On Our Backs (ISSN 0890-2224) was the first women-run erotica magazine and the first magazine to feature lesbian erotica for a lesbian audience in the United States. The magazine was first published in 1984 by Debi Sundahl (born Deborah Willenbring) and Myrna Elana, with the contributions of Susie Bright, Nan Kinney, Honey Lee Cottrell, Dawn Lewis, Happy Hyder, Tee Corinne, Jewelle Gomez, Judith Stein, Joan Nestle, Pat Califia, Morgan Gwenwald, Katie Niles, Noreen Scully, Sarita Johnson, and many others. Susie Bright became editor-in-chief for the next six years. "On Our Backs" defined the look and politics of lesbian culture for the 80s, as well as playing a definitive role in the feminist sex wars of the period, taking the side of sex-positive feminism. The title of the magazine was a satirical reference to off our backs, a long-running feminist newspaper that published the work of many anti-pornography feminists during the 1980s, and which the founders of On Our Backs considered prudish about sexuality. ISSN, or International Standard Serial Number, is the unique eight-digit number applied to a periodical publication including electronic serials. ... A lesbian is a woman who is romantically and sexually attracted only to other women. ... Erotica (from the Greek language Eros - love) — refers to works of art, including literature, photography, film, sculpture and painting, that deal substantively with erotically stimulating or arousing descriptions. ... Susie Bright (also known as Susie Sexpert) (born March 25, 1958, Arlington, Virginia) is a writer, speaker, teacher, audio show host, performer, all on the subject of sexuality. ... Patrick Califia (born 1954 near Corpus Christi, Texas) is a writer about womens sexuality and of erotic fiction. ... Susie Bright (also known as Susie Sexpert) (born March 25, 1958, Arlington, Virginia) is a writer, speaker, teacher, audio show host, performer, all on the subject of sexuality. ... Sex-positive feminism, sometimes known as pro-sex feminism, sex-radical feminism, or sexually liberal feminism, is a movement that was formed in the early 1980s. ... off our backs logo off our backs (sometimes referred to by its initials, oob) is a radical feminist periodical published in Washington, D.C.. It has been published continuously since it was founded in February 1970, making it the longest-running feminist periodical currently published in the United States. ... Feminism is a number of social, cultural and political movements, theories and moral philosophies that are concerned with cultural, political and economic practices and inequalities that discriminate against women; some have argued that gendered and sexed identities, such as man and woman, are socially constructed. ... A sign outside an Adult store. ... This article cites very few or no references or sources. ...

In 1985, Sundahl and Kinney spun off the first in a series of precedent-making lesbian erotic videos, called "Fatale Video."

In 1994, the magazine experienced financial problems, and, after being bought out by a new publisher, Melissa Murphy (who released only one issue), disappeared from the market until 1998. H.A.F. Publishing then owned the magazine. The original creators moved on to other projects.

In 1997, a photography book based on the pioneering work of "On Our Back"'s artists, called "Nothing but the Girl" was published by Cassell Press, edited by Susie Bright and Jill Posener.

H.A.F.'s publication of On Our Backs, and its sister publication, Girlfriends, both ceased publication in March 2006^[1] after being bought out by the publishers of Velvetpark Magazine. Girlfriends is a magazine for a lesbian audience. ... Velvetpark - Dyke Culture in Bloom, is a lesbian arts and culture magazine that regularly features music, literature, theater, fine arts, film, television, and social activism as it impacts queer culture. ...

External links

• On Our Backs Official Website

• Nothing But the Girl excerpt

• History of "On Our Backs" by Susie Bright for "On Our Backs" 10th Anniversary Issue

• Fatale Video

Notes

1. ^ Marketplace finds lesbians an attractive, but elusive, niche, SF Chronicle, September 7, 2006