Lesbian

A lesbian is a homosexual woman. Lesbians are sexually and romantically attracted to other women. One might argue that one is not a lesbian (as a noun) but lesbian (as an adjective). This can depend on self-identification and varies among most lesbians/lesbian women.

Culture

Throughout history, hundreds of lesbians have been well-known figures in the arts and culture (see List of gay, lesbian or bisexual people).

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Before the influence of European sexology emerged at the turn of the twentieth-century, in cultural terms female homosexuality remained almost invisible as compared to male homosexuality which was subject to the law and thus more regulated and reported by the press. However with the publication of works by sexologists like Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, Richard von Krafft-Ebing, Havelock Ellis, Edward Carpenter and Magnus Hirschfeld the concept of an active female homosexuality became better known.

Related Topics:
Sexology - Karl Heinrich Ulrichs - Richard von Krafft-Ebing - Havelock Ellis - Edward Carpenter - Magnus Hirschfeld

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As female homosexuality became more visible it was described as a medical condition. In Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality (1905) Sigmund Freud referred to (female) homosexuality as inversion or inverts and characterised female inverts as possessing male characteristics. Freud drew on the "third sex" ideas popularized by Magnus Hirschfeld and others. While Freud admitted he had not personally studied any such "aberrant" patients, he placed a strong emphasis on psychological rather than biological "causes." Freud's writings did not become well-known in English-speaking countries until the late 1920s.

Related Topics:
Sigmund Freud - 1920s

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This combination of sexology and psychoanalysis eventually had a lasting impact on the general tone of most lesbian cultural productions. A notable example is the 1928 novel The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall in which these sexologists are mentioned along with the term invert which later fell out of favour in common usage. Freud's interpretation of lesbian behavior has since been rejected by most psychiatrists and scholars, although recent biological research is now providing some findings that may bostler a Hirschfeld-ian "third sex" understanding of same-sex attraction.

Related Topics:
Sexology - Psychoanalysis - 1928 - The Well of Loneliness - Radclyffe Hall - Biological

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During the twentieth century lesbians such as Gertrude Stein and Barbara Hammer were noted in the US avant-garde art movements along with figures such as Leontine Sagan in German pre-war cinema. Since the 1890s the underground classic The Songs of Bilitis had been influential on lesbian culture and this book provided a name for the first campaigning and cultural organisation in the United States, the Daughters of Bilitis.

Related Topics:
Gertrude Stein - Barbara Hammer - Avant-garde - Leontine Sagan - German - 1890s - The Songs of Bilitis - Daughters of Bilitis

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During the 1950s-60s there was a rise in lesbian pulp fiction in the US and UK, many of which carried 'coded' titles such as Odd Girl Out, The Evil Friendship by Vin Packer and the Beebo Brinker series by Ann Bannon. British school stories also provided a haven for 'coded' and sometimes outright lesbian fiction.

Related Topics:
1950s - Vin Packer - Beebo Brinker - Ann Bannon

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During the 1970s the second wave feminist era lesbian novels became more politically oriented, works often carried the explicit ideological messages of separatist feminism and the trend carried over to other lesbian arts. In the early 1990s lesbian culture was influenced by a younger generation who had not taken part in the feminist 'sex wars,' which strongly informed post-feminist queer theory and the new queer culture.

Related Topics:
1970s - Separatist feminism - 1990s - Queer theory

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From the 1980s lesbians have been increasingly visible in mainstream culture: In music (Melissa Etheridge, k.d. lang and the Indigo Girls), in sports (Martina Navratilova), in comic books (Alison Bechdel and Diane DiMassa). More recently lesbian homoeroticism has flowered in fine art photography and the writing of authors such as Pat Califia and Jeanette Winterson. There is an increasing body of lesbian films such as Desert Hearts, Go Fish, Watermelon Woman, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, Everything Relative and Better than Chocolate (See List of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender-related films).

Related Topics:
1980s - Melissa Etheridge - K.d. lang - Indigo Girls - Martina Navratilova - Alison Bechdel - Diane DiMassa - Fine art photography - Pat Califia - Jeanette Winterson - Desert Hearts - Go Fish - Watermelon Woman - Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit - Everything Relative - Better than Chocolate - List of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender-related films

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An expansion of the publishing industry and the growing visibility of lesbian love have provided a viable market for re-issues of older or neglected lesbian classics such as the first lesbian feature-film Madchen in Uniform and the novels of Jane Rule. There is also a growing market for feature-length documentary films.

Related Topics:
Madchen in Uniform - Jane Rule

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