The fear of the disappearance of Lesbian identity is not a new one; Lesbianism has a history of being ignored. In Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence, author Adrienne Rich contends that through the lens of Compulsory Heterosexuality, Lesbianism is deemed either “Abhorrent” or rendered invisible (Rich, 632). While inclusion and cohesion are necessary for minority groups to gain political clout and recognition, the lack of spaces distinctly for Lesbians has always been sparse. Grouped in with Gay men, Lesbians lacked a solid political identity without their male counterparts. “Lesbians have historically been deprived of a political existence through ‘inclusion’ as female versions of male homosexuality. To equate lesbian existence …show more content…
Lesbians, like Gay men, Bisexuals, and Trans individuals, deserve unique spaces to discuss issues exclusive to them. The advancement of Queer identity and the preservation of Lesbian identity do not need to be mutually exclusive. By is establishing more exclusive spaces for some groups, as well as more spaces open to all LGBTQ participants, both communities can thrive, However, unlike these groups which have had an increase in established safe spaces, Lesbian spaces are being either “queered” or shut down. This means Lesbians have no places to call their own, or to strengthen their identities. “Lesbian” has become a symbol of regressive and exclusionary attitudes; while solidarity between Lesbians and the Trans community is imperative, Lesbians are entitled to safe spaces and the autonomy to reject any sexual contact they do not wish to engage in without fear of being deemed bigoted in response. These conditions, coupled with the negative connotations of Lesbianism, are not entirely new. Rather, they are the same threats Lesbianism has always encountered in a different cultural context. These conditions have played a significant role in the weakening of Lesbian identity. The loss of Lesbian identity and erasure of Lesbian history would be detrimental to the entire LGBTQ community, as Lesbians have a rich and unique history, as well as standing in solidarity with other community members. Though it is on the decline, Lesbian identity will not die until those with exclusive same-sex or same-gender attraction stop finding solace with the term. As many women continue to identify with lesbianism, these women deserve to be adequately
As Tamsin Wilton explains in her piece, “Which One’s the Man? The Heterosexualisation of Lesbian Sex,” society has fronted
John D’Emilio’s “Capitalism and Gay Identity” contracts what life was like for gay men and lesbians throughout the 1970s and 1980s. During the 1970s, gay men and lesbians were able to come out freely, and eventually started to get accepted by everyone in society. They were able to express themselves without any regards, and started to become the person they were destined to be. People within the gay community have always expressed tendencies of liking the same sex, but societal norms did not allow them to express themselves. However, during the 1980s, as more people decided to openly come out, it started to take a toll on their identity. Society then started to question the importance of people who were brave enough to come out to the world.
This paper will continue on, researching the societal change/acceptance in the gay and lesbian community as no longer being unorthodox and with the stigma coming from the gay community itself.
There are certainly various points in history that can be construed as trailblazing for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. One event in particular, however, sparked awareness and a call to action that previously could never have been conceptualized in the United States. This unforgettable incident, the Stonewall riots of 1969, altered the public’s view of the gay community and arguably jumpstarted the next revolution in an entirely new civil rights movement.
The following thesis will lay out the progression in the LGBTQIA movement along with the deficits that these individuals have encountered throughout history. An interdisciplinary perspective through historical,
LGBT is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender. It is intended to highlight a diversity of sexuality and gender identity-based cultures. Historically, LGBT people have had to deal with being brutalised and misunderstood because of the misconception that being gay is different and deserves different treatment. However, there are efforts being made daily by the community in order to educate people and ease their fears. The purpose of the following analysis is to deconstruct how people who fought back while growing up realizing they are apart of community help shaped and/or will shape them to become strong roles for LGBT people around the world.
One’s gender identity represents who they are, whether they were born with male or female genitalia. Back in the 1900’s, “for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) folks in America, the efflorescence of sexual expression did not begin until the waning months of that decade in the heart of the nation’s then-largest bohemian enclave and gay ghetto, New York’s Greenwich Village” (Wolf). In the 60’s, being able to express who you were freely was pushed aside much too often. But because of the Stonewall Riots in Greenwich Village, their fight has helped people today be who they want to be without any discrimination. Over “four decades after the Stonewall riots, political leaders are now beginning to recognize the influence of the LGBT community, knocking down barriers to gay and lesbian participation in the military and nominating at least two transgender officials, for the first time in history, to senior posts in the federal government under the Obama administration” (Teal). Whether someone identifies as a man, woman, or neither, they are able to participate in any group regardless. Due to the Stonewall riots, no matter what no one can turn you down based off of your gender identity, which is causing political leaders to now think differently because of this monumental time in history where everyone can be accepted for who they want to
The assimilation discourse evokes bell hooks’ (1992) “eating the Other” mentality. Scholars have alluded to the voyeuristic allure and consumption of lesbian culture (see for example, Chamberland 1996; Nestle 1992). This possessive desire operates within the context of power and privilege to reconstitute lesbian parents in a heterosexual image (Moody 2011). Precisely, there is a drive to depict “as much difference as possible within it while eliminating where at all possible what is different from it: The supreme trip in a bourgeois ideology is to be able to produce its opposite out of its own hat” (Williamson 1986, 100).
It is often a misconception that the Stonewall Riots marked the beginning of the gay rights movement. In actuality, the riots served as a vital catalyst for the birth of widespread activism in the LGBT community, but did not mark the movement’s birth. Before Stonewall, there were leftist lobbyists in the Mattachine Society pushing for law reform and there was the lesbian organization, Daughters of Bilitis, who published The Ladder in order to garner acceptance in society.9 This homophile movement was conservative in its actions, working within the system’s rules in effort to gain societal acceptance.9
The purpose of this essay is to give a clear understanding of gay and lesbian families. This essay will discuss relative information and problems of this client group focusing on the demographic, history, polices, issues faced by the group as well as relevant support groups and programs available. This essay will discuss these topics by drawing on existing published scholarly literature and relevant, credible published sources. The second part of this essay will be a reflection of an event that relates to the LGBTIQA Community. This reflection will discuss the event as well as thoughts and feeling of a participant in the event. For the purpose of this essay Gay and lesbian will be defined as “A person who is attracted primarily to members of the same sex. Although it can be used for any sex e.g. gay man, gay woman, gay person, “lesbian” is sometimes the preferred term for women who are attracted to women.” ("LGBT Terms and Definitions | International Spectrum", 2016).
LGBT history has changed the way society works in the United States and has had an impact around the world. The homosexual community came as an impact to the world during the early 1900’s. They were considered different; odd, ill, and weak, but little did we know the effects it would have in today’s society and politics. The war, queer, and AIDs movements seem to relatively impact members of the gay and lesbian community the most. In an series of interviews in “Word is Out” conducted by Nancy Adair and Casey Adair, the reader is introduced into the lives of Pam, Rusty, and Pat; lesbian women living within their true identity during the mid-1900’s. Their stories consist of broken family relationships, marriage failure, and gender roles. To help one understand the dynamics of their relationships and lives, John D’Emilo talks about the effects of war and how it structures and damages the gay community and their opportunity for equality. Elizabeth Davis speaks about the Lesbian experience in public spaces that exposes many to find their character by associating with those that fit best to their community in “Lesbian Bar Culture in the 1930’s and 1940’s”. The LGBT community for centuries has won the spotlight in the news and many articles published in well know newspapers, but what many never get to hear or see are the struggle that many homosexuals face. Both gays and lesbians in the United States have received backlash because of their race, gender, and social class. The
The 1950s is an era remembered for the Cold War, communism, and June Cleaver. Most historians, if asked about this period, will mention the ‘Red Scare’ and the fight to stop the pervasive reach of communism in post-war America. Most feminists will recall the iconic image of June Cleaver and the detrimental effect this perfect housewife had on the women’s movement after the massive employment of women during the Second World War. Often forgotten and missing from the pages of history are the millions of women who were ostracized and subjected to discrimination based upon their sexuality. These women lost federal jobs, their military careers came to a halt, and, in some cases, were blacklisted from applying for civilian jobs. Not only were these women forced to overcome gender inequality in order to support themselves in the workforce, they were also ostracized by society and endured unending discrimination from the government and police on the basis of their sexuality. In the face of this tremendous cultural pressure these women carved their own communities and lives out on the edges of the social order. The pervasive fear of homosexuals in the 1950s bred an era of anti-gay legislation that greatly contributed to the horrific discrimination against lesbians and the development of a lesbian subculture. This fear, known as the Lavender Scare, led to a severe climate of oppression for the emerging lesbian subculture following the Second World War. As a result of medical
The Lesbian experience in the early and mid-twentieth century seemed to be more obscured than the queer male subcultures. For many lesbians of the early and mid-twentieth century, to live as a queer woman and to still maintain social respectability meant that lesbians often had to live in the closet. I believe that that lesbian subculture was unknown and ignored because it was impossible for women to claim their identity as a lesbian; they were frequently viewed from the outside as sick, confused, or sinful and no one would want to be considered one. Being a lesbian woman in the streets was unsafe for them, as they were vulnerable to be followed and harassed by men. Finally, in this era working-class women were working more and had to keep silent about their sexual identity because it could cost losing their jobs.
The heterosexual imaginary is immensely ingrained in our everyday experience that most people, including feminist sociologists, has become inclined to conceptualize and theorize based around the heteronormative. The heterosexual imaginary acts as an invisible framework at play that structures our thinking processes and in which constructs our social identity. For instance, the inquiry of a survey taker’s marital status in most social science surveys come to show that our recognized and appropriate social identity is formed around heterosexuality. That is, any deviation from this heterosexual norm would be considered abnormal and be marginalized. To a minimal extent, this focus has served the interests of women because of the lack of activism
“…there are lesbians who affirm that “women and men are different species or races (the words are used interchangeably): men are biologically inferior to women; male violence is a biological inevitability…” By doing this, by admitting that there is a “natural” division between women and men, we naturalize history, we assume that “men” and “women” have always existed and will always exist.’”