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Lesbianism
Defined: A gay or homosexual
woman, relating to, or being a lesbian due to an attraction to her same
sex.
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Sapho...
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The most famous woman poet of all time was Sapho, who was
known for her lyrics. She was born c.630BC at Eressos on the
Greek island of Lesbos. There is much anecdote about her life but little
fact. We do know that she was married and had a daughter. She
suffered exile in Sicily sometime between 604 and 595 . Of her nine books
of poems, only fragments remain. Some were recently discovered on
Egyptian papyri. Celebrated for her marriage songs, she also wrote
hymns, mythological poems, and personal poems of love. Of the last,
most are addressed to several women who were possibly members of a literary
circle with strong emotional attachments.
Several poems invoking Aphrodite (the goddess of love)
suggest that they may have shared some cultic or ceremonial practices.
Famous in ancient times for her depiction of passion, Sappho delighted
in presenting such everyday common things as flowers, the moon, the sea,
and the night as sensual images . Her style is straightforward, delicate,
melodious, graceful, and witty.
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Contemporary
Attitudes Toward Lesbianism...
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Because of the controversial nature of homosexuality and the heavy social
proscriptions against it, many individuals are reluctant to reveal that
they are gay. In 1993, after a widely publicized struggle, the U.S.
military kept its anti-gay stance by endorsing a policy of "don't ask/don't
tell," effectively telling gay enlisted men and women to keep their sexual
orientation secret. Because so many (most probably the majority)
of gay persons are still closeted, estimates of the incidence of homosexuality
have been misleading and inaccurate.
Attitudes toward homosexuality began to change in the
second half of the 20th century. Gays attribute this, in part, to their
own increasing assertiveness concerning their rights about pride in their
orientation. Gay activism, which began in the late 1960s as a civil rights
movement, has helped to change people's thinking and even some laws and
business practices. Some large companies now extend health-care benefits
to the life partners of their gay employees.
Also, many cities have officially appointed lesbian
and gay advisory committees. However, while some attitudes have indeed
changed, prejudice still exists and, in the late 1980s and early 1990s,
there was considerable backlash, with attempts to pass laws prohibiting
the granting of basic civil rights to gays.
Their quest for equal recognition has been an ongoing
struggle. Yet, regardless of how many strides they make, their ultimate
goal of total equality continues to illude them. Not all of society
will accept them nor will it ever. Those with strong conservative
religious mindsets will be the least accepting. Sad to say, those
who claim to represent God's truth are the least likely to show any tolerance
whatsover. As a result, their intolerence makes it impossible for
them to be effective in convincing gay people to reconsider their sexual
orientation.
Yet, there is credence in the argument that one should
never reject the person regardless of his/her gayness. Yet, the inability
to separate people from their sexual preferences continues to be a challenge
to those who choose the lesbian lifestyle.
Needless to say, they are here to stay. They are
our sisters, our daughters, and our fellow-employees. We'll either
love and accept them for who and what they are or we will reject them along
with their sexuality.
We can't have it both ways.
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Lesbian Variations...
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A wide degree of diversity exists among the types of individuals
who identify themselves as being lesbian. The variations in the lesbian
community range from bull dyke, to dyke, to hard butch, to soft butch,
to femme, to lipstick femme.
While there are those who fit the popular stereotype of
the homosexual as a sexually promiscuous female who cannot or will not
maintain a permanant loving relationship, most gay people, female and male,
live quiet lives just like anyone else. Some gay women have raised children,
alone or with partners, and the use of artificial, or alternative, insemination
is increasing among lesbians, creating what has been called a lesbian baby
boom.
The undeniable fact is that women who love other women
have historically always been a part of our society. They work in
factories, serve as executives in large corporations, find expression in
our entertainment industries, own homes in our neighborhoods, and teach
our children. Although, the current degree of repression is not as
strong as it has been in the past, few gay women feel the same sense of
freedom from scrutiny that hetrosexual women experience.
Yet, in the larger scheme of all that makes up this great
big universe of ours, each of us must make our own way along the paths
that we choose. Whatever consequences that come as a result of our
decisions and become the stuff of each of our lives. This principle
is true regardless of one's sexual preference.
Accepting each other a human beings without passing sexual
judgement on others is most likely the higher road to take.
-© all
rights reserved - 1/1/2002
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The mission of this not-for-profit website is to promote clear insights
and toleration regarding the many variations of primary relationships that
exist in our world. We ask for neither acceptance or approval but
hope that each visitor who reviews the pages of this site will leave them
with a better understanding of the numerous cultural, historical, preferential,
religious, sexual, and sociological approaches to coupling that have always
existed and will continue to exist as long as there are at least two human
beings living on this planet. If the effort put into creating and
maintaining this site results in others coming to the realization that
the basic human need to love and be loved takes on many forms which are
accepted by those who practice them, whether right or wrong as determined
by the personal belief system of others, then it will have served it's
purpose well. |
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