This thesis looks at ​Lavender Woman,​ a newspaper published by a lesbian collective in Chicago, Illinois from 1971 to 1976. To address the important role this newspaper played in building a lesbian community, I examined a column titled “Dear Mother.” For this column Collective members and subscribers to the paper submitted open letters to important people in their lives with whom they have unfinished business — mothers, fathers, anyone.”1 This analysis shows that the letters address themes such as loss of family, desire for acceptance, and self-affirmation in regards to their lesbian identity. “Dear Mother” allowed lesbians to define and affirm their lesbian identity through the act of writing, which provided catharsis for themselves and for others in the community. The creation of this space within ​Lavender Woman​ showcases the Lavender Woman Collective’s commitment to building a lesbian community and world that embraced lesbianism as an asset in the face of homophobia and exile from the Women’s Movement and society more broadly.