Saturday Magazine

29 May 2023

Saturday 27th May 2023: Danielle Scrimshaw, SHE AND HER PRETTY FRIEND: THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF AUSTRALIAN WOMEN WHO LOVE WOMEN

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Macca and Fiona are joined live on air by Danielle Scrimshaw and her new book, She and Her Pretty Friemd

SHE AND HER PRETTY FRIEND

Danielle Scrimshaw

3 May 2023 | Published by Ultimo Press | RRP $35.99

THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF AUSTRALIAN WOMEN WHO LOVE WOMEN

‘For centuries, there has been so little recorded about the lives of queer people. Only a fraction of that is dedicated to queer women, let alone queer women in so-called Australia. She and Her Pretty Friend does a wonderful job of uncovering these stories while conveying the collective frustration of queer women longing to see themselves represented in the narrative of history.’ Hannah McElhinney, Rainbow History Class

In 2019, Danielle Scrimshaw was undertaking her honours thesis. As a newly ‘out’ queer person she started to explore Australia’s queer history but quickly discovered it was hard to find, let alone access, published literature in this space.

A desire to ensure queer Australian history is more readily accessible to all led Scrimshaw to write She and Her Pretty Friend – a joyous look at the history of lesbian and bisexual women in Australia – from convict times, through suffrage and liberation to today.

From convict women in Tasmania to pastoralists in regional Victoria on to the first female doctor in Brisbane and the owners of Melbourne’s first female-only gym, Scrimshaw delves into the ways these women have shaped others’ lives and enriched our history. Each chapter explores a different woman’s life – or period – to reflect on the ways we have interpreted queerness in the past, how queer history has been absent in educational settings and how we can work to change this.

Throughout She and Her Pretty Friend, Scrimshaw winds her personal experiences within the chapters to create her own queer history, highlighting the need to continue to explore these gaps in Australia’s history. Delightful and engaging, She and Her Pretty Friend is a celebration of the hidden history of Australian women who love women.

Delightful and engaging, She and Her Pretty Friend is a celebration of the hidden history of Australian women who love women.