Lesbianism

[[File:Reverie (detail).jpg|right|thumb|165px|[[Sappho]] from the [[Greek]] island of Lesbos wrote of her passion for women.]]
{{sex}}

'''Lesbianism''' (derived from ''Lesbos'', the name of the [[Greek]] island that was home to the [[Classical antiquity|ancient]] poet [[Sappho]]) refers to romantic or [[sexual attraction]] between women. For this reason lesbians are sometimes known as [[homosexual]]s. Lesbians were historically known for terrorizing America during the [[lesbian gang epidemic]],<ref>(June 21, 2007). [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXxZdZxp_Lg "Lesbian Gang Epidemic"]. ''[[The O'Reilly Factor]]''. [[Fox News]].</ref> before they collectively decided to make a living in cottagecore Pinterest boards instead.<ref>Christine Linnell (July 10, 2020). [https://www.advocate.com/women/2020/7/10/what-cottagecore-lesbian "What Is a Cottagecore Lesbian?"]. ''The Advocate''.</ref> Possibly, they were satiated by the federal legalization of [[gay marriage]]. We would do well to continue advancing the [[gay agenda]], lest we provoke another wave of [[gang]] violence. Their new rural life was not taken to well by [[Rush Limbaugh]], despite being relatively peaceful.<ref>Dan Nosowitz (August 24, 2016). [https://modernfarmer.com/2016/08/rush-limbaugh-lesbian-farmers/ "Rush Limbaugh Terrified of Lesbian Farmers for Some Reason"]. ''Modern Farmer''.</ref>

==Terminology==
Historian Rachel Hope Cleves states that ''lesbian'' was used to refer to romance between women as early as the 10<sup>th</sup> century.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cleves |first=Rachel Hope |chapter=Same-Sex Love among Early American Women |date=2018-07-30 |chapter-url=https://oxfordre.com/americanhistory/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199329175.001.0001/acrefore-9780199329175-e-498 |title=Oxford Research Encyclopedia of American History |access-date=2023-09-22 |language=en |doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780199329175.013.498 |isbn=978-0-19-932917-5}}</ref> However in early modern English, lesbians were most usually called "tribades" (from [[Latin]] ''tribas'' for "tribe"{{efn|"The tribe" is sometimes used within the gay community as self-reference.<ref>''Joining the Tribe: Growing Up Gay and Lesbian in the '90s'' by Linnea Due (1995) Anchor Books. ISBN 0385475004.</ref>}}), "rubster", or similar terms, in disapproving reference to a specific lesbian [[sex]] act.<ref name="Norton">{{cite web|author=Rictor Norton |title=A Critique of Social Constructionism and Postmodern Queer Theory, "The 'Sodomite' and the 'Lesbian' |publisher=infopt.demon.co.uk |date=July 12, 2002|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080215084530/http://www.infopt.demon.co.uk/social22.htm}}</ref><ref name="ExaminingOED2012">(January 2012; updated October 2018/2019). [https://oed.hertford.ox.ac.uk/oed-editions/oed-online/re-launched/case-study-terms-lesbianism/ "Case study: terms for lesbian(ism)"]. ''Examining the OED''.</ref> Many other terms have been used over the centuries, such as ''tommy''.<ref name="ExaminingOED2012"/>

In more recent times "lesbian" has become the most common term. A related term is "sapphic", which originated in the 19<sup>th</sup> century, and both have their origins in reference to Sappho of Lesbos. The latter is more widely recognized as a broad label (an umbrella term), while many people define lesbian as referring strictly to women who are solely attracted to other women, i.e. exclusively homosexual.<ref>Yasmine Hamou (April 27, 2022). [https://www.them.us/story/what-does-sapphic-mean "What Does It Mean to Be Sapphic?"]. ''Them''.</ref> A synonym to "sapphic" is "women-loving-women" (or "woman who loves women"), often abbreviated "WLW". Some prefer to use sapphic as a term inclusive even more broadly, of [[non-binary]] people as well. The terms "gay women" or "[[queer]] women" may also be used.<ref>[https://lgbtqia.ucdavis.edu/educated/glossary "LGBTQIA Resource Center Glossary"]. LGBTQIA Resource Center of the University of California, Davis.</ref>

==Lesbiphobia==
{{main|Homophobia}}
Although much of the [[Discrimination|discriminatory]] attitudes towards lesbians can be described simply as [[homophobia]] or even plain [[sexism]], there also exists lesbiphobia (usually spelled lesbophobia; sometimes unpreferred due to invoking the slur ''lesbo''; alternatively spelled lesphobia), which is specifically discrimination or prejudice against lesbians. Alternatively it can be called the [[intersectionality|intersection]] between [[misogyny]] and homophobia.

Lesbiphobia can ultimately manifest itself in violence. Many demographics are targets for '[[corrective rape]]' (though they are not: gender-norm conforming, [[cisgender]], [[heterosexual]] people), but it had been reported in the early 2000s by [[Human Rights Watch]] that lesbians were especially common targets in southern Africa (though it has also occurred elsewhere).<ref>Long, Scott; Brown, A. Widney; Cooper, Gail (2003). [https://archive.org/details/morethannamestat00long/page/193 "More Than a Name: State-sponsored Homophobia and Its Consequences in Southern Africa"]. p. 193. ISBN 978-1-56432-286-9.</ref><ref name="Minh2019"/> This was such that, the term was originally coined to refer to this specific type of violent lesbiphobic [[hate crime]].<ref name="Minh2019">Sarah Doan-Minh (Winter 2019). [https://repository.uclawsf.edu/hwlj/vol30/iss1/8/ "Corrective Rape: An Extreme Manifestation of Discrimination and the State's Complicity in Sexual Violence"]. ''Hastings Women's Law Journal''. Volume 30, Number 1, Article 8.</ref> These actions don't just come out of nowhere, however. It has to do with ideas about heterosexuality being good or normal, and/or homosexuality being bad or abnormal. Despite this, those contributing causes are "ignored or de-emphasized" by the legal system, which in turn can perpetuate the issue.<ref name="Minh2019"/> Understatement of the century: forcing a lesbian to associate men with traumatic assault is not likely to be effective at convincing them of how great(-ly attractive) relationships with men are. Also, despite the name 'corrective', rape is likely to be ''punitive'' rather than a genuine "curative" attempt&nbsp;— ''punishing'' a woman for existing/expressing herself as lesbian (an [[other]] who "violates" [[heteronormativity]]).<ref name="Minh2019"/>

Men over-informing their view of lesbians through commercially-produced "lesbian [[pornography]]" (which may in fact utilize heterosexual or bisexual women as actors oftentimes) can be a form of lesbiphobia.<ref name="Minh2019"/> It's sometimes described as ''fetishization''&nbsp;— see also [[sexual objectification]]&nbsp;— of lesbians. In this way porn produced by-and-for heterosexuals may attempt to define lesbianism however it likes.<ref name="Minh2019"/>{{efn|Though that certainly doesn't end up being its entire audience.}}

In scholarly and popular interpretations of historical figures, a now-satirized tendency downplays the possibility that such figures were non-straight (a kind of ''erasure''). This extends no less to lesbians. A contemporary saying, "and they were roommates", mocks this tendency to adamantly interpret lesbians and other sapphic women as "close friends" or "roommates" despite evidence of an intimate relationship between women.<ref>Jessica DeMarco-Jacobson (January 18, 2022). [https://www.oxfordstudent.com/2022/01/18/and-they-were-roommates-erasure/ "And they were… roommates?: The erasure of queer love"]. ''The Oxford Student''.</ref>

===Stereotypes===
A form of discrimination against lesbians, like any minority group, has been the application of [[stereotype]]s, [[canard]]s, and tropes. In the case of lesbians, one of the more prominent stereotypes is that they are all [[misandry|man-haters]].<ref>Nikki Dowling (March 2, 2010). [https://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/personal/03/02/tf.misconceptions.about.lesbians/index.html "9 misconceptions about lesbians"]. ''The Frisky'', via [[CNN]].</ref><ref>Tijen Butler (April 3, 2019). [https://www.thepinknews.com/2019/04/03/lesbian-stereotypes/ "10 lesbian stereotypes we’ve all heard"]. ''PinkNews''.</ref> That particular stereotype is actually so common that many lesbians have delayed coming out as gay due to a fear of being perceived as a misandrist.<ref name="JustLikeUsStereotypes">(April 2022). [https://www.justlikeus.org/blog/2022/04/26/lesbians-delay-coming-out-harmful-stereotypes/ "Lesbians delay coming out due to harmful stereotypes"]. ''Just Like Us''.</ref> Lesbians are also stereotyped as being masculine, or unattractive; likewise these have been cited as reasons for delaying coming out.<ref name="JustLikeUsStereotypes"/> About 4% among those who delayed coming out due to stereotypes, cited a stereotype that lesbians are [[Transphobia|anti-trans]] (as is incorrectly portrayed in some media).<ref name="JustLikeUsStereotypes"/><ref>Amy Ashenden (March 31, 2023). [https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/originals/lesbians-are-not-anti-trans/ "'Lesbians being anti-trans is a lesbophobic trope'"]. ''Gay Times''.</ref>

==See also==
*[[Asexuality]]
*[[Bisexuality]]
*[[Pansexuality]]
*[[Polysexuality]]

==External links==
* ''Sapphistries: A Global History of Love Between Women'', New York University Press (2009), {{isbn|9780814775929}}.
* {{wpa|lesbian}}
* {{wpa|history of lesbianism}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Homosexuality]]
[[Category:Social justice]]

Categories: Homosexuality, Social justice