Sappho (organisation)

Sappho was a UK lesbian social group founded in 1972 by Jackie Forster and others.

Taking its name from the poet Sappho, it was both a social group, meeting at The Chepstow public house in London's Notting Hill every Tuesday, and also a long-running magazine until 1981, Sappho was one of the early 'out' lesbian organisations, publicising its meetings in Time Out and City Limits.

Forster founded the magazine having written for the earlier Arena Three of the Minorities Research Group which had folded earlier in the same year. Not available through mainstream outlets it was distributed at meetings and venues such as the Gateways club. The archives of the magazine were subsequently deposited with the Hall-Carpenter Archives.

After the demise of the magazine the group continued to meet regularly into the late 1980s, each week inviting guest speakers such as Miriam Margolyes, Maureen Duffy and Anna Raeburn.