The Furies Collective

The Furies Collective was a short-lived commune of about twelve young lesbian separatists in Washington, D.C., active in 1971 and 1972. Members included Rita Mae Brown, Charlotte Bunch, and photographer Joan E. Biren. The group published a newspaper called The Furies, which argued that lesbianism was a political choice and that heterosexuality operated as an institution enforcing women's subordination. Though it lasted only about a year before internal tensions dissolved it, the Collective's writing had a lasting influence on lesbian feminist theory and on the development of women's studies. The group's former house in Washington was named a National Historic Landmark in 2016.