Founding members of Long Beach Riot Grrrl (from left) Diedra Robles, Krista Holmquist, Amy Solis and Kanga
There’s a riddle that continues to stump people, even 50 years after Betty Friedan’s Feminine Mystique launched a second-wave women’s rights movement that motivated ladies to ditch housework and pursue modern careers instead.
In it, a father and son get into a car accident and the dad dies. The son gets taken to the emergency room where the doctor says, “I can’t operate on this kid, he’s my son.” If the dad is dead, how can that be so?
“Most people don’t even think that the doctor could be a woman,” said Amy Solis, a Long Beach artist and feminist activist. “It might be more subtle now sometimes, but patriarchy is still so ingrained in us. Why?”
The issues raised by the seemingly simple riddle—along with countless other examples of women being overlooked in today’s society—motivated Solis and several other Long Beach ladies to launch a new collective dedicated specifically towards fostering discussions and empowering local women.
Long Beach Riot Grrrl takes a major cue from the original punk-spawned “riot grrrl” movement of the early 1990s, which through music, art, zines and other mediums created a cottage industry of worldwide DIY girl scenes that encouraged women to stand up to the expectations put upon them and construct their own identity by doing things on their own terms.
“It’s so necessary in Long Beach,” said Krista Holmquist, one of Long Beach Riot Grrrl’s four founding members. “Women need somewhere that we can talk about these things that are very powerful in our lives but there’s no space for it.”
The idea for Long Beach Riot Grrrl (or LB Riot Grrrl) started when Holmquist and her friend Diedra Robles wanted to book a small folk show. While contacting male artists, the two felt like they weren’t being taken seriously as coordinators and found themselves upset at the treatment they received.
Realizing there were still perceptions that needed changing—yes, even in a city as progressive as Long Beach—Holmquist and Robles contacted Solis and another female friend named Kanga and the four started discussing the possibility of a women’s collective that would put on concerts, host workshops and promote art all in the name of sparking dialogue about issues affecting women.
LB Riot Grrrl’s first official event, Bring Back the Riot!, was organized in less than a month and took place last Saturday in Solis’ four-car garage, which is a business-zoned space in the back of the house she shares with roommates. Members from groups like IE Riot Grrrl and organizers of festivals like May’s Grrl Fair in Anaheim came to support the all-ages kickoff which also served as a fundraiser for LB Riot Grrrls’ future efforts. A mainly-lady lineup included bands like The Potential Lunatics, Iris, Ingenue and Baa Ram Ewe.
“We want to do more art shows, more music and more workshops,” said Solis. “Because ‘riot grrl’ is a name that resonates with a lot of women, we have seen a lot of support coming our way already. Hopefully, we can continue to have this as a platform for women who are doing the same things to meet and learn from one another.”
The Potential Lunatics performing at LB Riot Grrrl’s first show, Bring Back the Riot. Photo courtesy of IE Riot Grrl.
One way that LB Riot Grrrl is already fostering the sharing and learning aspect of its vision is through DIY Tuesdays. Right now, the event is a casual weekly gathering in Solis’ garage where anything do-it-yourself related can happen.
Some days Kanga shows off how to make bags out of recycled big rig inner tubes; others, Solis organizes a big clothing swap. Even guys are welcome, like the one Holmquist recently taught how to sew the holes in his clothes. In the future, as word of the daytime gatherings become more well-known, the girls hope to start hosting structured seminars from “intro to bike maintenance” to “how to brew your own beer.”
“It’s just a space for people to teach each other things and liberate yourself through creating this network so you don’t go and purchase from somewhere when you know someone can teach you how to do it or you can do it yourself,” said Solis.
The LB Riot Grrrl founders admit that Long Beach already has a strong activist community as well as many powerful women who are doing great things. What’s missing, then, is the presence of dialogue and cohesiveness—elements of a feminist scene that currently doesn’t exist and things LB Riot Grrrl sees as crucial for making womens’ work matter.
“We are also participating and working towards the same goal. But before the ship gets built we want to make it the right way and have this dialogue now,” said Solis.
“People think feminism is dead,” added Holmquist, “but if feminism is dead, what are we doing here?”
For more information on LB Riot Grrrl, visit them at facebook.com/lbriotgrrrl or email [email protected]