largermetropolitan areas usually have several Pride-related happenings (including picnics, workshops, arts festivals, parties, benefits, dances, and bar events) both before and after the march to furthercommunity building; withsocial outreach to specific segments such as older women,women of color, andlesbian parenting groups.
Dyke marches are concentrated in various influential cities across North America, Europe, and Latin America. The first Dyke March was conducted in the United States in 1993 inWashington, D.C..[2] Cities in the U.S. where dyke marches may be found includeNew York City (with marches in theboroughs ofManhattan,Brooklyn, andQueens),Atlanta,Boston,Buffalo,Chicago,Long Beach,Minneapolis,Oakland,Philadelphia,Pittsburgh,Portland (Maine),Portland (Oregon),San Diego,San Francisco,Seattle,Washington, DC, andWest Hollywood. In Canada, dyke marches can be found inCalgary,Halifax,Montreal,Ottawa,Toronto,Vancouver, andWinnipeg. In Europe, dyke marches take place in various cities, includingBerlin,London, andStockholm. The first Latin American dyke march was held inMexico City in 2003.[3]
Before the concept of a "dyke march" came to be, one of the first documentedlesbian pride marches inNorth America took place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in May 1981. Approximately 200 lesbians attending the fifthBi-National Lesbian Conference marched through downtown streets chanting "Look over here, look over there, lesbians are everywhere!"[4]
Later, in October 1981, the now-defunct organization Lesbians Against the Right held a "Dykes in the Streets" march in Toronto, Ontario, with lesbian power, pride, and visibility as the theme. 350 women participated in this demonstration.[5][6] Another similar demonstration would not be held again in Toronto until 1996.[7]
The first conceptualized and self-proclaimed dyke march was formed in Washington, DC, during theMarch on Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation.[8] Organized by theLesbian Avengers, over 20,000 women participated in the march on April 24, 1993.[9][10] Due to the successful turnout of this first march, the New York Lesbian Avengers decided to organize a march of their own held in June 1993. Beyond marching throughout the city, amanifesto was handed out and the Avengers created a “float”: a bed on wheels full of kissing dykes. Abanner, which is used every year to demarcate the front of the March, was improvised atBryant Park with markers and oaktag. Around the same time that year,Atlanta andSan Francisco also held their first dyke marches.[11]
Most dyke marches today occur in late June duringPride celebrations commemorating theStonewall riots inNew York City on June 28, 1969.[12]
The first Dyke March held in April 1993 in Washington D.C. was accompanied with a manifesto crafted by theLesbian Avengers. The purpose of theflyer was to address the necessity forgrassroots lesbian organizing, especially given the anti-gay bills being pushed throughout the early 1990s. After learning about thismanifesto, lesbians from Los Angeles created a large banner for their contingent, and those from Philadelphia constructed a vagina statue that was carried through the streets of Washington D.C.[13][14]
An excerpt from thiscall to action within the lesbian community reads:
Calling All Lesbians! Wake Up! It's Time To Get Out Of The Beds, Out Of The Bars And Into The Streets. It's Time To Seize The Power of Dyke Love, Dyke Vision, Dyke Anger, Dyke Intelligence, Dyke Strategy....We're Invisible, Sisters, And It's Not Safe—Not In Our Homes, Not In The Streets, Not On The Job, Not In The Courts. Where Are The Out Lesbian Leaders? It's Time For A Fierce Lesbian Movement And That's You: The Role Model, The Vision, The Desire.[15]
After the second annual Dyke March in New York City on June 25, 1994, there was a lack of media coverage of the event in spite of attendance numbers reaching 20,000.[16] The New York Times was the only major newspaper that published a mention, albeit brief, about the march. The Lesbian Avengers perceived the overall silence to be a "media blackout", resulting in an aggressive media campaign.[16]
Concurrent with the international march on theUnited Nations on June 26, 1994, commemorating the 25th anniversary of theStonewall uprising,[17] theGay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) issued a press release about Stonewall that failed to recognize the existence of the Dyke March.[16] The Lesbian Avengers confronted the organization about this oversight, and GLAAD re-issued the press release with the addition of a sentence acknowledging the absence of mainstream media coverage about the march.[16]
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As of 2023, there are dyke marches in more than twenty cities and regions in Germany. The nationwide network of "Dyke* March Germany" is gathering information on all of the dyke marches in Germany on their Instagram account.[18]
There is a yearly dyke march inHamburg[19] and since 2014 inCologne, Germany.[20] Since 2017 also inHeidelberg, and since 2018 inOldenburg.[21]
The Berlin Dyke March has been in operation since 2013 in the LGBT-friendly neighborhood ofKreuzberg.[22] Historically, the march occurs annually in June, on the day before theBerlin Pride Parade.[23]
As of 2025, there are dyke marches planned throughout the year in Berlin,[24]Bielefeld,[25]Braunschweig,[26]Frankfurt,[27]Hamburg,[27]Hannover,[27]Köln,[27]Lüneburg,[27]Nürnberg, Oldenburg, Rhein-Neckar,[27] theRuhr area (three dyke marches each year),[28][better source needed]Weimar,[27] andWürzburg.[27]
The London Dyke March was first organized in 2012 and is held each year in June.[29] The 2014 march featured speakers, includingSarah Brown, atransgender lesbian activist and formerLib Dem councilor.[30] The London Dyke March emphasizes diversity, including bois,queers,femmes,butches, andlipstick lesbians.[31]
In France, the first non-mixed march was organized by the "Lesbians of Jussieu" group[7] on June 21, 1980.It would take more than thirty years for another lesbian march to take place, during EuroLesboPride in Marseille in 2013.[32]
Eight years later, in April 2021, lesbian marches were held in Paris (and several other French cities).[33] At the initiative of the Collages Lesbiens collective, the event brought together more than 10,000 people in Paris.[34] The demonstrators took the opportunity to demand access to medically assisted procreation.PMA.[35] Several famous lesbian activists, such as Adèle Haenel, Céline Sciamma, and Alice Coffin, participated in the procession.[36] The event is being held again in April 2022, in Paris[37] but also, for the first time, in Lyon.[38] New editions took place in Paris in 2023 on April 23 at the initiative of the association Fièr.e.s, in 2024 on May 4 with the associations and collectives Les Inverti.e.s, Féministes révolutionnaires, Collectif Queer Racisé.e.s Autonomes, Queer education and Diivines and in 2025 on April 26 with the associations and collectives Diivines, Féministes révolutionnaires, Label Gouine, Front Transfem, Queer Education, Bi Pan Paris, Front Bisexuel, the Trans Solidarity Organization, Toutes des femmes, OUT Trans, Collectif Insurrection Trans.
Amsterdam saw the launch of its first Dyke March in 2022, as a response to the increasing depoliticization of mainstream Pride events. Organized independently of the city's canal parade, the Dyke March creates space for protest, visibility, and solidarity among dykes, lesbians, queer women, and all oppressed communities. The 2025 march will take place on July 5.[39]
Rome hosted its first-ever Dyke March on April 26, 2025, marking a significant moment for Italy’s lesbian and queer communities. The march was staged in conjunction with the 4th EuroCentralAsian Lesbian* Conference.[40]
Despite its vibrant queer community,Brussels had never hosted a Dyke March until 2025. The first-ever Dyke* March Brussels is set to take place on May 16.[41] The organization's manifesto states: "This march is a space where dykes* take the lead and advocate for issues that disproportionately affect us. We are committed to creating a platform for those who lack public spaces to be present and heard, to share, exchange and love. We celebrate the many aspects of dyke* lives, and demand our rights. (...) Dyke* liberation must be intersectional. Our fight cannot be separated from that against racism, capitalism, colonialism, environmental destruction and other discrimination rooted in patriarchy and/or cis-heteronormativity. (...) We invite everyone to march not only for those present but also for those whose voices are silenced and for those who continue to struggle for their right to live openly and authentically."[42]
The firstLatin America demonstration of a dyke march was held inMexico City on March 21, 2003.[43] This march extended from the symbolicMonument to the Revolution to theZócalo, the capital's huge central plaza. Organizers state "For us, the Lesbian March is an important show of visibility because it aims at smashing stereotypes andprejudices."[3]
The inauguralAsbury Park Dyke March was held in October 2020. The march took place in the absence of the annualJersey Pride parade and festival, cancelled that year due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[44]
The first Boston Dyke March was held in 1995, with the goal of "offering a non-commercial, intersectional, and fundamentally grassroots alternative to Boston’s Pride celebration."[45] At this inaugural march, the Boston Lesbian Avengers organized a fire-eating ritual to mourn themurders of Hattie Mae Cohens and Brian Mock. The ritual has since become an annual tradition at the Boston marches.[45][46]
The Chicago Dyke March is held in the month of June and has been in operation since 1996, beginning in theLakeview neighborhood. In 1997, the march moved to LGBT-friendly neighborhood ofAndersonville.[47] Many participants consider it "a chance to celebrate ourselves as women, as lesbians, and to show the community that we are here."[48]
In 2008, organizers of the Chicago Dyke March announced that it would remain in a new location for two consecutive years.[47] The location of the march changed every two to three years to increase visibility throughout all neighborhoods of Chicago, in addition to increasing inclusiveness and accessibility.[47][49] The March was held inPilsen in 2008 and 2009, inSouth Shore in 2010[49] and 2011, inUptown in 2012 and 2013, inHumboldt Park in 2014, 2015 and 2016, and inLa Villita in 2017.
Organized by the New York Lesbian Avengers, the first New York City Dyke March was held in June 1993. The Second Annual New York City Dyke March was held in June 1994 and led to the solidification and continuation of the yearly NYC Dyke March.[50] The march is open to everyone who identifies as a "dyke".
As with the San Francisco Dyke March, the organizers do not seek out a permit, and put an emphasis on the political. Any person who identifies as a dyke is welcome to march regardless of gender expression or identity, sex assigned at birth, sexual orientation, race, age, political affiliation, religious identity, ability, class, or immigration status.[51]
The Portland Dyke March has been held annually since 2005. Initially, the march was part of the largerSouthern Maine Pride parade. Since 2006, however, the dyke march has been held as an independent event. The march usually starts fromMonument Square and is led by the local Dykes on Bikes contingent.[52]
The firstSan Francisco Dyke March was held in June 1993,[53] and is celebrated every year on the last Saturday in June.[54] The march begins inMission Dolores Park with speeches, performances, and community networking; and ends in theCastro District.[53] The dyke march is informal, with marchers creating their own signs and most people showing up to participate, rather than to just watch. The San Francisco Dyke March has high attendance numbers.[55]
The streets along the march route are lined with enthusiastic spectators in support of the women.[56]
In the early years, the San Francisco Dyke March Committee (a small group of volunteers) never applied for nor received a permit from the city,[56] exercising theFirst Amendment right to gather without permits and often changed its route to avoid the police.[57]
Seattle's dyke march occurs the Saturday before Pride and begins with a Rally at 5 pm atSeattle Central Community College, followed by the march through the streets at 7 pm.[58] The rally is held outdoors, includes speakers and performers who are women identified and queer identified, and isASL interpreted.[59] In 2023, the march switched from a permitted march to a non-permitted one.Dykes on Bikes stepped up in the wanted absence of the Seattle Police Department to provide route safety, like blocking intersections for pedestrians.[60]
The DC Dyke March was first organized in April 1993 and thereafter held annually in June until 2007. After a 12-year absence, the march returned in 2019 with "Dykes Against Displacement" as its theme, in protest of the elimination of low-income housing due togentrification.[61] The march, however, became mired in controversy resulting from the banning of "nationalist symbols".[62]
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In 2017, Chicago Dyke March (CDM) organizers singled out three women carryingJewish pride flags and began questioning them on their political stance in regards toZionism andIsrael. After a discussion, organizers asked them to leave the event, insisting that therainbow flag with theStar of David "made people feel unsafe" and that the dyke march was "pro-Palestinian andanti-Zionist".[63][64][65] The incident prompted widespread criticism and accusations ofanti-Semitism.[66][67][68] A member of the Dyke March Chicago collective stated that the women were removed due to the flags, and pro-Palestinian organizations were asked by CDM to release statements of solidarity while they crafted an official statement.[69] March organizers later released a statement maintaining that the women were asked to leave for "expressing Zionist views that go directly against the march’s anti-racist core values."[70]
In 2018, members of the local Jewish LGBT community expressed reluctance to attend that year's march, citing concerns about safety andalienation.[71]
In 2021, anInstagram post from the CDM organizers included the American and Israeli flags burning. The post was later deleted and replaced with a new image that shrouded both flags in flames.[72][73]
Similar to the 2017 decision made by the Chicago Dyke March, the 2019 Washington DC Dyke March adopted a policy that "nationalist symbols", including Israeli and American flags and the Star of David when centered on a flag, cannot be displayed.[74][75] Organizers said these symbols represent "violent nationalism",[75] and said those attending the event should "not bring pro-Israel paraphernalia in solidarity with our queer Palestinian friends",[76] while "Jewish stars and other identifications and celebrations of Jewishness (yarmulkes, talit, other expressions of Judaism or Jewishness) are welcome and encouraged".[76] Palestinian flags and symbols were permitted.[77]
In response to the policy,Anti-Defamation League CEOJonathan Greenblatt stated, "It is outrageous that in preparing to celebrate LGBTQ pride, the DC Dyke March is forbidding Jewish participants from carrying any flag or sign that includes the Star of David, which is universally recognized as a symbol of the Jewish people....Banning the Star of David in their parade is anti-Semitic, plain and simple."[76] A coalition of progressiveJewish-American groups denounced the ban in a joint statement,[76] and theNational LGBTQ Task Force withdrew their support for the DC Dyke March.[78]
More than two dozen Jewish lesbians and Zionist supporters brought the prohibited flag and symbol to the march. They debated the perceived mistreatment and exclusion with march organizer Jill Raney. Thereafter, DC Dyke March organizers allowed the group to participate in the march with their Jewish pride flags.[79][80]
On June 27, 2024, the NYC Dyke March issued a statement supporting the safety of Jewish participants at the march and condemning the7 October attacks. Within thirty minutes, this statement was deleted and replaced by another that referred to the first as a "mistake" that did "not reflect the official stance of the Dyke March", adding that the organization "unapologetically stands in support of Palestinian liberation".[81][82] The march also raised money for the hardlineanti-Zionist groupWithin Our Lifetime. In opposition, a group of Jewish dykes held a separate event at the same time as the march.[82]
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The New York City Dyke March is a protest march, not a parade...in protest of the discrimination, harassment, and violence we face in schools, on the job, and in our communities.
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