The attached article is about the founding of the Conference for Catholic Lesbians, my own story, and some of the experiences of the women who were involved or inspired by the group. It was originally written in October 2018 for a book project that never panned out. I decided to publish it myself on this blog. 
I am a co-founder of the Conference for Catholic Lesbians, Inc., usually referred to as CCL. The organization took its name from a first-ever national gathering of Catholic lesbians at Kirkridge Retreat Center in Bangor, PA in November 1982. Over 100 women attended that historic event. The spark behind the first conference was a unmet need for connection, support, and affirmation. At that time, no Catholic women’s or gay liberation organization spoke sensitively to the needs of Catholic lesbians, or in many cases, even acknowledged our existence at all. Except for a small presence at Dignity, we were invisible. The goal of the first conference was to come together with others who identified as Catholic and as lesbian, but also to articulate how these two identifications were often at odds in our Church, in the gay and lesbian community, and in us. To be one, we often felt that we had to hide the other. This lack of wholeness and authenticity affected every part of our lives and spirituality.
In the 44 years since the first conference, Catholic lesbians have made our presence felt in our parishes, religious communities, colleges and universities, nonprofits and to the Church hierarchy. The greatest thing we did was to come out: to ourselves, our families, friends, colleagues and neighbors. It freed us from hiding, secrecy, shame and compartmentalizing that so characterized Catholic gay men and lesbians. A lot more people are “out” today than the 1960s and 1970s when I was young. I hope the women in this article encourage, comfort and support other women (and men) to find their way and know they are not alone.
