David Duchovny Estrogen Brigade

David Duchovny Estrogen Brigade was an Estrogen Brigade for the X-Files character Fox Mulder. It was formed in September 1993, shortly after the first episode of The X-Files aired.from "Cyberspaces of Their Own: Female Fandoms Online by Rhiannon Bury" It was a closed mailing list with about 40-50 members. It was the third estrogen brigade created.
There were three: DDEB (created September 1993), DDEB2 (January 1994), and DDEB3 (shortly after January 1994). The latter two were formed in reaction to previous lists being full and closed.
The first DDEB was created by a member Kellie Matthews-Simmons and Julia Kosatka and modeled after similar Star Trek groups: Starfleet Ladies' Auxiliary and Embroidery and Baking Society and Patrick Stewart Estrogen Brigade, as well as the first estrogen brigade, Siddig El Faddil Estrogen Brigade.
The Gillian Anderson Testosterone Brigade was formed at roughly the same time.
A similar group was The Duchovniks.
Fans not on the actual mailing list were able to visit the FAQ page, a website that had a lot of information about the star. Many fans confused being able to access the FAQ page with being on the mailing list, and perhaps didn't even know a mailing list existed.
From one of its spokespeople in 1996: "The David Duchovny Estrogen Brigade is not a drool group. We post info on the man, answer endless repeated questions about his height, weight, etc., and generally act as a clearinghouse for info about him. Individual members sometimes write fan fic (and only a small percentage of that is NC-17) about *the show*.... We don't post drooling messages. We don't send underwear to him. We don't stalk him. People who *claim* to members of our group may do so, may screech their throats raw at his public appearances, and write bad poetry about him on the Net. We can't help it if people appropriate our name without our knowledge." alt.tv.x-files, comment by Sarah Stegall, 1996
As of 2021, the DDEB is still active with 20 members according to original member Sarah Stegall .
==Why the Popularity of This Brigade?==
The "David Duchovny Estrogen Brigade" was especially influential in that the media gave it much exposure. This was due to 1) how media latches onto things and doesn't let go or dig deeper, 2) the DDEB's spokespeople were very charismatic and visible, 3) people were just becoming aware of the internet and all the wonders therein, 4) X-Files was wildly popular, and 5) the idea of women gathering together and talking frankly about sexual desire was novel.
In 1996, a fan asked how she could join the Brigade and was told: "Yeah, you and 2,000 other Phemale Philes...it is a closed list." 
From 1996: "The David Duchovny Estrogen Brigade(tm) is a mailing list. There are two other DDEBs, DDEB2 and DDEB3, which share the (trademarked) name. They are also mailing lists. None of them are open to new members, having had to limit their membership to avoid overwhelming the capacities of their members and their servers." alt.tv.x-files, comment by Sarah Stegall, 1996
==Some 1994 Complaints of Exclusivity==
In December 1994, the subject of exclusivity arose:
Sarah Stegall wrote: 
dith answered: 
Polly Moller responded: 
dith responded: 
==DDEB==
David Duchovny Estrogen Brigade Creative Archive
==DDEB2==
David Duchovny Estrogen Brigade 2 Creative Archive
==DDEB3==
The archivist was Miri.
It was formed in 1994, shortly after the second list.
Some fics, poems, and filks: 
Some awards: 
The site's motto was "Where Magic and Technology Meet."
==The Brigade Now==
In a 2012 interview, Sarah Stegall, one of the founding members said: "Back in 1993, I was one of the original members of the DDEB – David Duchovny Estrogen Brigade. We were a closed e-mail group because the servers were catching fire from the amount of traffic on the list, and we have been on-line chatting with each other, every single day, 365 days a year. Next year will be our twentieth anniversary. Some of the members have bowed out, some of them are still with us. A couple of them were actually journalists. I won’t give you their names, but they reported on The X-Files, they interviewed people. You would recognize their names. It’s been going on for decades." The X-Files Lexicon Interview with Sarah Stegall
==Subject of Academic Study==
This mailing list was discussed heavily in the book "Cyberspaces of Their Own: Female Fandoms Online" by Rhiannon Bury (2005).
==References==
Category:X-Files Mailing Lists
Category:1990s