Knowra Lesbian feminism Lesbian feminism Lesbian feminism is a feminist politics that centers lesbian experience and challenges heterosexual assumptions in society and feminist movements. It examines how sexuality, gender, and power shape women’s lives.
Second-wave feminism : A feminist movement, especially prominent from the 1960s through the 1980s, that challenged gender inequality in law, work, family, and culture. Lesbian feminism developed within this movement while contesting its treatment of sexuality.
Compulsory heterosexuality : The social pressures and institutions that treat heterosexuality as obligatory, natural, or universal. This concept names a central target of lesbian feminist analysis.
Del Martin : An American lesbian activist and writer who co-founded the Daughters of Bilitis and advocated for lesbian rights. Her organizing linked lesbian community-building with feminist political demands.
Black feminism : A feminist tradition centered on the linked effects of racism, sexism, and other forms of oppression on Black women. Black feminist critiques exposed how lesbian feminist politics could overlook race and unequal power among women.
Lesbian literature : Literary works that portray lesbian lives, relationships, identities, or histories. Lesbian feminist publishing and criticism helped expand lesbian writing and its audiences.
Gay liberation : A political movement that emerged in the late 1960s to challenge the stigma, policing, and discrimination directed at gay people. Lesbian feminists debated how to pursue liberation alongside movements often led by men.
Heteronormativity : The assumption that heterosexuality is the normal or default form of sexuality, often built into institutions and social expectations. Lesbian feminism challenges the norms that privilege heterosexual relationships.
Phyllis Lyon : An American lesbian activist and journalist who co-founded the Daughters of Bilitis with Del Martin. Her work helped establish lesbian-led institutions that preceded lesbian feminism.
Intersectionality : A framework for analyzing how systems of power and social categories interact to shape distinct forms of inequality. It offers tools for understanding critiques of lesbian feminism’s tendency to treat women as a uniform group.
Lesbian studies : An interdisciplinary field examining lesbian histories, cultures, identities, and social conditions. Lesbian feminist activism and scholarship helped create its intellectual foundations.
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