MISSION STATEMENT
To increase the visibility and quality of sapphic literature.
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Our purposes include, but are not limited to:
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Promoting and supporting literature that celebrates, affirms, and recognizes sapphic narratives;
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Providing education, resources, and community support for authors, readers, and literary professionals;
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Hosting events, conferences, awards programs, and educational initiatives that advance these goals.
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GCLS is the leading literary organization for editors, publishers, narrators, readers, writers, and friends/supporters/allies who celebrate sapphic literature.
What is sapphic literature?
Sapphic literature celebrates stories of love, desire, resilience, and connection centered on women and sapphically aligned nonbinary people. These stories reflect a wide range of identities, including lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, Two-Spirit, sapphic, homo-/bi-/pan-romantic asexual, and queer experiences. When romance is part of the story, it shines a light on relationships between women and sapphically aligned nonbinary people—honoring the many ways we love, choose, and find one another.
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GCLS proudly and unequivocally affirms that trans women are women.
What does sapphic mean?
Sapphic can be both a personal identity and a way to describe stories and media. In all its uses, it speaks to women and female-aligned people who experience romantic or sexual attraction to other women and female-aligned people—embracing connection, desire, and the many ways those relationships take shape.
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING SEEN
The Golden Crown Literary Society was born at a time when lesbian, women-loving-women, and sapphic stories were too often overlooked beyond our own communities.
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Founded in 2004, GCLS understands the power—and necessity—of being seen.
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Our mission guides everything we do, as we work to uplift, celebrate, and make sapphic literature visible and accessible to readers everywhere.
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If you’d like to help carry this legacy forward, we invite you to consider making a donation today.
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