Two Venuses Are Better Than One!

In a broad sense, Feminism is a political movement that seeks justice for all women. As Mullaly (2007) writes, “although there are different forms of groupings of feminism, the common thesis is that the relationship between the sexes is one of inequality or oppression” (p.162) .  One of these forms of feminism is that of Lesbian feminism; which is a movement that was made most popular in the 1970s and 1980s.
Lesbian feminism came together out of a dissatisfaction with second-wave feminism and the gay liberation movement. “As the Second Wave of feminism picked up steam during the 1960s, feminist discourse largely ignored lesbianism.  Some feminists harboured hostile attitudes towards lesbians, however.  Some viewed lesbianism as a sexual rather than a political issue.  Others believed the project of feminism would dismantle strict sexual categories, and would make lesbian politics irrelevant” (Westerbrand, 2004)
As a result lesbian feminists came together in retaliation to the heterosexual feminist organizations expressing homophobic opinions against lesbians.  Lesbian feminist groups such as “The Radicalesbians” and “The Furies” were created. “These activists called for female and lesbian separatism, arguing that only women can give each other a new sense of self. They held that “homosexuality” and “heterosexuality” are categories created by a male-dominated society utilized to separate and dominate women” (Echols, 1989)
The core idea of lesbian feminism politics is that the personal is political.  The problem is that most feminists view lesbianism as a personal decision or a matter for civil rights,  however it is more than that. There is a much deeper political analysis that lesbian feminism is trying to advocate, which is a need for a political critique of the institution and ideology of heterosexuality as a primary cornerstone of male supremacy.

. “Notably The Radicalesbians wrote an article named Woman-identified Woman which is generally recognized as the first articulation of a lesbian-feminist politics”. (Chenier,para.5)

“Its authors claimed that lesbians and lesbianism are of central, rather than peripheral, importance to the feminist movement. The woman-identified woman, they contended, undermines patriarchy by withdrawing her energy from men, by affirming a connection with other women, and by validating women on their own terms, independent of men. So long as women seek the approval of men and male institutions, they argued, they cannot become autonomous human beings” (Chenier,para.6). 

The previously mentioned article seeks to explain their belief on how heterosexual women love men over women. Therefore they are maintaining the system that oppresses them, that system being patriarchal power. They also largely do not believe that men can make positive contributions to the feminist movement.

 Lesbian feminists do not need the support from a man at any level, they are strong independent women. As Echols (1989) enlightens, “Using this ideology, lesbians successfully billed lesbianism as an ultimate form of feminism--a practice that did not involve men on any emotional level.  In this way, heterosexual feminists were seen as inferior because of their continued association with men.  Lesbians took on a “vanguard” quality as the “true” bearers of feminism”.

Lesbian feminists were believed to be the ultimate form of feminists, because they did not associate with men, nor did they let themselves be overpowered by men. Heterosexual feminists still needed the love and support of a man; therefore their attempts to seek justice for women were seen as lesser than that of homosexual feminists because they allowed themselves to be dominated by men.

In present day, lesbian feminism has helped women become more aware of the crucial need for them to advocate for their own rights in a male dominated society. Lesbian feminism helps empower women and raise more awareness for the need of more political changes to end male supremacy. As Taylor(1993)writes, “ Lesbian feminism both serves as a base of mobilization for women involved in a wide range of protest activities aimed at political and institutional change and provides continuity from earlier stages of the women’s movement to the future flowering of feminism. Rather than depoliticizing the radical feminist attack on the multiple roots of women’s oppression, lesbian feminism preserves that impulse”. (p.34)  

 In conclusion lesbian feminism had a tremendous impact on women in culture two decades ago and has helped motivate political change in today’s current society. It offers a powerful critique of heterosexuality and patriarchy, as well as a personal is political point of view, and believes that its political impact resides in their resistance to male domination.

-Brigitte Tetrault

References

Chenier, E. (n.d.). glbtq >> social sciences >> Lesbian Feminism. glbtq: the world's largest encyclopedia of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer culture. Retrieved November 14, 2011, from http://www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/lesbian_feminism.html 

Echols, Alice. “The Eruption of Difference,” Daring to be Bad: Radical Feminism in America, 1967-75 (1989)

Mullaly, R. P. (2007). “The new structural social work ,” (3rd ed.). London: Oxford University Press.

Taylor, V. (1993). Women's culture and lesbian feminist activism. Chicago : The University of Chicago press .

Westerband, Y. (2004). Lesbian feminism. Lesbian history . Retrieved November 14, 2011, from umich.edu/lesbian.history/lesbian_feminism.html