About Lesbianism in America

Long before "The L Word" rocked cable TV audiences, long before stand-up comedian Kate Clinton filled concert halls, before Ellen Degeneres came out to sitcom audiences, and before k.d. lang and Melissa Etheridge topped Billboard charts, lesbians lived, loved and worked in America. However, much of early lesbian history is obscured by the fact that it was ignored and suppressed. In recent decades, social critics, professors and, yes, celebrities have been researching, writing about and discussing the lesbian experience in America.

History

Some of the earliest information on record about lesbians in America is gathered in the 1913 article "A Perversion Not Commonly Noted." Author Margaret Otis gathered data and observed incarcerated women and published the results of her study in the "Journal of American Psychology." Despite a typically puritanical outlook, the article did betray some groundbreaking compassion for, if not approval of, women in lesbian relationships.

Warning

In writing on the topic of lesbianism and America, author Viktoria Lyons and Michael Fitzgerald note that historically lesbianism was viewed by most Americans in the majority culture as a perversion. Some social critics grouped lesbianism with fetishism, pedophilia and even Satanism. Thus, historical and contemporary social criticism on lesbianism can often be skewed.

Types

Lesbians in America may identify with particular groups. The terms "butch" and "femme" are less prevalent in the lesbian lexicon, but other terms such as "lipstick lesbian" and "doily dyke," demoting lesbians who display stereotypically feminine attributes, have taken their place. "Chapstick lesbian" is a term used to describe a softer butch lesbian. Radical lesbians and separatist lesbians were particularly prevalent in the gay rights movements of the late 1960s through the 1970s. Valerie Solanis, famous for shooting Andy Warhol, was the most famous participant of the separatist movement, and she detailed her philosophy in the "SCUM Manifesto." Some lesbians do not identify with the term and may describe themselves as "queer" or "bisexual."

Features

Lesbianism in America is often stereotyped as pornographic. However, some feminists are reexamining classic lesbian pulp literature as a way of examining outmoded beliefs. Hence, New York's Feminist Press has republished some classics of lesbian pulp fiction, such as the 1959 novel "The Girls in 3-B." Publisher Jean Casella explains that lesbian pulp "...was very important in the underground history of lesbianism in America."

Expert Insight

In her book "Gender and American History Since 1890," author Barbara Melosh poses a cogent question: "How do we explore the language of the experts without offering them complete authority over defining the meaning of lesbianism?" In essence, to explore the history and issues of lesbianism is often to view lesbian culture through the lens of the dominant culture. Popular ideology has often defined lesbianism as a subculture as if it was untouched by popular culture when, in fact, the two have always coexisted and affected one another.

Resources

• Curve Magazine