Being Lesbian
Jan 2023
About spectrum’s guide to
LGBTQ+ identities
Spectrum is BCA’s gender-sexuality alliance and LGBTQ+ activism club! Our meetings are dedicated to improving the school & its surrounding community, making it safer and more welcoming for everybody. Some initiatives we have worked on this year include bake sales, a proposal to the school administration, and our zine, Spectrum’s Guide to LGBTQ+ Identities!
Spectrum’s Guide to LGBTQ+ Identities is a series of zines (mini magazines) about various topics relating to the LGBTQ+ community. Some covered topics may include: key terms, related issues, ways to help the community, etc. Our third edition covers the lesbian identity and all that it encompasses
Thank you to: • M. Fernandes • Greta Jennings • Erica Weinstein • Lucy Montalti • Matt Diomidous • Lauren Kim • Baz Cho • Daria Bondarenko
What does lesbian mean?
A lesbian is generally known a woman who is emotionally, sexually, and/or physically attracted to other women.
However, in more recent years, this term has also been adopted by nonbinary and gender nonconforming people who might describe their relationship to lesbianism as simply being a nonman who is attracted to other non-men.
Overall, what differentiates lesbians from other women in the queer community (bisexual, pansexual, omnisexual, etc.) is that they lack attraction to men.
Meaning of the flag
The first iteration of the lesbian flag is called the labrys lesbian flag, and it was created in 1999. The design is purple, with a labrys, or double-headed axe, on top of an upside down black triangle. The color purple originated from the poetry of ancient Greek poet Sappho of Lesbos. The labrys was considered an empowerment symbol for the lesbian community during the 90s, and the upside down triangle was derived as a reclamation of a Nazi symbol
The next flag, which bears more of a resemblance to the current lesbian flag, was called the lipstick lesbian flag. It contained seven stripes fading between pink, white, and red, and had a lipstick mark in the upper left-hand corner.
The lipstick lesbian flag was created to represent lesbians with a more feminine gender presentation, so many masculine-presenting lesbians felt that a more inclusive flag was necessary. The first iteration of the modern flag was simply the lipstick lesbian flag without the
lipstick mark, often referred to as the pink lesbian flag. This flag was widely used by the lesbian flag for many years.
In 2018, Emily Gwen introduced the sunset lesbian flag, which had seven stripes ranging from orange to white to pink. Although the pink flag fell into use out of inclusivity for masculine lesbians, Gwen felt that it was still closely tied to the lesbian flag, so she created a different one with meanings for each stripe:
gender non-conformity •
independence • Light
•
relationships to womanhood •
and
• Dark orange:
Orange:
orange: community
White: unique
Pink: serenity
peace • Dusty pink: love and sex • Dark pink: femininity
Related terms
gay (adj.)- typically refers to men attracted to other men but can also be used as a general term for all queer people
sapphic (adj.) – an umbrella term for any women attracted to other women, including but not limited to lesbians and bisexual women
nmlnm (adj.) – non-male loving non-male; describes a person who does not identify as male who is attracted to other people who do not identify as male wlw (adj.) – women loving women; describes a woman who is attracted to other women; does not only apply to lesbians lesbophobia (n.) – discrimination against lesbians; an intersection between misogyny and homophobia
queer (adj.) – an umbrella term that applies to all members of the LGBTQ+ community; originally a homophobic slur but has since been reclaimed
Related issues
All members of the LGBTQ+ experience discrimination in some way. Since lesbians are misogyny-affected people who do not experience attraction to men, they experience a unique form of discrimination named lesbophobia, which encompasses both misogyny and homophobia.
Lesbians can encounter this prejudice not only from straight people, but also from other members of the LGBTQ+ community. For example, in the campaign for gay rights, lesbian issues are often presented as less important than other queer issues. Cynthia Petersen, a professor of law at University of Ottawa, defines lesbophobia as including “the fear that women have of loving other women, as well as the fear that men (including gay men) have of women not loving them.”
Some examples of prejudice that lesbians experience include, but are not limited to:
• Feeling forced to be intimate with their partner for “entertainment”
• Violence or threats from men for simply not being attracted to them
• Comments surrounding the way they dress (e.g. being told to dress more “feminine”)
• Stereotyping certain groups, such as female athletes, as being lesbians simply for being more masculine
Famous lesbians
Emily Dickinson (1830-1886): Dickinson is widely known as a prominent American poet, but many don’t know she had a lifelong affair with her childhood friend and sister-in-law Susan Gilbert. They lived next door to each other throughout their adult lives.
Erestine Eckstein (1941-1992): Eckstein was the leader of the first lesbian civil and political rights organization known as the Daughters of Bilitis, leading the New York Chapter. She was an early activist of the Black feminist movement of 1970, and viewed the fight for civil rights and LGBTQ+ rights as two things that were deeply connected.
Kehlani (1995-): Kehlani is a singer-songwriter who identifies as non-binary and uses she/ they pronouns. Long identified as queer and bisexual, she proclaimed herself a lesbian via TikTok post in 2021.
Hayley Kiyoko (1991-): Kiyoko is a singer and actress, and is often referred to as “Lesbian Jesus” after one of her most popular music videos “Girls Like Girls,” which she was initially very nervous to release in the case that no one could relate.
Megan Rapinoe (1985-): Rapinoe is a professional soccer player well-known for her career in the Women’s National Soccer League and the United States Professional Team. Rapinoe is currently engaged to WNBA star Sue Bird.
Q: What is comphet?
A: Comphet, or compulsory heterosexuality, is a lesbian-specific term that refers to the expectations placed upon lesbians to feel attraction to men, often resulting in them doubting their identity. This is a result of misogyny and homophobia. A more general term that can be used for the larger LGBTQ+ community is heteronormativity.
Q: Can a lesbian be non-binary?
A: Yes! The term lesbian refers to non-men who love non-men, so non-binary lesbians can and do exist. This is alos not a new concept -- many historical lesbian activists were gender non-conforming and considered themselves separate from womanhood.
Q: Why are lesbians at the beginning of the LGBTQ+ acronym?
A: When the acronym was first created, it was GLBT, for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender. When the AIDS epidemic hit in the 1980s, lesbian activists were crucial in advocating and caring for gay men suffering under the crisis. In honor of their work, the acronym was changed to LGBT, putting lesbians at the front.
Q&A
Our Favorite Lesbian Films & Television
“A League of Their Own on Amazon Prime is an amazing show that doesn’t just feature lesbians but is about lesbians!”
“I really love Heartstopper, featuring Tara and Darcy! The representation is really wholesome and healthy.”
“I really like Robin and Steve’s friendship in Stranger Things because it shows a lesbian and a straight guy as friends without the guy being interested in the girl.”
“The Owl House has a lot of LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent representation, and I think a lot of it is done very well.”
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What LGBTQ+ related topic would you like to see us cover in Spectrum’s Guide to LGBTQ+ Identities in the future? DM us at @bcaspectrum on Instagram or go to: