In this special issue on feminism in Latin America and the Caribbean an article on lesbian feminism in reply to the two 'Marcha de lesbianas feministas' held in 2003 and in 2004 in Mexico City. Sueli Carneiro writes about 'blackening feminsm', taking racism as a system of oppression with an impact on gender relations in all societies, and integrating the consequences of this position within feminist praxis and theory. Shown also are some elements of Afro-descendant women's political practices that precede theoretical feminism as it emerged in the West. Indigenous women call for a fight on several fronts, like racism, sexism and lesbianism, and at the same time demand political action characterized by the search for alliances beyond divisions of race and class. Different lines of autonomous feminism in Latin America and the Caribbean are described.