This article provides a context for the publication of Chicana Lesbians: The Girls Our Mothers Warned Us About (1991). As Chicana literature and feminism flourished, the visibility of Chicanas increased dramatically, and at the same it became noticeable that Chicana lesbian representations lacked considerably. During this time roughly from the 1980s through 2000, the focus on Chicana lesbian representation reached a new level of awareness which ultimately led to an increase in demand for publications by and about Chicana lesbians. However, this new visibility did not materialize so easily and there were still resistances in the academy and at national conferences that led to major, well-documented confrontations. This was a dramatic and momentous period for the establishment of a public discourse about Chicana lesbians within Chicana/o studies that still continues today. Arguably, contributions by Chicana lesbians provided many foundational theories critical to the development of Chicana feminist thought and Chicana Studies that merits recognition. Published by Third Woman Press in 1991 and edited by Carla Trujillo, this book collection signaled a turn in perceptions of Chicana/o gays and lesbians across communities and in academic circles. This article argues that the publication of Chicana Lesbians: The Girls Our Mother Warned Us About was made possible by a confluence of social, cultural, and literary engagements with other publications that arose from a politics of love and desire. As a result, love and desire are epistemic expressions that shape the collective voices in Chicana Lesbians.
Keywords: Chicana; Chicana feminisms; Chicana lesbians; Chicana/o history; Latina studies; Mujeres Activas Letras y Cambios Sociales; National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies; Third Woman Press; ethnic studies; lesbian feminist thought; queer of color studies; queer women of color.