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.

The law

In Western societies, explicit prohibitions on women's homosexual behavior have been markedly weaker than those on men's homosexual behavior. Jewish religious teachings condemn male homosexuality but are more lenient towards lesbianism, ruling it to be acceptable in an unmarried woman if this prevents her from premarital sexual relations with a male but it is not encouraged. In the United Kingdom lesbianism has never been illegal, unlike male homosexuality which was criminalised in the late 19th century, occasionally produced a prison sentence and was only legalised in England and Wales in 1967. There are various apocryphal stories about why lesbianism was not criminalised in the UK. One relates that Queen Victoria refused to sign a bill outlawing it, insisting, "ladies did not do such things." However lesbian publications such as The Well of Loneliness were declared obscene and seized http://www.gayhistory.com/rev2/factfiles/ff1928.htm.

Related Topics:
Western societies - United Kingdom - 19th century - England - Wales - 1967 - Queen Victoria - The Well of Loneliness

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Reproductive and parenting rights

In some countries the right of lesbian women's access to assisted birth technologies such as in vitro fertilisation (IVF) has been the subject of debate. In Australia the High Court rejected a Roman Catholic Church move to ban access to IVF treatments for lesbian and single women. However, Prime Minister John Howard sought to amend legislation in order to prevent access to IVF for these groups, which raised indignation from the gay and lesbian community.

Related Topics:
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) - Australia - High Court - Roman Catholic Church - Prime Minister - John Howard - Legislation

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Many lesbian couples seek to have children through adoption but this is not possible in every country.

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