Lex was inspired by the personal ads written in On Our Backs, a women run erotica magazine from the 1980s and 1990s. The personals were written
by queer women detailing their desires and romantic requirements.
The magazine was first published in 1984 by Debi Sundahl and Myrna Elana, with the contributions of Susie Bright, Nan Kinney, Leon Mostovoy, Honey Lee Cottrell, Dawn Lewis, Happy Hyder, Tee Corinne, Jewelle Gomez, Judith Stein, Joan Nestle, Patrick Califia, Morgan Gwenwald, Katie Niles, Noreen Scully, Sarita Johnson, and many others. Susie Bright became editor-in-chief for the next six years. Later editors included Diane Anderson-Minshall, Shar Rednour, Tristan Taormino, and Diana Cage. On Our Backs defined the look and politics of lesbian culture for the 80s, as well as playing a definitive role in the feminist sex wars of the period, taking the side of sex-positive feminism.
— via Wikipedia
In 2016 Lex founder Kell Rakowski found an digital online archive that hosted a large collection of On Our Backs magazine. (The issues have since been withdrawn from the Independent Voices website, due concerns around privacy and access to minors.) Before the removal we archived hundreds of personal ads that were published and available on this site.
Kell posted these personals on her lesbian culture Instagram account h_e_r_s_t_o_r_y and organized the content under #OnOurBacksPersonals hashtag. Check it out on IG!
These personals were used for inspiration and guidance for followers who began writing ads to be posted on Instagram.
