Mindy Meleyal was one of the founding members of the Lesbian Commune at 148 Boulevard. Her, Lel, Janine and Alphie bought the property before renovating it fully themselves. They lived there for 5 years. During that time Mindy studied Documentary Photography at Hull and an MA in Women’s Studies at York University. She created a darkroom at the top of the house to develop and print images. Her photos feature the women, the house in transition, their community and the social/political events they attended.
“These were politically challenging times both for women and lesbians. You have to remember it in the context of the time, which was deeply misogynistic. We were deconstructing the patriarchy and dismantling the family construct. Boulevard was a radical place. We were trying to break the cast of conditioning of women in the past.
At the community centre on Spring Bank we were considered light weights, concerned with fun – “fun loving bunch of the women’s army”! We used to go to Star and Garter and watch Candy I also went to The George to see him. Clarice used to shout Stand up! And force you to get on the furniture. Other lesbians came too. The politicised ones hated it. They used to say “Gay men aping women go fuck !” You have to remember gay men didn’t like lesbians, they called us Fish, until the AIDS crisis and then it changed, when we started to care for them and fight.
Click red arrow to listen to Mindy’s oral history. Please be aware the recording contains distressing subjects of abuse and violence.
