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Lesbian
Lesbian
refers to a woman whose primary emotional and sexual relationships are
with other women. The term is derived from Lesbos, the Mediterranean
island that was the birthplace of Sappho, a 6th century BC female poet
and devotee of the goddess Aphrodite. Landmark research by Kinsey found
that approximately six percent of women in the U.S. are lesbians. More
recent studies suggest that between four and nine percent of women are
lesbians, at least during some part of their lifetimes. The work of
Kinsey and others suggests that, overall, lesbians in the U.S. parallel
the general population in terms of race, ethnicity, education level,
income, and social class membership. People have debated what it means
to be a lesbian. Some, adopting what has been termed an
"essentialist" perspective, argue that sexual orientation and
individual sexuality are core features of a person's being, much like
height, race, or sex. Social constructivists counter that sexuality
differs from one culture to another and from one age to the next based
on social context. Social constructivists maintain that concepts like
heterosexuality and homosexuality or lesbian, gay and straight, are of
recent vintage. Consequently, the meaning of the term lesbian is neither
fixed nor permanent but has undergone and will continue to undergo
redefinition over time. Like the term gay, lesbian is often used to
refer to self-identified "out of the closet" women, rather
than all women who engage in same-sex sexual behavior.
Compared to gay mens'
lifestyles and associated patterns of sexuality, much less is known
about these matters when it comes to lesbians. Since AIDS has not
constituted a major health problem for lesbians, they have not been the
focus of scholarly study or media attention in recent years to the same
extent as gay men. Many of the problems involved in studying lesbians
stem from issues of defining and locating representative individuals
that reflect the entire lesbian population. Despite the relative paucity
of research, evidence indicates that few lesbians can be characterized
as assuming only a masculine (or "butch") or only a feminine
(or "femme") role in emotional and sexual relationships.
Some women choose to
adopt lesbianism in the aftermath of the dissolution of a heterosexual
relationship. They may choose to rear their children in the same
household with their female partner. Conversely, many lesbians discover
their sexual orientation during adolescence and some may have never even
engaged in heterosexual activity. "Coming out" often
constitutes a lengthy and painful process for many women who choose to
adopt a lesbian lifestyle. A woman's acceptance of her lesbian identity
generally follows involvement in one or more homosexual relationships.
As a result of their financial resources and education, white
middle-class lesbians have been able to organize themselves politically
to a greater extent than working-class lesbians, particularly those who
are women of color. As a result, far more is known about the lifestyles
of the former than the latter. Indeed, many white middle-class lesbians
are strong advocates of a form of feminism referred to as
lesbian-feminism. For these women, lesbianism constitutes a political
choice, one entailing a conscious rejection of patriarchy and
traditional male-dominant gender roles. Contrary to popular stereotypes,
however, the majority of feminists are not lesbians. Also, contrary to
such stereotypes, many lesbians have close friendships with both gay and
"straight" men.
To further their
interests and defend their rights, lesbians have formed various
national, regional, and local organizations. Lesbians established the
Daughters of Bilitis in 1955 in order to create a structure facilitating
their coming out. Women in the Mattachine Society have addressed key
women's issues while lesbian mothers formed the Lesbian Mothers Union.
Although, like gay males, lesbians tend to migrate to large and
medium-sized cities, they are more likely than gay men to remain living
in small cities and even rural areas, where they have formed communes
and lesbian family living arrangements of various sorts. Even in urban
areas, lesbians are often the objects of discrimination, including
within the workplace. Studies indicate that 25 percent of lesbians have
experienced job discrimination based on their sexual-orientation, and
over 60 percent anticipate possible negative consequences in the work
place. The military, in particular, has been notorious in its
discriminatory policies towards lesbians and gays.
Although white
middle-class lesbians often are open to working in coalition with women
of color, various African-American and Hispanic lesbians have formed
organizations of their own. Lesbians of color constitute a "triple
minority" as a result of their gender and racial/ethnic status and
their sexual orientation. Many lesbians of color feel that they must
subordinate their lesbian identity to their racial/ethnic identity. In
addition to hostility from the larger society, lesbians of color often
experience hostility within their racial/ethnic communities because they
are seen as contributing to cultural genocide based on the belief that
they have chosen not to engage in biological reproduction. Aging
lesbians experience discrimination from both the larger society as well
as from within the lesbian community. A lesbian senior citizen may be
denied access to retirement centers or nursing homes because of her
sexual orientation. Younger lesbians sometimes internalize ageist
attitudes from the wider society which lead them to marginalize their
older counterparts.
Some studies suggest that
lesbian couples have sex less often than heterosexual or gay men.
Furthermore, research indicates that lesbian lovemaking tends to focus
more on the entire body (hugging, kissing, stroking) and less on the
genitals (cunnilingus, insertion of dildos) than is true for
heterosexual or gay couples. Most lesbians who desire to have children
undergo artificial insemination, but some have turned to in vitro
fertilization or adoption. Children born into lesbian families may have
one, two, three or more parents. Various lesbian family arrangements
have evolved, such as a lesbian couple and a male (often gay) sperm
donor who together raise a child, or families made up of a close circle
of lesbian friends. All of these individuals may not reside together,
but still consider themselves to be family members.
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Sex
