Lesbian Visibility Week North America Returns for Third Year – The Lipstick Lounge Hosting Queereoke April 23

From City Halls to Niagara Falls: Lesbian Visibility Week 2026 Brings Landmark Moments, Local Celebrations, and Community Connection Across North America 

New York, NY – Lesbian Visibility Week North America (#LVW26), powered by The Curve Foundation, kicks off on Monday, April 20 and runs through Sunday, April 26 with a diverse range of coordinated events built on a simple but powerful truth: visibility boosts belonging and safety. The yearly celebration ensures that LGBTQ+ women’s and nonbinary people’s lives, culture, and communities are visible in public, social, and cultural spaces through intergenerational programming and community building. 

This year’s Lesbian Visibility Week embraces the theme Health & Wellbeing through activities spanning high-profile receptions, civic proclamations, cultural festivals, wellness gatherings, sports events, and more. With hundreds of events planned across cities such as New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Seattle, Houston, Portland, Provincetown, Winnipeg, and beyond, LVW26 is a reminder that for LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary people, caring for themselves and one another is an act of defiance, and it’s what sustains the community. 

“Lesbian Visibility Week is a great opportunity to represent and build community in my area of rural America. I feel completely seen and heard for who I am.” — Wendy H., LVW26 volunteer, Clifton Forge, VA 

Highlights anchoring LVW26 include Wellness Wednesday on April 22, with health-focused programming from nature walks and sound baths to community gatherings; Coast-to-Coast Queereoke on April 23, a night of karaoke taking place simultaneously at lesbian bars nationwide; and the second annual Queer Women in Sports Day on April 25, featuring watch parties, sports panels, and fan events in cities across North America. 

“Thirty-five years ago, Curve was founded on a simple but radical idea that lesbian and queer women’s lives deserve to be fully represented — and that includes their health, their athleticism, and their power. That’s why I founded Queer Women in Sports Day. These women are out there competing, coaching, and winning, and LVW is here to make sure the world knows it.” — Franco Stevens, Founder, Curve Magazine / The Curve Foundation 

LESBIAN VISIBILITY WEEK – SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS 

• Sunday, April 19: Flag Raising ceremony on the eve of LVW26, livestreamed from The Center in NYC 
• Monday, April 20: Curve Power List unveiling: 75 LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary changemakers revealed 
• Wednesday, April 22: Wellness Wednesday; Mayor’s Reception & Flag Raising in San Francisco 
• Thursday, April 23: Coast-to-Coast Queereoke 
• Friday, April 24: Cultural events nationwide; featured program at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts 
• Saturday, April 25: Queer Women In Sports Day, Mazer Lesbian Archives Short Film Festival in Los Angeles 
• Sunday, April 26: City Hall Lighting in San Francisco, Niagara Falls & New York State Monuments Illumination 

Additionally, Curve’s Beyond The Rainbow panel series returns throughout the week with virtual sessions on health, sports, and the evolving language of community; panelists and registration details to be announced closer to the week. 

LESBIAN VISIBILITY WEEK CALENDAR OF EVENTS 

To access the full slate of activities taking place in the U.S. and Canada, visit the LVW26 calendar at LesbianVisibility.org. Most events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted; please check individual listings for accessibility details. The calendar is updated regularly as new events are added leading up to the week. 

HOW TO PARTICIPATE 

LVW26 invites organizations, businesses, and community members across North America to host or attend events throughout the week of April 20-26. Activations can be in person or virtual, small or large, low-lift or high-energy – from flag raisings and building lightings, to wellness gatherings and sports events, to cultural celebrations honoring local heroes. The LVW26 toolkit includes flag raising requests, proclamation templates, social assets, activation ideas, and more. Those hosting their own Lesbian Visibility Week events and activities are encouraged to submit them for publication in the official calendar.

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ABOUT CURVE 

Founded in 1991, Curve magazine became the world’s most successful lesbian publication, elevating LGBTQ+ women’s voices and redefining visibility. As Curve celebrates its 35th anniversary this year, its legacy continues through The Curve Foundation – the only national nonprofit championing LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary people’s culture and stories from an intergenerational perspective. The Curve Foundation works to empower and amplify the voices of lesbians, queer women, trans and nonbinary people of all races, ages, and abilities. Its programming includes Lesbian Visibility Week, Curve Quarterly, the Curve Fellowship for Emerging Journalists, the Curve Power List, and Curve Conversations – intersectional, multigenerational speaker events providing a throughline between critical conversations from the 90s to today. For more information, visit thecurvefoundation.org and curvemag.com. 

LESBIAN VISIBILITY WEEK 2026 SPONSORS & PARTNERS 

Sponsors and partners include Airbnb, Allianz, BNP Paribas Americas, Clyde & Co., DIVA, DR Bank, GLAAD, GLMA, Horizons Foundation, Kantar, Morgan Stanley, A Bar of Their Own, Angel City FC, Babes & Bois, Castro LGBTQ Cultural District, Castro Merchants Association, Cruisin’ the Castro, Emblem Health, Equality Florida, Frameline, Garcia Real Estate Group, Gay Pride Apparel, GayMortgage.com / Luminate Bank, Gerber/Hart LGBTQ+ Library & Archives, GLBT Historical Society, Gotham FC, Greenwood Pride, Indy Pride, Lavender Education, Mazer Lesbian Archives, Minnesota Twins, NCLR, NLGJA, QWOCMAP, Rikki’s Women’s Sports Bar, SF Bay Times, SF LGBT Center, Shelly Bean The Sports Queen, Sports Bra, Stonewall National Monument Visitors Center, Tello Films, Uniting Resilience / Native Two Spirit, Watch Me Sports Bar, Women of Provincetown Innkeepers, and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.