I was living the lesbian dream until my second marriage crashed, landing me hard in rainy, wintery Malmo, Sweden. Then, in the early days of the pandemic, I realized I was living in a surprisingly heterosexual context. My life as a lesbian had hit rock bottom, a parody of a bad movie. The irony? Everywhere I looked, my town was decorated with the gay flag. But where were the lesbians? The women's clubs and bars had closed years ago. Now, every lesbian I meet seems to wonder the same thing: "Where is everybody?" I decided too find out.

We all know the coming out stories. But what happens then? Marriages? Divorces? Children? And what happens as a lesbian ages – at 40, 50, 60 and beyond? What does the health care system look like for lesbians, and what is it like to face end-of-life issues?

I decided early on to make it an international project. As a lesbian in Malmo and Copenhagen, I was entering a very international crowd. When I go out, people from all parts of Europe are represented. Our queer family is beyond borders. In this way, we can also invite those who can't yet sit around our table. We see you, and I hope we can reach out and help.

I'm Gry Ellebjerg, a Swedish journalist, artist and photographer, and this website is dedicated to exploring lesbian and queer life in Europe. My main project is a book documenting these experiences. As I travel across the continent gathering material, I'm also sharing personal stories from my journey right here under "Lesbian Stories" in the menu.

You'll also find "The Queer List" – a growing directory of queer and lesbian spaces in Europe, including festivals, clubs, bars, events, and more. So far, I have separate lists for festivals and clubs/bars/events.

In these times of increasing conservatism, it's more important than ever to make our lives visible. Your contribution would mean a lot in creating this space. I'm committed to keeping this platform accessible to all, so there are no membership fees. However, I'm self-funding this project, and any donation, large or small, would greatly help me continue and complete this work. If you'd like to support this effort, please go to the "Donation" section in the menu where you can make a one-time or recurring contribution. You can also support my work by purchasing art posters featuring images from my travels. Go to the menu and check out my webshop.

I'm always looking for stories! If you have a queer life story to share or would like to be a guest writer, please contact me. And be sure to sign up for the newsletter to stay up-to-date with the latest content and updates. You can also follow me on Instagram for regular updates.