The end of censorship did not come quickly and, indeed, only three titles were released in the 1940s and all of them with coded lesbianism. Generally, kisses were still friendly and any hint of lesbian sexuality totally repressed.

However, all of that changed in 1957 with The Twilight Girls, a racy exploitative flick that dared to show a love scene between two school girls at a boarding school. This was a bold move and forever changed Sapphic representation in films. Unsurprisingly, conservatives were not pleased. It caused quite a furor and was immediately banned. Public outcry and support were victorious though and it eventually led to the closure of the New York State Censorship Board shortly after. This was an enormous victory for freedom of expression and ushered in a wave of sexploitation films beginning in the 60s and fully developed by the 70s. While this was a pendulum swing in the opposite direction, it was a still a move towards the kind of creative and free expression we see today.

All titles in this period have been linked to sources. Enjoy.