Lesbian

Lesbian is an identity which has been defined in various ways. At its base, it is essentially defined as a term for women who experience attraction to other women, often primarily or exclusively. This attraction is often defined as being sexual, romantic, physical,Physical attraction may refer specifically to sensual attraction, or broadly refer to any form of attraction involving physical attributes and/or engagement (e.g. sexual, sensual, aesthetic). and/or emotionalEmotional attraction may refer to nonsexual attraction, ecstatic attraction, and/or romantic attraction. Nonsexual attraction is linked in the article due to it being the most broad form of attraction that "emotional attraction" may refer to. in nature. Some definitions of the lesbian label are synonymous with the modern sapphic label, while others define it as a separate, specific identity under the sapphic umbrella. It is also sometimes used to describe intimate relationships or activity between women, regardless of how each woman individually identifies. Some people describe themselves as gay instead of, or in addition to, the lesbian label.
Many additional definitions also exist. Such definitions may include nonbinary lesbians, lesbians who are attracted to nonbinary people, lesbians whose attraction is non-exclusive, lesbians who use the split attraction model, and additional lesbian experiences.This Wiki endorses all definitions of the lesbian label, in that we believe each lesbian has the right to decide what the label means for oneself. However, we do not endorse defining other lesbians via one's own preferred definition. In other words, if a lesbian identifies in a way which conflicts with your preferred definition, accept that you define the identity in different ways, acknowledge that their understanding and identity is also valid, and move on. Observable definitions include, but are not limited to:
*An umbrella term for all women who experience attraction to other women, regardless of exclusivity; synonymous with the sapphic label.
*Women and femmes who experience attraction to other women and femmes.
*Women and nonbinary people who experience attraction to women, and potentially nonbinary people as well. Gender alignment is not always specified in this definition, and nonbinary lesbians may not necessarily be woman-aligned, feminine-aligned, or feminine. "Womenbies" is sometimes used as a catch-all term for women and nonbinary people simultaneously (i.e. "womenbies attracted to womenbies").This use of "womenbies" is based on the discussions that happen within the #lesbian channel of the Spectrum Discord server, which this Wiki is not affiliated with.
*Queer attraction to women, and potentially towards nonbinary people as well.This particular definition of the lesbian label appears to have originated on the LGBTA Wiki on July 4, 2021. However, when taking into account the experiences of self-described lesbian transgender men, this definition has existed since at least the late 90s, despite this specific phrasing being relatively new.
*Non-men who experience attraction to non-men.
==Gender diversity in the lesbian community==
Some lesbians are cisgender and identify within the gender binary, while others are transgender, nonbinary, or under those umbrellas. Transgender women and transfeminine people who identified as straight prior to realizing their gender may subsequently realize themselves as lesbians after coming out. The lesbian label is also sometimes used as a gender identity in and of itself.
Transgender men and transmasculine people, similarly, may realize themselves as straight if they previously identified as lesbians. However, some may continue to be lesbians, even after realizing they're men/man-aligned. This can be the case for many reasons, such as having a complicated relationship with their gender, reclaiming the lesbian label after being invalidated by it, not wanting to give up their lesbian identity that they fought hard for, feeling attached to the lesbian community after years of identification, being in a preestablished lesbian relationship, or not identifying with the cisheteronormative ideal of heterosexuality. Words such as "lesboy" or "lesbian man" are sometimes used to express this.
This does not mean that it is appropriate to force the lesbian label on transgender men or transmasculine people, nor is it appropriate to assume that transgender men and transmasculine people want to be included in lesbian spaces. This is something which is largely subject to individual expression, and should not be applied to all transgender men and transmaculine people. Additionally, butch lesbians are not necessarily transgender, just as transgender people are not necessarily butch lesbians.
==Etymology==
"Lesbian" originally referred to people from the island Lesbos (also known as Lesvos or Mitilini), or things relating to said island. Sappho, a Greek poet from Lesbos, was the source of inspiration for the lesbian label, as well as the sapphic label. This was due to the erotic poetry and love poems she wrote about women. "Lesbian" became a word which refers to attraction and relationships between women as late as 1870.
"Homosexual" derives from the prefix homo-, meaning "same" (in this instance, referring to the same gender or sex), and "sexual" to denote sexuality. This term is often considered offensive, due to its historically negative connotations, and its harmful usage in outdated medical literature.
The word "gay" was initially a Middle English word meaning "bright" or "lively," dating back to the 13th century, if not earlier. It stemmed from the Anglo-French gai, meaning "cheerful." By the 1950s, the word "gay" referred to attraction and relationships between people of the same gender.
==Distinction==
===Sapphic===
Main article: Sapphic
Sapphic, also known as WLW (women-loving-women), is an umbrella term for women who experience attraction to other women, exclusively or non-exclusively. While the lesbian label is sometimes defined synonymously with the sapphic label, not all definitions are synonymous, and many definitions of the lesbian label involve exclusive attraction. Lesbian is always included under the sapphic umbrella, but is not always the same identity.
===Neptunic===
Main article: Neptunic
Neptunic, also known as nomascsexual, is an identity in which one is attracted to women, woman-aligned people, feminine nonbinary people, neutral nonbinary people, and any other gender which is not masculine or man-aligned. It is a label which is often used by nonbinary people, but can also be applicable to other genders. While the lesbian label sometimes shares a similar definition, these labels are distinct, as the lesbian label is not always defined synonymously with the neptunic label. The lesbian label's base definition centers around attraction to women, experienced by women, whereas the neptunic label's definition is more broad in its application. The lesbian label also often specifies that one is a woman or nonbinary person, whereas the neptunic label can be adopted by any gender.
==Flag==
=== Double Venus flags ===
The rainbow LGBTQIA+ pride flags, designed by Gilbert Baker in the late 1970s, are sometimes altered via the addition of a double Venus symbol (⚢) to specifically represent lesbians. The Venus symbol (♀) is commonly used to represent women and/or femininity. Thus, the double Venus, or interlocking Venus, represents lesbians and/or relationships involving multiple women. The double Venus lesbian flags were likely designed after 1979, due to the dependence on Gilbert Baker's flags, but there is no clear specific date. The designers of the flags are also unknown.
=== Labrys lesbian flag ===
The labrys lesbian flag was designed by Sean Campbell in 1999. An inverted black triangle is centered in the flag. Within the black triangle, there is a labrys, which was adopted as a symbol of lesbian empowerment in the 1970s. The background of the flag is violet, due to violets being associated with lesbians. This association comes from Sappho's poetry.
The labrys lesbian flag is controversial, however, largely due to its symbolism and history. The creator of the flag, a cisgender gay man, was not a part of the demographic the flag was intended to represent. Some fascist organizations have also adopted the labrys as symbol of fascism. The labrys lesbian flag has also become popular among TERFs, resulting in the flag being perceived as trans-exclusionary.
The use of Nazi symbolism also turns many away from the flag. During the Holocaust, inverted black triangles were used by Nazis to mark "asocial" and "work-shy" people. This primarily included Romani people, as well as people who were mentally ill, intellectually disabled, alcoholic, homeless, beggars, draft evaders, pacifists, prostitutes, thieves, murderers, nomads, and the habitually unemployed. The black triangle was also used to mark people who engaged in sexual relations with Jewish people, and marked some gender nonconforming women and lesbians as well.
Some people have replaced the triangle with a different shape, or removed it altogether, to avoid this symbolism. Some people have also incorporated transgender symbols and colors to signal inclusion and distance themselves from TERFs.
=== Lipstick lesbian and pink lesbian flags ===
The lipstick lesbian flag was "designed" by Natalie McCray on July 28, 2010. This flag is controversial due to its exclusivity, creator, and lack of symbolism. The design has no meaning beyond being "shades of lipstick." The flag also represents lipstick lesbians exclusively, and does not include butch or gender nonconforming lesbians. The flag has also been criticized due to allegations of plagiarism. It was copied from the cougar pride flag, which was designed by Fausto Fernós in 2008. McCray presented the lipstick lesbian as her own original creation, without crediting Fernós. The flag is also controversial due to the cruel remarks McCray made towards butch, bisexual, anorexic, and Asian women.
The lipstick lesbian flag was later revised by removing the lipstick symbol, leaving only stripes. This flag is often known as the pink lesbian flag. One of the earliest instances of this appeared on the Tumblr blog trans-wife on December 8, 2013. It was shared as a flag for lesbians in general, rather than specifically as a lipstick lesbian flag. A high resolution version of the flag was posted by DeviantArt user Pride-Flags on October 6, 2015. The flag is somewhat controversial due to its association with the lipstick lesbian flag, and is still sometimes interpreted as being exclusive to lipstick lesbians and femmes."Femme" is used here as a specific subculture, referring to lesbians whose expression and/or identity is feminine.
=== Cool-toned lesbian flag ===
The cool-toned lesbian flag was designed by Tumblr user anurtransyl, with the help of cerebrite, maidofluck (now littol-lie), lesbistani (now stxrbian), and an anonymous friend. The first version of the flag was created on or before March 16, 2018, then revised as late as May 25, 2018. They made the flag due to the lipstick lesbian flag lacking meaning behind the stripes, as well as being femme-specific. From top to bottom, the stripes in the cool-toned flag represent loyalty and trust, freedom to love women, transgender and nonbinary lesbians, serenity, and pride and self-love.
=== Lemon void flag ===
The lemon void lesbian flag was designed by Tumblr user apersnicketylemon on May 17, 2018, as a response to the problems presented by the lipstick lesbian and pink lesbian flags. This flag has no common or official title, but is referred to as the "lemon void" lesbian flag here due to the name of the blog. It is intended to be inclusive, and is also meant to be easy to produce physical copies of. The purple stripe represents nonbinary and transgender lesbians, as well as violets, which were historically used by lesbians to express their love. The pink stripe represents lipstick lesbians and femme lesbians, and represents the beauty of feminine love. The grey stripe represents a-spec lesbians, and represents the difficulty of navigating the "grey area" of an unaccepting and non-inclusive society. The blue stripe represents butch lesbians, he/him lesbians, and the subversion of gender norms.
=== Sappho flag ===
The Sappho lesbian flag, also known as the sapphic flag, was designed by Lydia, a genderqueer lesbian, on June 26, 2018. The flag was also made in response to the problems with the existing lipstick lesbian and pink lesbian flags. It was initially intended to be an all-inclusive flag for lesbians, and later expanded to represent all sapphic identities. The flag was designed to be web-friendly and easy to produce physical copies of. Lydia also didn't want it to skew too feminine, as they wanted all lesbians to feel represented by the flag, including non-femme lesbians.
The colors were chosen from a poem by Sappho, and were specifically inspired by these lines: "all the violet tiaras, braided rosebuds, dill and crocus twined around your young neck". Thus, the stripes were violet (for violets), pink (for rosebuds), yellow (for crocus), and green (for dill). Each stripe also was given additional meanings: violet represents sapphic love, pink represents fragility, yellow represents strength, and green represents healing. The stripes were originally arranged in the order of purple, yellow, green, and pink. However, they were later rearranged into the order of purple, pink, yellow, and green, per the advice of Maya Kern.
=== Lesbian community flag ===
The lesbian community flag was designed by Erin Ptah, also on June 26, 2018. Ptah noted that "the symbolism in [the labrys lesbian flag] is excellent, and sets a high bar," but "it’s clear that stripes are the way to go." She also stated that the pink lesbian flag has a "great aesthetic," but "doesn’t translate so well to everyone in the community who isn’t hella femme." Her flag was made in response to this, taking inspiration from both flags, as well as other flags, such as the transgender, nonbinary, and intersex flags. There is a deep pink stripe, a light pink stripe, a pale yellow stripe, a lavender stripe, and a dark blue stripe. There are also two versions of the flag which include the symbol from the labrys lesbian flag. Each stripe has its own individual meaning (with the exception of the pink stripes, in which their meaning is combined):
*The pink stripes pay homage to the gradient design that the lipstick lesbian flag introduced, and represents femme lesbians. There are two pink stripes as a way of representing lesbian/sapphic couples, as well as to represent the harmony between liking women and being a woman. The light pink stripe also echoes the pink stripe in the transgender flag, signaling the inclusion of both cisgender and transgender lesbians. 
* The pale yellow stripe echoes the nonbinary and intersex flags, signaling the inclusion of nonbinary and intersex lesbians. It also echoes the middle stripe in the pansexual flag, representing attraction to nonbinary lesbians. The sandy shade additionally pays homage to the island of Lesbos.
*The lavender stripe pays homage to the labrys lesbian flag, and honors the reclamation of the "lavender menace" symbolism. It also represents the importance of lesbians being feminists, and the inclusion of lesbian issues in feminism.
*The dark blue stripe represents butch lesbians. It also echoes the blue and black stripes of the leather pride flag, representing leatherdykes and kinky lesbians. It's at the base of the flag because it is "buff enough to hold all the other stripes up." Ptah also stated that she "experimented with plain #000 as another shoutout to the labrys flag, but a brighter stripe worked better with all the other colors, which represents how when all different kinds of lesbians band together we look awesome."
=== Sunset lesbian and community lesbian flags ===
The sunset lesbian flag is often attributed to Emily Gwen, but is also sometimes attributed to Olivia (shapeshifter-of-constellation) on Tumblr. On July 3, 2017, Olivia combined the lipstick lesbian flag with Mod Q's butch lesbian flag, with a white stripe in the center, to create a flag representative of all lesbians. The lipstick lesbian stripes were placed at the top to represent femme lesbians, the butch stripes were placed at the bottom to represent butch lesbians, and the white stripe in the center represents lesbians who do not identify as femme or butch.
The sunset lesbian flag was designed by Emily Gwen on June 3, 2018, with similar intent and inspiration. Contrary to Olivia's flag, however, the stripes from the butch flag were placed at the top, with the stripes from the lipstick lesbian flag placed at the bottom. This was done to subvert the idea that femininity must always come first. The stripes originally represented- in no particular order- butch lesbians, femme lesbians, transgender and nonbinary lesbians, love, community, independence, and serenity. The meanings behind the stripes were later updated the next day to have a particular order: butch lesbians, independence, community, transgender and nonbinary lesbians, serenity and peace, love, and femme lesbians. The meanings behind the stripes were once again updated two days later, with the clarification that none of the symbolism is set in stone. The stripes represent gender nonconformity, independence, community, unique relationships to womanhood, serenity and peace, love and sex, and femininity, respectively.
In 2019, Emily Gwen apologized for excluding asexual people from the LGBTQIA+ community. However, they doubled down on their exclusion of allosexual lesbians who use the split attraction model, and accused people with such identities of being lesbophobic. They added to this stance once again several months later, stating that they believed using the lesbian label in this way is "selfish." They accused bi-lesbians of being biphobic as well. They also testified on Twitter that they were unaware of Olivia's flag at the time of creating the sunset flag when confronted with allegations of plagiarism in 2021. They stated in 2022 that they do not consider themself to be the authority on lesbian opinions.
The community lesbian flag was designed as a simplification of the sunset lesbian flag. Two stripes were removed, and the remaining stripes were made an equal size, resulting in a five-striped flag. This simplified version of the sunset lesbian flag was proposed by Tumblr user taqwomen on July 25, 2018. After multiple polls, it was chosen as the official lesbian flag on August 28, 2018, and became known as the community lesbian flag. Each stripe was later given meaning by Tumblr user birdblinder: transgressive womanhood, community, gender nonconformity, freedom, and love, respectively.
=== Tricolor lesbian flag ===
The tricolor lesbian flag was proposed by Neighborhood Lesbian on Medium, on June 5, 2019. This flag was created for multiple reasons. Other popular lesbian flags use gradients, which are difficult to recreate, especially in fabric. They state that "An ideal flag is something that a kid could draw with plain old markers," and that gradients break the rules of good flag design. They also state that, while the sunset lesbian flag is intended to be more broad and inclusive, it still suffers from the same design problems that the lipstick lesbian flag held. They additionally found that other flags often incorporated too many design elements and/or lacked visual coherence. Some, they felt, lacked authentic symbolism, only slapping a meaning to the stripes after the fact.
The tricolor flag was designed to be simple and easy to recreate, even without exact colors. It is "both distinctive and simple, while holding plenty of symbolic meaning." Each stripe has its own individual meaning:
*Violet represents the rich history of the lesbian community, as well as the essential place of lesbians in the LGBTQIA+ community as a whole. Violets have traditionally been exchanged between lesbians as a symbol of love. The color purple has also long been associated with gay people and LGBTQIA+ activism overall.
* Pink represents proud femininity. Its color is taken directly from the gradient flags.
*Orange represents gender nonconformity. It is inspired by the butch recolor of the gradient flag, and is also the opposite of blue. Gender nonconforming lesbians are also often underrepresented, while historically bearing the brunt of homophobia, even on the front lines of LGBTQIA+ activism. This stripe highlights the importance of the butch community, and gender nonconforming lesbians as a whole.
The three colors subtly reference the sunset lesbian flag. There is no white barrier between the pink and orange stripes, representing the significance of butch and femme culture. This also symbolizes that butch and femme subcultures exist under the lesbian umbrella, and are not a spectrum which every lesbian must fall under. Additionally, the three stripes are reminiscent of a sunset, which is an effect caused by filtering out blue light. This is a nod to lesbians prioritizing women over men, due to blue often being perceived as "a man's color." The flag is also easy to create edits of for those who want to include text or symbols.
=== Aurora lesbian flag ===
The aurora lesbian flag, or all-inclusive lesbian flag, was designed by Tumblr user lavendings (formerly ferretwlw, and also known as Aurora) on October 16, 2020. It was designed as an all-inclusive lesbian flag, for all lesbians, regardless of how the person defines their lesbianhood. Anyone who identifies with the lesbian label can be represented by the flag. The colors were inspired by the Northern Lights. Dark blue represents the community and solidarity. Purple represents diversity in expression and experiences. This includes transgender lesbians, nonbinary lesbians, gender nonconforming lesbians, m-spec lesbians, and lesbians of any expression and subculture. This also encompasses lesbians who are butch, femme, unlabeled, or any other person who considered themself a lesbian. Pink represents acceptance and pride, and is placed in the center due to it being the "core" of the flag's meaning. Yellow represents lesbian history and culture. Mint represents inclusivity, tolerance, and acceptance.
==Symbol==
=== Double Venus ===
The double Venus lesbian symbol (⚢) is two interlocking Venus symbols (♀), a symbol commonly used to represent women and femininity. This symbol can represent lesbians, sapphic people, and relationships between women. The symbol first appeared in the 1970s.
=== Flowers ===
Violets are traditionally exchanged between lesbians and sapphic people as a display of love, affection, or courtship. This association can be attributed to Sappho's poetry, and its popularity in modern culture may be attributed to the 1927 Broadway play The Captive by Édouard Bourdet. Lavender is a general LGBTQIA+ symbol which also became a prominent lesbian symbol after the reclamation of "the lavender menace," a term coined by Betty Friedan in an attempt to distance feminism from lesbians.
=== Fashion ===
Some fashion statements are associated with lesbian culture, and can be used to subtly hint towards one's identity. This notably includes dungarees, thumb rings, and carabiner clips.
==Gallery==
File:Community Lesbian (Romantic) Flag.png|A romance-oriented community lesbian flag.
File:Sunset Lesbian (Romantic) Flag.png|A romance-oriented sunset lesbian flag.
File:Shapeshifter Lesbian (Romantic) Flag.png|A romance-oriented version of Olivia's lesbian flag.
File:Pink Lesbian (Romantic) Flag.png|A romance-oriented version of the pink lesbian flag.
File:Sappho (Romantic) Flag.png|A romance-oriented version of the Sappho flag.
File:Outdated Sappho Flag.png|The outdated version of the Sappho flag.
File:Lemon Void Lesbian (Romantic) Flag.png|A romance-oriented version of the lesbian flag by apersnicketylemon.
File:Double Venus (Romantic) Flag.png|A romance-oriented double Venus pride flag.
File:Labrys Lesbian Community Flag.png|The lesbian community flag with the labrys symbol in the center.
File:Labrys Lesbian Community Flag 2.png|The lesbian community flag with the labrys symbol in the corner.
File:Lesbian Community Romantic Flag.png|A romance-oriented version of the lesbian community flag.
File:Cool Lesbian Flag (Romantic).png|A romance-oriented version of the cool-toned lesbian flag.
File:Outdated Cool Lesbian Flag.png|The outdated version of the cool-toned lesbian flag.
File:Three Stripe Lesbian (Romantic) Flag.png|A romance-oriented version of the tricolor lesbian flag.
File:Aurora Lesbian (Romantic) Flag.png|A romance-oriented version of the aurora lesbian flag.
==Notes==
==References==
Category:Identity
Category:Orientation
Category:Sexual orientation
Category:Romantic orientation
Category:Tertiary orientation
Category:Women-loving-gender
Category:Gender-loving-women
Category:Sapphic
Category:Prominent identities
Category:Umbrella terms
Category:LGBTQIA acronym identity
Category:Gender
Category:Gender identity