A lesbian is...

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About Lesbians...

A lesbian is a womyn who loves other wymyn, preferring her intimate/emotional relationships to be with other wymyn. Lesbians are everywhere - We are your sisters, daughters, mothers, aunts, grandmothers, spinsters, crones, co-workers, friends, neighbours, etc...

Most people have been kept ignorant of lesbianism, and lesbians who have spoken out have too often suffered the consequences of a lesbian-phobic society. (a society of people taught to fear and/or hate lesbians).

We have been discredited, fired from jobs, refused work, refused housing, refused the opportunity to speak openly,.

We have lost custody of our children and suffered public scorn and personal character assassinations.

We have been psychiatrized, brain-washed, institutionalised, indicated, and given lobotomies, aversion therapy and shock treatment. We have been accused of creating evil. We have been misunderstood, misread and mystified.

The heritage of lesbianism has been hidden, censored by historians. We have been kept isolated from each other. This is the threat that wymyn loving wymyn poses to a society dominated by men.

MYTHS ABOUT LESBIANS:
(Lesbo-phobic Statements)

	Lesbianism is a new fad.
	Lesbianism is unnatural.
	Lesbians are oversexed.
	Lesbians are out to convert young girls or 'straight' wymyn..
	Lesbians should not work with children.
	Lesbianism is a phase or arrested development.
	Lesbians are man-haters.
	Lesbians want to be men.
	Lesbianism is all right, as long as they keep quiet.

FACTS

	As long as there have been wymyn, there have been lesbians.
	Wymyn are not necessarily meant to live with men. Many have always preferred to live separately and/or with wymyn.
	Lesbianism is as natural as being heterosexual.
	Lesbianism is not just an issue of who sleeps with whom. This type of statement reduces every womyn to a mere sexual object, whether she is a lesbian or not. The statement is an insult to lesbian sexuality. The fact is that lesbians appreciate other wymyn spiritually, emotionally, politically, socially, intellectually, sexually, etc...
	Lesbians are not interested in conversion or force. As wymyn we detest force. As lesbians we know how it feels to have someone else's idea of sexuality pushed on us.
	98.2% of attacks on children are by heterosexual men, not wymyn and not lesbians.
	Lesbianism is not a psychological problem. It is a way of life for some wymyn.
	Many lesbians hate the violent acts that some men commit, but loving wymyn is not connected to man-hating.
	We are tired of being quiet. As long as we are quiet, we remain isolated from each other and from our heritage. As long as we remain quiet none of the myths will change. As long as lesbians are still discriminated against, no womyn is free to choose whether to be heterosexual or a lesbian. (Compulsory heterosexuality).

This is why we choose to speak.

ISN'T LESBIANISM UNNATURAL?

No. Studies of human development show that people are not just naturally heterosexual. We are naturally loving, and naturally sexual. We are, in fact, taught to be heterosexual.

BUT DON'T LESBIANS MOLEST YOUNG GIRLS?

No. Statistics show that 95% of all cases of sexual abuse of children involve heterosexual men.

SO, WHY DON'T I KNOW ANY LESBIANS?

Partly because you really can't tell by looking who is a lesbian. And partly because, until fairly recently, many lesbians were very careful to hide the fact that they loved wymyn. Lesbians have been rejected by families and friends, fired from their jobs, locked up in mental hospitals, lost their children, been beaten up - when someone else 'found out'. With that kind of punishment waiting, most lesbians lived their lives pretending to be heterosexual.
Besides - the chances are that you do know some lesbians even if you don't know who they are!

WHY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT THIS?

Lesbians are no longer willing to lie and hide and live in fear. Lesbians are working together to educate people about lesbianism, to dispel the ignorance and lies. We have set up drop-in and support groups. We are producing positive material that celebrates loving wymyn. We are active in the Wymyns Liberation Movement as part of our struggle for respect and value for all wymyn. We are active in trade unions, gay rights groups, community groups... everywhere... But there's such a long way to go.
There is still so much fear and prejudice. There are still many wymyn who worry that there's something 'wrong' with loving another womyn. There are lesbians living in isolation and loneliness. Lesbian mothers are still being denied custody of their children. Lesbians are still being fired from jobs, and being harassed on the street.
It has to stop ...

WHAT CAN I DO?

Educate yourself. Get your local library or bookstore to order some good factual books on lesbianism. Read them, and then pass them on. Talk with your friends, your co-workers and children about lesbianism. Ask that groups you belong to invite speakers from lesbian organizations.
Speak out when someone tells a queer joke that is in bad taste. Some queer jokes are very funny, some are just plain revolting and incite ignorance hatred, and perpetuate some already ridiculous myths. These are not funny.
Work to change laws or help change them. Prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
There are groups and resources working for lesbian rights. Become a member of PFLAG. Offer your support!