LGBT Stereotypes - Lesbians

Lesbians

Lesbian is a term widely used in the English language to describe a female with sexual and romantic desire for other females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to a woman who identifies herself, or is characterized by others, as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality; or as an adjective, to describe characteristics of an object or activity related to female same-sex desire.

Typically, lesbians are thought to be "butch", dressing in a more masculine manner; with short haircuts and work boots, for example. "Dykes" (the plural form of a pejorative term that the LGBT community has reclaimed to an extent) are considered members of a community that is perceived as being composed of strong and outspoken advocates in wider society. Actress Portia de Rossi has been credited for significantly countering the general societal misconception of how lesbians look and function when in 2005, she divulged her sexual orientation in intimate interviews with Details and The Advocate which generated further discussion on the concept of the "lipstick lesbian" ("femme" women who tend to be "hyper-feminine"). de Rossi's book, Portia, Heart & Soul, talks for the first time about sex at 16, coming out to grandma, and finding happiness with Ellen DeGeneres.

Many stereotypes of female homosexuality are seen through filters that generally men control, including the content of any lesbian history that has been relayed over time (the writers are also often male). Consequently, the varied meanings of the term lesbian, some of which have been introduced by male sources since the early 20th century, have prompted some historians to revisit historic same-sex relationships between women; that is, relationships that were formed prior to the popular usage of the term, whereby lesbian is defined primarily by erotic proclivities. Discussion from historians then led to further questioning of what qualifies as a lesbian relationship.

Based on their research and subsequent understanding, the lesbian feminists asserted that a sexual component was unnecessary in declaring oneself a lesbian if the primary and closest relationships were with women. That is, when considering past relationships within an appropriate historic context, there were times when love and sex were separate and unrelated notions. In 1989, an academic cohort called the Lesbian History Group wrote:

"Because of society's reluctance to admit that lesbians exist, a high degree of certainty is expected before historians or biographers are allowed to use the label. Evidence that would suffice in any other situation is inadequate here... A woman who never married, who lived with another woman, whose friends were mostly women, or who moved in known lesbian or mixed gay circles, may well have been a lesbian. ... But this sort of evidence is not 'proof'. What our critics want is incontrovertible evidence of sexual activity between women. This is almost impossible to find."

In more general terms, the representation of female sexuality in texts and documents has been described as inadequate. As of 2012, much of what has been documented about women's sexuality has been written by men, with any exceptions published in recent years. Critics have stated that those works written by men have been constructed within the context of a male understanding of female sexuality and reinforce notions of women as wives, daughters or mothers. Past artistic representations of female sexuality were considered to be indicative of broad trends or ideas, thereby making them markers of how widespread or accepted sexual relationships between women were.