A lesbian enclave in Midtown Kansas City? Inside Womontown’s rich LGBTQ+ history
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Longfellow neighborhood of Midtown Kansas City is known for its quiet, shady streets and the whimsical fairy houses tucked in the roots of the big The Longfellow neighborhood of Midtown Kansas City, known as Womontown, has been commemorated as a historic intentional lesbian enclave in the early 1990s. The community was founded by partners Andrea Nedelsky and Mary Ann Hopper, who wanted to create an urban enclave where women could enjoy all the benefits of city life without fear of harassment. They began outreach efforts to bring lesbians from around the country to Kansas City and adjusted the name of the community to avoid the words "man" and "men." The community, which largely disbanded in the past three decades, still maintains their homes in Longfow.
ที่ตีพิมพ์ : 10 เดือนที่แล้ว โดย Natalie Wallington - The Kansas City Star (TNS) ใน Lifestyle
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Longfellow neighborhood of Midtown Kansas City is known for its quiet, shady streets and the whimsical fairy houses tucked in the roots of the big trees lining its roads.
But on June 13, the neighborhood will commemorate a lesser-known part of its unique history: as the site of an intentional community of lesbians in the early 1990s.
Known as Womontown, this queer enclave is the subject of a short documentary from Kansas City PBS, which is free to watch online. While the community has largely disbanded in the past three decades, some women who bought homes in the original Womontown still live in them today.
The idea of an intentional lesbian community probably calls to mind an organic farm or an artists’ retreat in the mountains. But partners Andrea Nedelsky and Mary Ann Hopper wanted something different: an urban enclave where women could enjoy all the benefits of city life without fear of harassment.
“We just started imagining, what if we could just walk hand in hand freely down the street, a bunch of lesbians all in this neighborhood?” Hopper said in the 2022 documentary. “And I thought, well, if we can do the work, then I can imagine it would maybe be fun to live here.”
The couple bought a home together and began their outreach efforts to bring lesbians from around Kansas City to move to Longfellow. In an effort to distance themselves from a reliance on men, they adjusted the name of the community to avoid the words “man” and “men.” Womontown (pronounced “woman-town”) was born.
Together, Nedelsky and Hopper coaxed friends and strangers alike from around the country to Kansas City. The fledgling community set up support systems, from potluck dinners to temporary lodging for new arrivals to help renovating newly purchased houses.
“We weren’t an exclusive community in that anyone could buy a house there,” former resident Martha Haehl said. “But by that concerted effort to get women to buy houses, we formed a nice social community.”
The “Dutch Hill flag,” a purple design featuring three tulips that had previously been used to represent the nearby Dutch Hill neighborhood, became the unofficial symbol of Womontown. Residents would hang it on front doors and porches so lesbians could identify one another.
At its peak in the mid-90s, more than 80 women called Womontown home. Together, they owned 28 homes and 14 apartment buildings in Longfellow. While many of these residents eventually moved away in the decades that followed, the neighborhood served as a haven for LGBTQ+ women despite a lack of widespread acceptance.
หัวข้อ: Social Issues, LGBTQ