Lavender Menace Activist T-Shirt

Fit & Sizing

Classic unisex fit.

True to size.

Size down for a fitted look.

Size up for an oversized fit. 

View Sizing Guide

“Lavender Menace” is not a generic Pride slogan — it is a reclaimed political name with deep roots in lesbian history.

The phrase was first used in the late 1960s by mainstream feminist leaders as a slur, warning that openly lesbian activists would be a “lavender menace” to the women’s liberation movement. In 1970, a group of radical lesbians deliberately took the insult and turned it into a banner of power. Wearing purple shirts reading Lavender Menace, they staged a now-legendary action at the Second Congress to Unite Women in New York, demanding visibility, inclusion, and recognition within feminist politics. The group would soon become known as the Radicalesbians, and their action is widely regarded as a turning point in lesbian visibility within the broader movement.

This T-shirt carries that lineage forward as wearable political history. The stark typography and lavender color reference both the original protest shirts and the long association of purple with queer resistance, dignity, and defiance.

Worn today, the design reads as both archival and contemporary: a statement of lesbian pride, feminist solidarity, and unapologetic presence in public space. It functions equally as movement memory and modern activist graphic.

Printed on a classic unisex tee with a comfortable everyday fit in soft, mid-weight cotton, suitable for marches, Pride, community events, or daily wear.

Care Instructions and GSPR