Meet Barbara of National

Today we’d like to introduce you to Barbara.

Hi Barbara, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’d known I liked women since I was very young. Like many queer people, I grew up in the church hearing people speak badly of LGBT people. I learned to keep that part of myself locked away. Never venturing out to find community, I didn’t even know a community existed. At that time my world was very small and my views reflected as much. That kept me in a self-hating headspace and deeply depressed.

That is until, I met a new friend who took me to a party that opened up my world. Not only was it full of Black Queer Women, but they all seemed so comfortable with themselves and full of joy. I never missed an event after that. I made connections and I learned that it was ok to be myself fully. I even gained the courage to come out to my family and friends.

That was when I was in my early 20’s. Over the course of the next several years, I built a career in tech and began to travel. Every where I went I looked for the Lesbian community. I started to notice that the Black Lesbians were hard to find. I would see us around in whatever city I visited, but I couldn’t find the events or 3rd spaces. Pages and sites that list gay events seem to exclude events that are by and for Black Women. So I made The Lez List to shine a light on Curators that make space for Black Lesbian Women. It is my way of using my skillset to give back to the community that showed me how to be proud of who I am.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, I started The Lez List with a good friend. We got it off of the ground together, but shortly after starting she had to leave the project for personal reasons. I understood her reasons, but it is tougher on my own.

Before that, I’d used some saving to get an agency to help me build The Lez List as an app. I’m not sure what they were up to exactly, but I ended up having to go through a legal process to get my money back.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a designer for a large brand in the Travel & Hospitality industry. I specialize in creating products that make it easy for people to find what they are looking for and discover new options that they may not have known exists.

I’m most proud of the way The Lez List has come together. I have been planning this project for years long before I had the resources or skills to actually execute. To see it come to fruition has given me a new sense of purpose.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
To keep pushing forward! When there’s a setback, it sometimes feels like a sign to give up or like it isn’t meant to be. No, you have to persevere. Sometimes a setback is just a setback, and sometimes its redirection toward a better path.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thelezlist.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/thelezlist
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1DALEh3SFe/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Twitter: https://x.com/lezlist