The visible lesbian: the Lesbian Community Action Association and lesbian visibility

The Lesbian Community Action Association is a grassroots organization founded in a Midwestern university town in 1993 to counteract and thwart the efforts of the Amendment Coalition. These social and religious conservatives were collecting signatures in the hopes of placing on a state-wide ballot an initiative that would have made it illegal for cities, counties, and other governmental organizations to pass legislation protecting the rights of homosexuals in areas such as housing and employment. Once the crisis passed, the LCAA continued its existence as a service and social organization, as well as a political one. One important purpose of the LCAA remains making lesbians visible within the larger community to improve attitudes toward them. Members do this by engaging in philanthropic causes and donating time and money to charities.