Thanks to Danish AfterEllen.com reader K.Moe, we learned about a new documentary from Denmark, Goddag mit navn er Lesbisk (Hello, my name is Lesbian) – the first film ever about the “modern lesbian lifestyle and culture in all its diversity as it is lived in one of the most sexually liberated countries in the world.”
And their journey seems not all that different than ours in the U.S. The film, which has English subtitles, features lesbians ranging in age from 19 to 84 who share their life stories and views on sex, family, nightlife and careers.
Lizzi, 82, talks about being a lesbian in the Fifties, when gender roles were not discussed and lesbians were either butch or femme. Sapphic life was lived in secret, with clandestine gatherings in late-night clubs.
Nina, Jutta, Vivi and Berit share stories of women’s lib in the Seventies. Lesbians struggled for identity and women’s communities flourished. As in the U.S., many lesbian feminists expressed their freedom by losing their shirts. Denmark even had its own version of the Women’s Music Festival at Femø. We see lesbians competing in ballroom dancing competitions and climbing the corporate ladder. We attend the wedding of Vibeke and Karina, postal workers in a small town. And we witness the heartbreak of a successful lesbian DJ whose dad simply cannot accept her sexual orientation. The trailer is NSFW, with partial nudity, so you’ll have to visit the film’s site to see it.
Hello, my name is Lesbian premiered at the Copenhagen Gay & Lesbian Film Festival a few weeks ago. No word yet on other release dates, but I hope we get the DVD here eventually. I love watching real lesbians being, well, real. And seeing that gay women around the world are pretty much like me is very affirming.
How about you? Do you enjoy films like this? If any of our Danish readers have seen Goddag mit navn er Lesbisk, tell us what you thought.
