In truth it was only upon creating this design that I began to consider the literary, social and political connotations of the term Lesbianism. Why the ism? When did Lesbians become isms? When did I become an ism?
Sure there are a lot of great isms out there, such as feminism, altruism and socialism. Equally there are a whole bunch I’d rather disassociate myself from, such as fascism, Catholicism, Judaism and patriotism.
If homosexual men are universally referred to as Gay, why, when and where did homosexual women become part of a social and political movement known as Lesbianism?
Was it because mainstream society preferred not to think of sex in the absence of men and opted for a political term instead? Perhaps it was assumed that to be Lesbian was to be inherently political or feminist and thus not comfortable sharing a label with men? Perhaps it was just semantics?
To identify as Lesbian usually denotes a strong physical and emotional attraction to women that isn’t felt towards men. The word Lesbian dates back to at least 1732 and Lesbianism first appears in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1870 defined as sexual orientation. Lesbian as an adjective is in the 1890 version and achieved the status of noun by 1925.
Of course the earliest references to same-sex attraction between women are attributed to Sappho and the island of Lesbos in ancient Greece from about 625 – 570 BCE, which is where the term Lesbian originated. Historically then a Lesbian was simply a resident of Lesbos.
So Lesbian is an ancient term and Lesbianism relatively modern. So what about ism itself? An ism is taken from the Greek suffix ismos that forms nouns from verbal stems. The suffix ism has been used historically to express concepts pertaining to belief systems in religion, art, culture, political theory, action, disease, prejudice, etc in so far as isms represent the doctrine or philosophy behind the practice. Its first recorded use was in 1680.
Catholic-Catholicism, Alcoholic-Alcoholism, Lesbian–Lesbianism. Hmmm.
Interestingly whilst homosexuality among men was largely illegal until mid-late 20th century, (and remains so in certain countries with the death penalty as punishment), Lesbianism has never been. Even religious teachings that condemn homosexual behaviour among men are curiously scant on Lesbianism. Queen Victoria, according to accounts, left Lesbianism out of the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885 because she believed that sex between two women was not even possible. This belief has much residue in society.
Why I wonder if sex between two women is not ‘possible’ are heterosexual men so fascinated with it? For an act that doesn’t exist, everyone seems pretty keen to watch. For some men it’s merely an erotic fantasy, whilst others genuinely pursue a sexual relationship with Lesbians and Lesbian couples. Often these same men find homosexual sex among men disgusting. Here we have the Lesbian paradox.
So Lesbianism then does not pertain to dominant culture perceptions of sex. This we can safely say. But are we any closer to understanding what it does mean? In the literal sense it is supposedly the philosophy behind the practice of being a Lesbian. So what is the practice of being a Lesbian?
A Lesbian defines herself in terms of women, not men. She rejects male definitions of sex, love and life. To be a Lesbian means to love oneself, a woman, in a society and culture that often denigrates women. As a Lesbian I reject the male dominated world, ideology and definition of myself as inferior.
Lesbianism then is more than just a sexual preference; it transcends male fantasy and becomes a political choice. I do not rely on men for emotional, financial, physical, sexual or political support. For this I rely on women. Women are important to me and thus I am important to myself. This is the philosophy behind the practice. Lesbian-Lesbianism.
We can’t deny that relationships between men and women are loaded with power and dominance and as such are essentially political. Lesbianism then must be a rejection of the dominant political power structure. Lesbianism means defying women’s reliance on heterosexuality and suggests a collective struggle to end oppression by cutting ties to male privilege.
Of course it could really just mean mind blowingly satisfying orgasms. :)
What does it mean to you?
