Reclaiming Lesbian Pride

[Jess]

Originally Posted by Chazz

Well, here I am, Kobi. Sounds like we're on the same path.

It's been real tough trying to find butch kindred spirits to this end. There's been a headlong rush towards masculinizing "butch", draining it of femaleness, and affirming male IDed people. I got swept up in this, myself, with some help from partners. Hell, I had three consecutive partners insist I was a "Stone". (Been in EMDR therapy and guess what, I'm not.)

Whether anyone wants to acknowledge it or not, femaleness/womanhood has been situated on a lower rung on the neo-butch hierarchy. Except, when femaleness/womanhood applies to MtoFs.

I SEE THIS EVERYWHERE IN THE COMMUNITY ! ! ! !

I do see reclaiming lesbianism (sexual orientation) as somewhat different than (though, interrelated) with reclaiming my womanhood/femaleness (biology - not gender). I have to find the words to express this. (Chazz, keep it simple, stupid ).

I guess I see them very much hand in hand , at least for myself. I too allowed myself to be swept up in the Hy/He pronoun juggling. It was at once a joyous celebration of finding safe space for my "butchness" , finding clarity with my body dysphoria, and creating a space for myself that felt authentic on my butch level , even if not so much on my female/woman level.

I am stone. Of this I have no doubt. I still have issues with my female form ( and probably always will to some degree). I am a woman and without that and some sense of pride in that, I cannot experience and LIVE my lesbian pride. Without that, I can also not live my butch pride. So, while these re-claimings may be different, they do operate simultaneously for me.

I also see feminist theory as the only way we ( the whole enchilada) can make strides against and hopefully see an end to the marginalization of ANY group of persons with common traits. I am sometimes short sighted and very much appreciate reminders. Thank you Heart for the tireless efforts in keeping us aware.

[BullDog]

I am a proud lesbian and proud butch woman. I always have been. Other people's personal definitions of themselves do not threaten me. There are all different types of lesbians, women and butches. I celebrate that.

As far as reconciling butch, woman, female and lesbian, for a short time I felt some distance from woman. I thought that I was always politically aligned with woman but that perhaps it wasn't so much my gender. That my gender was simply butch. However, quite frankly that was just me over thinking gender and straying from woman- however temporarily and partial that may have been- robbed me of some of my strength and connection with other women. I came back to fully embracing woman and for me it is quite empowering. It is my connection to all women- past, present and future. It is my birthright and central to my day to day lived reality. It is also my fervent hope as a non-conforming and butch woman to help expand the possibilities of what woman is and can be, just as I have been enriched and inspired by all the brave women who have come before me. Certainly being a lesbian is completely tied into all this as well. It is at the core of me being butch.

[Apocalipstic]

Originally Posted by Kobi

Jess,

This speaks to me on so many different levels. Of particular interest today is how you pointed out that some of us use the word lesbian in a narrowly focused way. Yet, in doing so, the intent is not to take away from others or to be in opposition to others. I would add in to not be in competition with others as well.

I have asked repeatedly in this thread what is so threatening about lesbians, who define very narrowly asking for their own space to talk. I didnt think I was getting an answer. But, I was. I got so caught up in the forest, I couldnt see the trees.

For others, like me, who are connect-the-dots challenged, it occurred to me this morning, that it was people who narrowly define like me who excluded many women and lesbians back in the day.

One group we excluded was the butch-femme community. Thankfully they went ahead and made their own community. Here, those people we excluded found a home, a place to be all that they were.

And, a couple of days ago, here comes this narrow definition lesbian, asking for narrow definition lesbian space to discuss narrow definition lesbian stuff.

Deja vu? Wounds run deep. You, inadvertantly pick at the scars, the rawness of the wounds find the light of day.

Did I connect the dots in the right order?

I am not sure about Jess, but that is what I was trying to say!

Originally Posted by Kobi

Whoa, sometimes truths just blow me away in a good way. This is something, I too, am finding to be necessary at this stage of my life.
Maybe its part of why I have this need to reclaim my lesbianism in a very vocal, public way.

I have been in a stage where I preferred the word Dyke. I am seeing the importance of those of us who are Lesbians embracing the word and not making it about who has or has not accepted us...who has or has not suffered more.

Being a woman is hard and as we have been discussing standing up for ourselves seems to be less and less OK. I have been thinking about this lately in general so this really ties in for me.

Originally Posted by Heart

Chazz -- yes. This is so clear and important. I appreciate and support your butch voice on this and realize that I may be wandering from a central and crucial point in the discussion.

Exposing the marginalization of butch women is very much a feminist issue and part of resisting sexism and misogyny.

Apologies if what I said felt at all dismissive.

Heart

Yes and yes!

Yesterday I was trying to say that Femmes are marginalized too, but I hope in doing so I did not come off sounding like ONLY Femmes are marginalized.

I am thrilled beyond belief to see actual Butches who id as Women speak up.

Yeay!

and

I do see how it is important from a Feminist standpoint to call myself Lesbian if I am in fact Lesbian, rather than thinking up cute other names I prefer.

ps. This does not however mean I will be listening to Lesbian music . I will find other ways to be supportive.

[dreadgeek]

I also wanted to thank others who have participated on this thread and particular shout-outs for Kobi, for starting it and Heart for, well, being Heart.

Most of you know I'm not particularly effusive with my emotions--at least not here--I would like to say that I was profoundly relieved when I started to see how this thread was going. Quite honestly, I had been wondering if it was just me. I had really started to doubt myself because it seemed that some of the ideas that others have expressed concerns about appeared to be accepted as self-evidently true to so many within the queer community.

It's a relief to know I'm not alone in valuing being butch, lesbian and a woman.

cheers
Aj

[Kobi]

As part of all this reclaiming, I am looking for current writings on the gay community per se and feminism.

I found a couple of books in the library system on gay stuff but was not so lucky with the contemporary feminism stuff. Anyone know who the contemporaries might be? Be easier to search with names.

[ScandalAndy]

Originally Posted by Kobi

As part of all this reclaiming, I am looking for current writings on the gay community per se and feminism.

I found a couple of books in the library system on gay stuff but was not so lucky with the contemporary feminism stuff. Anyone know who the contemporaries might be? Be easier to search with names.

The World Split Open - [ame="http://www.amazon.com/World-Split-Open-Movement-Changed/dp/0140097198"]Amazon.com: The World Split Open: How the Modern Women's Movement Changed America, Revised Edition (9780140097191): Ruth Rosen: Books[/ame]


Gender Trouble - [ame="http://www.amazon.com/RC-Bundle-Feminism-Subversion-Routledge/dp/0415389550/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1313064748&sr=1-1"]Amazon.com: RC Series Bundle: Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (Routledge Classics) (9780415389556): Judith Butler: Books[/ame]



I know there are a few others, but I'm blanking on the names right now. I'll get back to you.

[Jess]

Hey Kobi,

Here are a couple sites that can give you a huge boost. You may have to do the six degrees of separation on some, as they are chock full of links . I have started doing a lot more reading thanks to conversations here. Again, thanks for the wonderful, albeit sometimes "uncomfortable" reminders of the importance of feminism in our lives.

Feminist Theory Website:
http://www.cddc.vt.edu/feminism/

Women's Studies and Online Resources:
http://userpages.umbc.edu/~korenman/wmst/

National Women's Studies Association:
http://www.nwsa.org/research/theguide/index.php

Artemis Guide to Women's Studies in the U.S.:
http://www.artemisguide.com/

Women and Gender Studies Web Sites:
http://libr.org/wss/wsslinks/index.html

Happy hunting!

[*Anya*]

I read this about 5-years ago and am sure it is just as timely. The description is from Google Books.

Identity poetics: race, class, and the lesbian-feminist roots of queer theory
Linda Garber

Columbia University Press, 2001 - Social Science - 262 pages
"Queer theory," asserts Linda Garber, "alternately buries and vilifies lesbian feminism, missing its valuable insights and ignoring its rich contributions." Rejecting the either/or choice between lesbianism and queer theory, she favors an inclusive approach that defies current factionalism. In an eloquent challenge to the privileging of queer theory in the academy, Garber calls for recognition of the historical -- and intellectually significant -- role of lesbian poets as theorists of lesbian identity and activism.

The connections, Garber shows, are most clearly seen when looking at the pivotal work of working-class lesbians/lesbians of color whose articulations of multiple, simultaneous identity positions and activist politics both belong to lesbian feminism and presage queer theory. "Identity Poetics" includes a critical overview of recent historical writing about the women's and lesbian-feminist movements of the 1970s; discussions of the works of Judy Grahn, Pat Parker, Audre Lorde, Adrienne Rich, and Gloria AnzaldAa; and, finally, a chapter on the rise and hegemony of queer theory within lesbigay studies.

[dreadgeek]

Originally Posted by Kobi

As part of all this reclaiming, I am looking for current writings on the gay community per se and feminism.

I found a couple of books in the library system on gay stuff but was not so lucky with the contemporary feminism stuff. Anyone know who the contemporaries might be? Be easier to search with names.

Kobi:

I don't have any suggestions at the moment, but just to say that hopefully within a year or so, if I can find a publisher, there'll be another book on this general theme.

Cheers
Adrienne

[AtLast]

Originally Posted by dreadgeek

I also wanted to thank others who have participated on this thread and particular shout-outs for Kobi, for starting it and Heart for, well, being Heart.

Most of you know I'm not particularly effusive with my emotions--at least not here--I would like to say that I was profoundly relieved when I started to see how this thread was going. Quite honestly, I had been wondering if it was just me. I had really started to doubt myself because it seemed that some of the ideas that others have expressed concerns about appeared to be accepted as self-evidently true to so many within the queer community.

It's a relief to know I'm not alone in valuing being butch, lesbian and a woman.

cheers
Aj

Oh, so not alone! Looking toward your future works with great excitment!

[Chazz]

Here's why I feel obliged to say: I see reclaiming lesbianism (sexual orientation) as somewhat different than (though, related) with reclaiming my womanhood/femaleness (biology - not gender)'.

It's important to me to acknowledge that not all lesbians are butches or femmes. That, to me, is Sisterhood.

Furthermore, there is an operative in play. That is the, often tacit, assumption that masculine butches are automatically assumed to be male-identified unless they say otherwise. (That may not be the operative in this thread, but it is in many places. It's why I feel obliged to be as succinct as possible.)

And, the nouveau construct that a female-bodied person partnered with another female-bodied person, may not be a lesbian.

It is a drag to have to issue disclaimers when talking about my identity and my desire for reconciliation, but it's an unfortunate reality when words have been redefined and appropriated by those who do not identity as women or lesbians.

[LipstickLola]

I am lesbian, nothing to reclaim, never was lost, nothing confusing to me......I just simply 'am'. I can be alone, or with others like me, I am what I am.......

[Kobi]

Originally Posted by Chazz

And, the nouveau construct that a female-bodied person partnered with another female-bodied person, may not be a lesbian.

This is the second time today I have seen this. My brain is a little fried tonight but I am quite sure I did not get a memo on this. What is this about?

[ScandalAndy]

Originally Posted by Kobi

This is the second time today I have seen this. My brain is a little fried tonight but I am quite sure I did not get a memo on this. What is this about?

My understanding of it is that the individuals involved may not, for their own reasons, identify as lesbians. A bisexual female couple, for example.

Very interested to hear others' interpretations, though.

[Chazz]

Originally Posted by ScandalAndy

And, the nouveau construct that a female-bodied person partnered with another female-bodied person, may not be a lesbian.

Originally Posted by ScandalAndy

My understanding of it is that the individuals involved may not, for their own reasons, identify as lesbians. A bisexual female couple, for example.

Very interested to hear others' interpretations, though.

Yes ScandalAndy, you hit the nail on the head.

Earlier in this thread there was some back and forth about what being a "lesbian" actually means. It gave me pause for thought. I went down a certain path with it, which is not to imply there aren't different paths. Here's what I got on that.

There is a difference between being and doing.... Two straight/bisexual/...... women "doing it" with one another, does not qualify them as lesbians. A sex act and sexual orientation are not one and the same.

My sense of myself is about a great deal more than sex and gender identity.

I'm not an ally to women - I am a woman. A woman living in a sexist/homophobic/racist/ageist/patriarchal culture? I do not have the luxury of obsessively focusing on my gender to the exclusion of all else. Being a masculine woman does not confer protection.

For clarity sake: I'm a Lesbian Feminist, butch - not a Feminist. I have a different heritage than heterosexual Feminists. Something, I wish Feminism bashers would remember when they bring up the 2nd Wave gender wars. I, a butch, was the one getting bashed and marginalized by some Feminists. It was my war, not other people's war by proxy, or for the dubious purpose of dismissing all Feminists. Despite it all, I still find Feminism to be my way.

The "lesbian" designation is crucial to my Feminism because it says that my daily, lived life IS a political landscape. I've thrown my life open to political analysis. For me, the personal is political.

Gender theory has a different imperative. It's primarily about the personal - i.e. the political is (in service to the) personal.

[Apocalipstic]

I think even though this is a website owned by Lesbians, the Butch Femme community has really been hard on what I call BullDykes.

Shes have been told they can't be Shes and that they need to change their names to male names. Not by this website, but out in the community and on other websites.

Not taking away from any other identity. Not being phobic.

I think that because of that checkered past, a place specifically labeled as Lesbian is needed to make sure Lesbians feel welcome too. Lesbians have somehow ended up feeling like a minority and I get that.

I think its cool that one was asked for and that it was set up and that Medusa gets it and came in to explain and show her support!

Kobi that you for starting this thread and AtLast and Chazz and AJ and BullDog and Heart and Toughy and each and every one of you for consistently reminding us that some of us here and now are women who love women and that is definitely something to be way proud of!

[Heart]

Well... in the language of my ancestors... I am verklempt!



These posts have been so moving and gratifying.... much thanks to all of you.