Erasure of lesbians

[todayitstarts]

This is a fantastic article discussing being or denying being a lesbian

www.feministcurrent.com/2017/01/13/todays-shameless-lesbians-wont-queered/

[M0stlyHet]

Very interesting read, today. The whole cotton ceiling thing is horrendous - unrepentant rape culture. And it clearly shows up for exactly what it is when you reflect on the fact that I, as a straight woman, am under no pressure whatsoever to sleep with transmen. Gay men are under no pressure to sleep with transmen. Straight men are under no pressure to sleep with transwomen. The only people being pressurised are lesbians.

[CaoNiMa]

That's a fantastic article. I've taken several things from it, the most significant of which is a sudden conviction to start using the word "lesbian" in relation to myself, and not the "queer" that I usually use. I am also going to start selecting "female" as my gender on forms, instead of my preferred "not specified", which may sound strange, as I'm gender-critical in my thinking, but I feel I need to CLAIM femaleness somehow.

I have also unsubscribed from Dan Savage's podcast. I was growing frustrated by his misogyny, and reading this article convinced me to stop listening to him. I've subscribed to the Feminist Current podcast instead!

[todayitstarts]

God, Cao
I'm a het boring mother but was so fucking angry about this and that lesbians are been thrown under the bus. Have you looked at Magdalen Berns? She is hero, and quite hilarious too

[TheCountessofFitzdotterel]

Same here, Today.
I can't believe how many people can't see how much misogyny there is in the way lesbians have been shafted by the rest of the lgbtquiavwxyz movement.

[Beachcomber]

Thanks for posting this todayitstarts. Have read the article and nodded along to it. Thought provoking.

[MsAwesomeDragon]

This is really interesting, thank you for posting it. My dd1 is a lesbian, and she does use the word lesbian. She doesn't really have a massive involvement with the lgbtq+ community, other than a little bit online. She does seem very clear about her sexuality and her own identity (even though she's less clear about other things in her life) so hopefully she can avoid being erased, or pressured into dating anyone she's not attracted to.

[CaoNiMa]

I have been awake since 4am FURIOUS. Fucking furious. I feel as if the anger that's been bubbling up has finally surfaced.

I've been going round in circles in my head. I need to do something to stop this erasure of lesbians and of women, but what CAN I do without potentially endangering my life and my academic career?

I've recently been approached about editing a journal with an LGBT theme. How do I navigate this according to my beliefs? Could I possibly use it as a vehicle to encourage a range of voice that will hopefully balance the TRAs? That seems like an impossibility, in the current climate.

I've been thinking of writing some fiction about the issue, but I realised I'd have to do it under a pseudonym so as not to jeopardise my "mainstream" writing.

This is what is keeping me awake at night. I have to do something.

(I've just read this back, and was going to edit to make it less angry and dramatic, but I'm going to let it stand. I am furious.)

[Beachcomber]

I know what you mean. I also really want to do something concrete to support my lesbian sisters. Lesbians have done and continue to do so much for women, for feminism and it is not surprising (although outrageous) that they are under this attack. Lesbian women by their very existence stick 2 fingers up to patriarchy and this attack on them is political and an attack on womanhood and women's rights in general.

Women really need to unite on this. A march to raise awareness with the wider female public might be an idea to build a mass of support and awareness.

[Datun]

I've often wondered whether mumsnet is a bubble when it comes to a trans-critical viewpoint. The only other thing I can go on is comments underneath articles which seem to echo the sentiment on here.

The 'transwomen are women' mantra is always the first and most powerful sticking point. Because everything follows that. If you buy that, you buy the lot.

Coupled with the McCarthy-esqe fear of speaking out.

I am increasingly getting the impression that there are a LOT of people questioning the ideology but are too afraid to speak out.

I have been thinking about this and wondered how to reclaim womanhood in order to be able to speak about it, whilst being able to avoid accusations of discrimination.

It is the wording/language? If 'woman' now includes men - and 'menstruators' excludes some women. And 'penis bearers' excludes pre op trans-men.

What about saying 'XX' (chromosome) people.

Would anyone really be able to claim discrimination against XY people?

A march for XX-ers
A group/club for XX-ers

Not necessarily using those terms as an end in itself, but using them to be able to gather people together without being no platformed. There is no denying exactly who it would exclude. Like there is no denying their lack of rights to be excluded.

Ridiculous, I know. But as language is being used so if effectively to blur the lines, I wondered if there was a way around that.

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

cao, I've just responded to your post on a much more lighthearted thread (the one about bonkers things parents say with conviction!) and now I see you here. I don't know how to navigate the issue you're mentioning, but it's something I'm struggling with too. ATM I am trying to get a book published on women's same-sex desires, without using the word 'queer' in the title - and apparently that's practically heresy.

It is so difficult.

I am currently bloody furious, too, to find the Women's March (of all people) have cheerfully ridden roughshod over Audre Lorde's desire to be called a lesbian and have called her 'queer'.

Such bullshit.