Lucia Sanchez Saornil
1895-1970
Lucia Sanchez Saornil was a Spanish poet, militant, anarchist and one of the core founders of the “Mujeres Libres” organization. “Mujeres Libres” grew to over 30,000 from 1936 to 1939. The primary goals of the group aimed at the empowerment of working class women by organizing educational programs and technical classes to childcare centers and maternity care.
Today she is considered to be an anarcho-feminist. However, she did not consider herself a feminist because the concept of feminism in that era was associated with the upper –class. Working class women who aligned themselves with the class struggle did not embrace feminism.
Sanchez Saornil and America Barroso, the woman she would spend the rest of her life with, faced backlash for their relationship from the state and from their communities, as well as risked putting their lives in danger. They fled to Paris, returned to Madrid and fled again to Valencia wherein they would continue the rest of their relationship and their lives in secret.
Sanchez Saornil wrote under the male pen name Luciano de San Saor. Her poems about lesbian desire were heavily policed. She also wrote poems about industrialism, religion, marriage, anarchism, and economic revolution.
She wrote many controversial essays like “The Question of Feminism” and “The Marriage Ceremony or Spiritual Cowardice”.
Upon victory of the nationalism forces in 1939, anarchism was outlawed and “Mujer Libres” collapsed.