The Furies Collective House (by Kathleen Dessert)

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Washington, D.C. is home to many historic landmarks and buildings. Many of them are easily identifiable to people who have never even been to the city. However, tucked away in the heart of the Capitol Hill Historic District, there is a seemingly unassuming row house that represents the history of the LGBTQ+ community, more specifically, lesbians. 219 11th Street SE, often referred to as The Furies Collective House, is directly connected to building the lesbian community, the second-wave women's movement, and 1970’s America. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since May 2nd of 2016 (1).

The house became a home base for The Furies, a group of twelve lesbian separatists who raised significant questions about the role of lesbians and feminists in society. Even though they were only together for two years  (1971 to  1973), they were effective in spreading their message. The women collectively wrote a newspaper called The Furies “[which] firmly placed lesbian feminism within the women’s movement and legitimized the needs and priorities of lesbians on a national scale” (1).

Ginny Berson, one of the original Furies and the author of The Furies’ first cover story, talked with Washington D.C.’s public radio station, WAMU, about her experiences in The Furies Collective and how her writing sparked change. In her first cover story, she wrote, “Lesbianism is not a matter of sexual preference, but rather one of political choice which every woman must make if she is to become woman-identified and thereby end male supremacy” (2).

These words ignited a discussion among women across the country. According to Berson, many women came out and became feminists because of The Furies (2).  In addition to starting conversations with their newsletters, they also provided opportunities for women to learn skills that would make them less dependent on men, such as income sharing, writing, and study groups (3).

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The Furies also helped spread lesbian poetry and literature throughout the lesbian community. Four poems of Furies member Judy Grahn were published in the first issue of The Furies. Later, they were reprinted in the popular lesbian magazine The Ladder, published by the Daughters of Bilitis (3). The second issue of The Furies featured poems by Furies member Rita Mae Brown from her book of poetry, The Hand that Cradles the Rock (3).

In 1973, the group disbanded and stopped publishing their newspaper. When interviewed in 1978, Berson talked about how she didn’t want The Furies Collective to break up because she loved writing and distributing the newspaper. However, there were too many political differences and opinions on how to run the group, and it eventually dissolved (4).

After The Furies Collective disbanded, the house still played a role in the lesbian feminist movement. Judy Winsett and Leslie Reeves opened a shop called Lammas to sell their jewelry. The basement of the former Furies house served as the jewelry-making studio for the shop. There was also a book distribution service run out of the second floor of the former Furies house. After a few years, Lammas “changed from a women’s jewelry shop to a woman-focused bookshop and center for women’s activities”(5). Lammas Women’s Shop eventually became a lesbian community center, which existed until 2001(5).

When you pass by The Furie Collective house now, you may just think that it’s an ordinary house. This is partly true. While it is a historic landmark, it is not open to the public because it is a private residence. In 2004, Robert Pohl and his wife moved to Washington, D.C. One day, Pohl decided to search online to see if there was any historical significance to the house they had just moved into. He quickly discovered that his new house was The Furies Collective house and started to research what that meant. He teamed up with the co-founder of the Rainbow Heritage Network, Mark Meinke, to register The Furies Collective House as an historic landmark (6).

It is important to recognize the history that was made at this site because it was one of the first movements that was led fully by lesbian feminists for lesbian feminists. Even though the Furies lasted only two years, they left lasting impacts on society. Many of the members also continued their work with other lesbian and feminist groups. Rita Mae Brown, for example, because the first openly lesbian author to achieve mainstream recognition. The rights women and lesbians have today are, in part, due to the hard work and dedication of The Furies Collective. There is much rich history at  219 11th Street SE to be remembered despite the house’s ordinary facade.

Footnotes:

(1)  “The Furies Collective,” National Parks Service (U.S. Department of the Interior), accessed November 30, 2020, https://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/places/16000211.htm.

(2)  Rebecca Sheir, “Inside The HQ Of D.C.'s Short-Lived But Influential Lesbian Separatist Collective,” WAMU (WAMU 88.5 - American University Radio, November 11, 2015), https://wamu.org/story/15/11/06/inside_the_hq_of_dcs_short_lived_but_influential_lesbian_separatist_collective/.

(3) Julie R Enszer, “Have Fun So We Do Not Go Mad in Male Supremacist Heterosexual Amerika: Lesbian-Feminist Poetry in The Furies,” 2010, http://washingtonart.com/beltway/furies.html.

(4) McDonald, Sharon. “Burning Out Is Not An Option.” Lesbian Tide 7, no. 4 (January 1978): 5–36. http://search.ebscohost.com.dbsearch.fredonia.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=qth&AN=10166898&site=ehost-live. 

(5) “The Furies Collective,” DC Historic Sites, accessed November 30, 2020, https://historicsites.dcpreservation.org/items/show/743.

(6) “Saving the House of the Furies,” Rainbow Heritage Network, December 18, 2015, https://rainbowheritagenetwork.org/2015/12/10/saving-the-house-of-the-furies/.

Bibliography:

Enszer, Julie R. “Have Fun So We Do Not Go Mad in Male Supremacist Heterosexual Amerika:

Lesbian-Feminist Poetry in The Furies,” 2010.

http://washingtonart.com/beltway/furies.html. 

McDonald, Sharon. “Burning Out Is Not An Option.” Lesbian Tide 7, no. 4 (January 1978):

5–36. http://search.ebscohost.com.dbsearch.fredonia.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=qth&AN=10166898&site=ehost-live. 

“Saving the House of the Furies.” Rainbow Heritage Network, December 18, 2015.

https://rainbowheritagenetwork.org/2015/12/10/saving-the-house-of-the-furies/.

Sheir, Rebecca. “Inside The HQ Of D.C.'s Short-Lived But Influential Lesbian Separatist

Collective.” WAMU. WAMU 88.5 - American University Radio, November 11, 2015.

https://wamu.org/story/15/11/06/inside_the_hq_of_dcs_short_lived_but_influential_lesbian_separatist_collective/. 

“The Furies Collective,” DC Historic Sites, accessed November 30, 2020,

https://historicsites.dcpreservation.org/items/show/743. 

“The Furies Collective.” National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior. Accessed

November 30, 2020. https://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/places/16000211.htm.