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Lesbianism and the Women's Movement
"Lesbianism and the Women's Movement outlines the essence of lesbian/feminist politics and documents how the women's movement has responded to it. In so doing it critiques heterosexuality and shows why lesbianism is one of the fundamental issues of feminism today. The articles collected here were written by The Furies and/or taken from Furies publications over a two year period." — Publisher's blurb.
Articles by The Furies first published in their pivotal periodical. Ginny Berson tells the herstory of The Furies, Charlotte Bunch on "Lesbians in Revolt," Rita Mae Brown on "Living with Other Women" and "The Shape of Things to Come," Sharon Deevey writes about being "Such a Nice Girl," and Colette Reid of Diana Press tells of "Coming Out in the Women's Movement." A very special, important part of lesbian and the women's movement history.
Articles by The Furies first published in their pivotal periodical. Ginny Berson tells the herstory of The Furies, Charlotte Bunch on "Lesbians in Revolt," Rita Mae Brown on "Living with Other Women" and "The Shape of Things to Come," Sharon Deevey writes about being "Such a Nice Girl," and Colette Reid of Diana Press tells of "Coming Out in the Women's Movement." A very special, important part of lesbian and the women's movement history.
104 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 23, 2024
ohhhh we radical radical
October 9, 2022
An excellent and concise analysis of Lesbians' place in the feminist movement and experiences that document our forefront in shaping it's successes. Offers a well needed critical commentary to lesbian struggles and manipulative tactics of others trying to use us in relationships and the women who are interested in our psychology. If you appreciate honesty and a helpful lens to the women you love and are allies, please give this book a read.
June 5, 2024
Someone penned a homophobic message at the front of the copy of Lesbianism and the Women's Movement that I checked out of the library. In that message, the writer asks how same-sex relationships can ever be considered natural and points to choice "lesbianism" as evidence to support the argument that being gay is not innate. Ironically, positing lesbianism as a choice is something that both anti-gay and some feminist groups have in common, and I think this note illustrates why both instances are harmful.
This book contains some historically significant documents, and while I do think that they are important, I do not agree with the assertion that lesbianism is a choice. I also do not agree with the claim that every woman can become a lesbian for the same reason that I do not agree with the claim that every woman can become heterosexual: it just doesn't work that way. If it did, then gay conversion therapy would be effective, and we know that it isn't.
Thankfully, I think that feminists have come a long way in terms of how they understand lesbianism and bisexuality. While I did not enjoy reading this book, I can appreciate the role that it played in getting us to where we are now.
This book contains some historically significant documents, and while I do think that they are important, I do not agree with the assertion that lesbianism is a choice. I also do not agree with the claim that every woman can become a lesbian for the same reason that I do not agree with the claim that every woman can become heterosexual: it just doesn't work that way. If it did, then gay conversion therapy would be effective, and we know that it isn't.
Thankfully, I think that feminists have come a long way in terms of how they understand lesbianism and bisexuality. While I did not enjoy reading this book, I can appreciate the role that it played in getting us to where we are now.
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November 21, 2025hard to rate — on one hand, it’s certainly a product of its time and is outdated in several ways by today’s standards / contemporary understandings of sexuality. on the other hand, i think this radical little book is valuable FOR its insights into past understandings/definitions of (political) lesbianism. our views may be different today, but i believe there is much to be learned from the community, passion, and unapologetic approach of the ‘women-identified women’ of the 70s.
January 7, 2024
outside of the (heavy) biphobia embedded, super great read and critique on the normative status of heterosexuality and male supremacy that our society has created!
August 5, 2022
this commentary in this strain of radical lesbian liberation theory isn’t particularly relevant to the 21st century lesbian experience, but it’s still really valuable to read essays from women who started our movement.
also there is a Lot of biphobic rhetoric in here which is jarring to me
also there is a Lot of biphobic rhetoric in here which is jarring to me
June 24, 2024
A FINE COLLECTION OF ESSAYS FROM 1970s PUBLICATIONS
Editors Nancy Myron and Charlotte Bunch wrote in the Introduction to this 1975 book, “lesbian-feminist politics is still relatively unknown and often misunderstood among feminists. Even for lesbians, there is little collective sense of the history of our struggles… This collection of articles presents part of that history: A segment reflected through ‘The Furies,’ a lesbian-feminist collective and newspaper in Washington DC. Written over a two-year period, the articles were authored by members of the collective and/or appeared in the newspaper. Each articles discusses different questions raised by lesbian-feminist politics… The essence of lesbian-feminist politics is that lesbianism is political… many feminists, even lesbians … had little idea what lesbian-feminist politics meant. Filling the gap in information … is one purpose of this book.” (Pg. 9-11)
They observe, “Some feminists say that lesbians are ‘divisive to the women’s movement’ by demanding that every woman be a lesbian. We are less concerned with whether each woman personally becomes a lesbian than with the destruction of heterosexuality as a crucial part of male supremacy. Lesbians have been the quickest to see the challenge to heterosexuality as necessary to feminists’ survival. However straight feminists are not precluded from examining and fighting against heterosexuality as an ideology and institution that oppresses us all… It is not lesbians… but women’s ties to men, and thus men themselves, who divide women politically and personally. This is the ‘divisiveness’ of the lesbian issue to the women’s movement.” (Pg. 12)
Bunch states in her essay, “To be a Lesbian is to love oneself, woman, in a culture that denigrates and despises women. The Lesbian rejects male sexual/political domination; she defies… his definition of her as inferior. Lesbianism puts women first while the society declares the male supreme… When politically conscious and organized, [Lesbianism] is central to destroying our sexist, racist, capitalist, imperialist system.” (Pg. 29)
Barbara Solomon suggests, “Lesbians are not born. We have made a conscious choice to be Lesbians. We have rejected all that is traditional and accepted, and committed ourselves to a lifestyle that everybody---straight men, straight women, gay men---criticizes. So most of us question this choice over and over again, and we are still Lesbians. Therefore every Lesbian knows in her gut that what we do is not the same as gay men---they oppress us too---and what we do it not the same as what straight women do. If it were, we wouldn’t have chosen to be Lesbians in the first place.” (Pg. 40-41)
She continues, “Every Lesbian knows through personal experience how straight women sell us out. Each of us has been infatuated with a straight woman and we compromised ourselves, groveled to be good to her and tried to prove to her that we were better than men, all in hopes that she would love us… She had to betray us, because her interests were hanging on some [man].” (Pg. 45-46)
Margaret Small states, “If the ideology of heterosexuality can be attacked and exposed and an alternative ideology can be developed, I’m not sure how important it is that all women stop being heterosexual. Because the way a woman would understand what it would mean to be heterosexual would be totally different… If you’re going to have a baby, there is a role for heterosexuality. If we develop other ways to have babies, then what heterosexuality is becomes irrelevant.” (Pg. 60-61)
Rita May Brown wrote, “If you love women then you are in revolt against male supremacy… A woman who loves women then defies the basic building block of male supremacy: woman hatred… Lesbians know that … it is a different way of life. It is a life determined by a woman for her own benefit and the benefit of other women… About two years ago this concept was given the name woman-identified woman. That’s not a bad name, it is just a fancy way of saying that love yourself and other women. You refuse to limit yourself by the male definitions of women. You free yourself from male concepts of ‘feminine’ behavior. Lesbianism, politically organized, is the greatest threat that exists to male supremacy… If women still give primary commitment and energy to the oppressors how can we build a strong movement to free ourselves?” (Pg. 69-71)
Loretta Ulmschneider says, “We are not a minority. Lesbians represent that part of every woman that male supremacy has destroyed or suppressed. One goal of our revolution is to have a society where no particular expression of sexuality is enforced. BUT, the revolution has not happened yet… We are not trying to enforce lesbianism. We are asking women to look at how their lives affect male power and to make choices accordingly.” (Pg. 88)
The social/political scene has advanced significantly since 1975, but this book (and its EXCELLENT selection of essays) is still quite relevant for progressive thinkers.
Editors Nancy Myron and Charlotte Bunch wrote in the Introduction to this 1975 book, “lesbian-feminist politics is still relatively unknown and often misunderstood among feminists. Even for lesbians, there is little collective sense of the history of our struggles… This collection of articles presents part of that history: A segment reflected through ‘The Furies,’ a lesbian-feminist collective and newspaper in Washington DC. Written over a two-year period, the articles were authored by members of the collective and/or appeared in the newspaper. Each articles discusses different questions raised by lesbian-feminist politics… The essence of lesbian-feminist politics is that lesbianism is political… many feminists, even lesbians … had little idea what lesbian-feminist politics meant. Filling the gap in information … is one purpose of this book.” (Pg. 9-11)
They observe, “Some feminists say that lesbians are ‘divisive to the women’s movement’ by demanding that every woman be a lesbian. We are less concerned with whether each woman personally becomes a lesbian than with the destruction of heterosexuality as a crucial part of male supremacy. Lesbians have been the quickest to see the challenge to heterosexuality as necessary to feminists’ survival. However straight feminists are not precluded from examining and fighting against heterosexuality as an ideology and institution that oppresses us all… It is not lesbians… but women’s ties to men, and thus men themselves, who divide women politically and personally. This is the ‘divisiveness’ of the lesbian issue to the women’s movement.” (Pg. 12)
Bunch states in her essay, “To be a Lesbian is to love oneself, woman, in a culture that denigrates and despises women. The Lesbian rejects male sexual/political domination; she defies… his definition of her as inferior. Lesbianism puts women first while the society declares the male supreme… When politically conscious and organized, [Lesbianism] is central to destroying our sexist, racist, capitalist, imperialist system.” (Pg. 29)
Barbara Solomon suggests, “Lesbians are not born. We have made a conscious choice to be Lesbians. We have rejected all that is traditional and accepted, and committed ourselves to a lifestyle that everybody---straight men, straight women, gay men---criticizes. So most of us question this choice over and over again, and we are still Lesbians. Therefore every Lesbian knows in her gut that what we do is not the same as gay men---they oppress us too---and what we do it not the same as what straight women do. If it were, we wouldn’t have chosen to be Lesbians in the first place.” (Pg. 40-41)
She continues, “Every Lesbian knows through personal experience how straight women sell us out. Each of us has been infatuated with a straight woman and we compromised ourselves, groveled to be good to her and tried to prove to her that we were better than men, all in hopes that she would love us… She had to betray us, because her interests were hanging on some [man].” (Pg. 45-46)
Margaret Small states, “If the ideology of heterosexuality can be attacked and exposed and an alternative ideology can be developed, I’m not sure how important it is that all women stop being heterosexual. Because the way a woman would understand what it would mean to be heterosexual would be totally different… If you’re going to have a baby, there is a role for heterosexuality. If we develop other ways to have babies, then what heterosexuality is becomes irrelevant.” (Pg. 60-61)
Rita May Brown wrote, “If you love women then you are in revolt against male supremacy… A woman who loves women then defies the basic building block of male supremacy: woman hatred… Lesbians know that … it is a different way of life. It is a life determined by a woman for her own benefit and the benefit of other women… About two years ago this concept was given the name woman-identified woman. That’s not a bad name, it is just a fancy way of saying that love yourself and other women. You refuse to limit yourself by the male definitions of women. You free yourself from male concepts of ‘feminine’ behavior. Lesbianism, politically organized, is the greatest threat that exists to male supremacy… If women still give primary commitment and energy to the oppressors how can we build a strong movement to free ourselves?” (Pg. 69-71)
Loretta Ulmschneider says, “We are not a minority. Lesbians represent that part of every woman that male supremacy has destroyed or suppressed. One goal of our revolution is to have a society where no particular expression of sexuality is enforced. BUT, the revolution has not happened yet… We are not trying to enforce lesbianism. We are asking women to look at how their lives affect male power and to make choices accordingly.” (Pg. 88)
The social/political scene has advanced significantly since 1975, but this book (and its EXCELLENT selection of essays) is still quite relevant for progressive thinkers.
June 23, 2025
okay okay okay this was super fun to read - I fear lesbian twitter would combust if the tl got a hold of this one. i laughed and cringed but i also nodded and agreed ...
1) it is interesting to read about people who truly believe that sexual orientation is a choice/nurtured vs. the 'born this way' culture we're very much forced to accept now (when in reality it is much more nuanced and we SHOULD talk about heterosexuality as an institution)
2) I have a soft spot for political lesbians. I do think most of the authors in this are probably bi (the last essay literally ends with the 'everyone is fluid' bs) , but if they're living lesbian lives / obviously are actually not dating men , what's the big deal? I think any reason someone decides to NOT date men is a good reason, and I think it's weird people think it's SO evil, like let her be!
3) these are clearly PERSONAL essays! there's a reason this isn't a widely-published book. Most of them really don't seem to know what they're talking about, so the politics are messy, but these feel more like journal entries and it was fun to read their unfiltered opinions.
1) it is interesting to read about people who truly believe that sexual orientation is a choice/nurtured vs. the 'born this way' culture we're very much forced to accept now (when in reality it is much more nuanced and we SHOULD talk about heterosexuality as an institution)
2) I have a soft spot for political lesbians. I do think most of the authors in this are probably bi (the last essay literally ends with the 'everyone is fluid' bs) , but if they're living lesbian lives / obviously are actually not dating men , what's the big deal? I think any reason someone decides to NOT date men is a good reason, and I think it's weird people think it's SO evil, like let her be!
3) these are clearly PERSONAL essays! there's a reason this isn't a widely-published book. Most of them really don't seem to know what they're talking about, so the politics are messy, but these feel more like journal entries and it was fun to read their unfiltered opinions.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews