Beyond Eden

In the 1970s, lesbians across the US moved to untamed landscapes to build a world without men. Beyond Eden follows some of the original Land Dykes.

The Women’s Land Movement emerged in the US in the 1970s, out of an era of radical change. Lesbians from across the United States moved out to wild, untamed landscapes to build a world without men. These communities of women built their homes and developed their unique women’s culture from the ground up. Some women never left. While many of the hundreds of communities across the country disbanded, a few have held on. The remaining inhabitants are mostly in their 70s and 80s, and now face the reality of their own mortality. There is also the question of what happens to these lands — the project they have dedicated their lives to — after they are gone. Beyond Eden follows elders of the women’s land communities in Oregon as they grapple with these questions.