Between Women: Narratives of Estonian Lesbians and a Bisexual During the Transition from Soviet Times

In this article, I analyse the life narratives of three Estonian women who identify as either lesbian or bisexual. Based on three semi-structured in-depth interviews, I focus on the period when the local LGBTQ+ movement became active, during the 1980s and 1990s, after half a century of Soviet dominance that had crumbled and Estonia regained independence. The process of growing older, combined with the individual’s biography, along with added depths of memory and critical reflection, are key elements in interpreting the social significance of their personal experiences. By using thematic analysis, I reveal how these personal experiences can become a shared narrative while letting us focus on the uniqueness of each life history.