Mazer Archives February 2021 Newsletter | Out of the Archives: 'On Our Backs' Magazine
Welcome to our first Out of the Archives Newsletter!
February Edition 2021
On Our Backs Magazine
Entertainment for the Adventurous Lesbian
With the pandemic keeping us all inside, we’re bringing the Mazer (out)side in the form of a monthly newsletter! Each month, we will feature an item, collection, or periodical accompanied by a story from a Mazer community member. This month, board member, Suzette Zazueta, shares her connection to the lesbian erotica magazine, On Our Backs.
On Our Backs made waves as one of the first women-run lesbian erotica magazines in the US. The publication ran from 1984 and 2006.
Suzette Zazueta’s Story:
"I can only do this with you." This is what we used to say to each other, my high school girlfriend and I. Discovery of our sexuality was fraught with complications, growing-up in a conservative environment. Coming out didn't happen until my senior year of high school. It didn't matter that I had a girlfriend--I was closeted to myself. But despite living in a largely conservative community, we had Tower Records, and it was here that I stumbled upon a lesbian erotica magazine, On Our Backs. Unbeknownst to me, there was controversy within the lesbian and feminist communities over this magazine. However, for me, On Our Backs was an affirmation of who I was, and helped me in the process of coming out. It was a sex-positive portrayal of lesbians, and of our bodies. I excitedly turned the pages of this magazine, and in these pages, I saw myself reflected - the sex that I have and with whom, was celebrated. I realized I was not alone. On Our Backs is a magazine that will always hold a meaningful place in my life.
Out of the Archives is a monthly Mazer newsletter dedicated to bringing our materials out of the archives to share with our community.
The June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives is the largest major archive on the West Coast dedicated to preserving and promoting lesbian and feminist history and culture. By creating a safe place for women to explore the richness of lesbian history, perhaps adding to it themselves, we are paving the way for future generations to understand more fully their own identity and history and help maintain this vital link to their own past.