#p. 11

« Lorély est la prêtresse païenne d’un culte ressuscité, la prêtresse de l’amour sans époux et sans amant, ainsi que le fut jadis Psappha, que les profanes nomment Sapho. Elle t’enseignera l’immortel amour des amies. »

Allāh’s Messenger ﷺ said:

‘Not only did [Natalie Clifford] Barney’s salon operate as a support group for lesbian women; Barney herself spent a lifetime trying to revise the public and private images held by the larger community and lesbian women themselves. She provided a role model in her own behavior . . . she made a pioneer effort to rewrite lesbian history and experience, to deny that guilt, self-recrimination, drug abuse, suicide, unhappiness, and psychological torment were part and parcel of the lesbian’s commitment to an alternative life.’

The hour proceeded apace: Fights were recounted, battles won amid wars sure to be lost; hope was clung to; families were both celebrated and denounced; it was agreed that friends just didn’t get it; tears were shed; comfort proffered.