With deepest gratitude, we dedicate this issue of Southern Cultures to Dorothy Allison (April 11, 1949–November 6, 2024) and Minnie Bruce Pratt (September 12, 1946–July 2, 2023), two paragons of the queer South. Lesbian artist-activists, Allison and Pratt showed us the power of queers in the region. They questioned power structures, racism, and patriarchy, and fought for our place while never abandoning their southernness. May they rest in power.

Left: Dorothy Allison, by Louis Monier, 1999. © Louis Monier. All rights reserved 2025 / Bridgeman Images. Right: Minnie Bruce Pratt, Washington, DC, 1983. ©2025 JEB (Joan E. Biren) from Making A Way: Lesbians Out Front.