Lesbian-Feminist Newspaper "Pedestal" Archive, 1970-75

[LGBTQ][Feminism] Pedestal: A Women’s Liberation / Lesbian-Feminist Newspaper. Vancouver, B.C.: Vancouver Women’s Caucus and Pedestal Collective, 1970–1975. Four issues, tabloid format, printed on newsprint, photo-illustrated. Published initially by the Vancouver Women’s Caucus and later by an independent lesbian-feminist collective, Pedestal was one of Canada’s earliest feminist newspapers and among the first to declare itself a lesbian-feminist publication.

[1] Pedestal, Vol. 2, No. 7 (September 1970). Published by Vancouver Women’s Caucus. A landmark issue featuring the front-page call “Boycott Cunninghams,” in solidarity with striking women (truncated) workers at a drugstore chain in British Columbia. Includes coverage of the August 26 Women’s Strike for Equality, critiques of vaginal spray advertising, and news from feminist movements in Holland, China, and Japan. An editorial on women’s labor opposes union exclusion of women’s issues. Mailing label and address handwritten to a Chicago recipient; Canada stamp affixed. Printed “by voluntary labor, printed by union labor.”

[2] Pedestal, Vol. 3, No. 4 (April 1971). Continues publication under the Vancouver Women’s Caucus. The cover features a women-led protest, with headlines including “Victory at Raymur Place,” “Birth Control Info in Schools?” and “Office Workers.” Inside: editorial commentary on women in the workforce, union exclusion, and reflections on intergenerational struggle. A regular section, “Thinking Back,” offers autobiographical analysis of women’s experiences in labor and home.

[3] Pedestal, Vol. 7, No. 1 (1975). Now identifying as “A Lesbian-Feminist Newspaper,” this issue marks the transformation of Pedestal into a separatist lesbian publication. Cover image depicts three women arm-in-arm in bathing costumes, signaling celebratory queer kinship. Contents include “Growing Up Lesbian,” “Wages for Housework,” “Vaginal Orgasms,” and a collective statement titled “Why?” articulating the newspaper’s political and aesthetic mission. Includes an insert of S.O.R.W.U.C. News (Spring 1975), newsletter of the Service, Office and Retail Workers Union of Canada.

[4] Pedestal, Vol. 7, No. 2 (August–September 1975). A further expression of lesbian separatist politics, featuring a striking child portrait on the cover framed with hand-drawn borders. Articles include “Living in the Material World,” “Legend of the Old Woman: A Peace Myth,” “Leaving Home?” and an herbal column, “A Yarrow Yarn.” The issue promotes self-help, lesbian drop-in resources, and alternative healing practices. Includes reports on the Kaslo Women’s Festival, witchcraft, and feminist skill-building such as carpentry and car tune-ups.

Newsprint toned with edge wear to all issues, particularly Vol. 2, No. 7, which has small tears along folds and corner loss. Small staple tears at spine on multiple issues. Handwritten address on top of one issue, no internal markings. Overall very good condition. Documenting the evolution of one of Canada’s earliest feminist and lesbian-feminist periodicals. Pedestal was instrumental in shaping regional feminist discourse in Vancouver and Western Canada, evolving from broad-based women’s liberation to explicit queer separatist politics. Per OCLC, institutional holdings are scarce, particularly for the lesbian-identified issues of the 1970s. A valuable resource for researchers in feminist print culture, LGBTQ history, and second-wave organizing in North America. (Inventory #: 22088)