Lel was born on Hessle Road into a working class family. Alongside her friends Alphie, Janine and Mindy she bought 148 Boulevard which they proceeded to renovate themselves and create a women’s commune. While there they had fun, tried to dismantle the patriarchy and offered refuge to many Hessle Road women including prostitutes. Lel was also an active member of the Women’s Collective on Spring Bank
The house was a total wreck when we bought it for £10k and we fully renovated it ourselves except for the electrics which we got women from Manchester to do. We celebrated its 103rd birthday when we were there. There were times we felt that we were outsiders, of course the locals who didn’t like us and the kids would be hard. We once came home to CUNTS spray painted on the front of the house. Mindy got the paint out and painted WE ARE LOVELY above it!
The house on Boulevard welcomed the butch/fem lesbian, uneducated in feminist theory and comfortable with the Drag scene. There were also the females who had come from Polar Bear and the Aves – educated women – it straddled two areas and types. The educated encouraged many of us to get educated, but at the same time challenged us to re look at the drag scene – given how offensive it was towards women. The feminists hated St Georges, but when I went there it felt like home, these were my people. I definitely felt the feminists were saying you can’t be one of us if you are involved in that. I started to feel uncomfortable the more educated I got – I felt like I was patronising my own people.”
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