Womonspace was a lesbian social and recreational group founded in Edmonton in 1981. Operating in Edmonton for over 30 years, Womonspace became the city's longest-running lesbian organization. Womonspace was vital to Edmonton’s LGBTQ+ community and organized dances, sporting events, movie nights, concerts, family picnics, and other activities specifically for queer women. Womonspace published a newsletter from 1981 - 2011 covering local and national events important to the LGBTQ+ community. Additionally, they housed a resource library where women could access literature by and about queer women.
Womonspace was established in 1981 after numerous requests were made to Gay Alliance Towards Equality Edmonton (G.A.T.E.) for a women’s-only dance. While G.A.T.E. refused to host a women’s-only dance because of their mandate as a mixed group, they did provide funding to a group of volunteers to host the first women’s-only dance. Subsequent dances were quite profitable, and the women volunteers were able to pay back G.A.T.E. and use the profits to fund their new organization, Womonspace.
Womonspace dances were held at various locations throughout Edmonton, usually in community halls. Womonspace often faced rejection when seeking out venues to hold their dances, and were frequently unable to rent the same space twice once it was clear that Womonspace was a lesbian group. The monthly dances Womonspace hosted were their most popular events, with attendance often reaching 150 - 200 women.
All Womonspace activities were run by a group of dedicated volunteers. The volunteers wrote and distributed the newsletter every month, worked at the dances, and maintained the office space. The first Womonspace office was located in Every Woman’s Place, an old house that had been converted to office space and housed several women’s groups. It was in the office that women could access the resource library, as well as attend drop-in social events.
Womonspace was integral to early Pride events in Edmonton, by assisting in the organization of Pride, hosting events, and holding open houses. However, Womonspace’s general approach was to stay as closeted as possible. Womonspace advertisements did not use the word “lesbian,” instead relying on their logo of two entwined woman symbols to find the lesbian community. Womonspace board members often debated how political and openly lesbian the group could be without jeopardizing the ability of the organization to remain an incorporated society or risking the safety and privacy of their members. Contributors to the newsletter often went by their first names only, and many members recall the general sense of fear of what may happen to them if they were found to be involved in a lesbian organization. On some occasions, women who were more openly lesbian or active in political activism were viewed as a threat to Womonspace’s discreteness, and their membership was revoked.
Although Womonspace was not a political organization, they undoubtedly had an instrumental impact in creating safe social spaces for Edmonton’s lesbians from the 1980s onward. Womonspace provided the opportunity for queer women to connect over shared experiences and be themselves. Womonspace gatherings generated a sense of community that supported women on their own journeys and created a space distinct from the gay male culture that tended to dominate other LGBTQ+ organizations at the time. Womonspace is no longer an active society but continued to host dances and publish its newsletter until the 2010’s. The group remains semi-active on social media and continues to advertise social and recreational events hosted by other organizations in Edmonton’s LGBTQ+ community.
