Bev Jackson here. Remembering an experience 50 years ago. Kenric is the UK’s longest-running social group for lesbians. It was set up in 1965. I attended my first lesbian event, run by Kenric at a private home, in London in 1969. When I went upstairs to go to the bathroom,/1of7

I found a distraught woman in her twenties cowering in a corner. When I asked what was the matter, she gradually told me the following story, which I can't verify but had no reason to doubt. She came from a small village and until recently had never heard of homosexuality./2of7

She had gone to the doctor and requested a double mastectomy, which request was granted. This was followed, also at her request, by a hysterectomy. Finally she returned to request a prosthetic penis. At this point she was referred for the first time to a psychiatrist,/3of7

from whom she learnt of the existence of homosexuality. Her entire world was turned upside down. She was now terrified and disorientated to find herself among a group of other lesbians, and was slowly coming to terms with the fact that she had needlessly damaged her body./4of7

For many years I told this horror story as a reminder of the gruesome past. However, it seems that some people are only too willing to propel us back to those terrible days. And what is worse, to do it under a banner of progressive identity politics and inclusiveness./5of7

Clearly, there is nothing remotely progressive about it, something to which growing numbers of desisters and detransitioners can testify. Lesbians exist and will not be erased./6of7

And today, on #ActualLesbianVisibilityDay, let’s commit to passing on that message./7of7