Category: Love
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Raised by Butch-Femme parents in small-town 1960s USA: Pam’s story
Pam was 2-years-old when her mother found her life partner and co-parent: a Butch lesbian Pam affectionately refers to as ‘Pap’. Pam, who is gay herself and was named after her mother’s former lover, describes a happy, normal small-town childhood that was both attacked by straight society and embraced by some friends with kind hearts.…
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Anne Lister takes ballet in new staging of Gentleman Jack
Anne Lister is not a ghost from lesbian history; her decoded diaries paint a palpably formidable figure known as the first documented modern lesbian. Her presence in the past is in tension with the societal expectations of 19th-century women–she was able to see past double-standards to forge a path she could be excited about. Anne…
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The JoJo Siwa Saga: When lesbianism is denied a definition
I want to preface the recent news on JoJo Siwa by saying that if a woman genuinely thought she was a lesbian – because she’d never been attracted to a male before – only to come out as bisexual (or “queer” as JoJo did), once she discovers she actually is attracted to men, then whatever.…
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Heard of the male gaze? Get ready for the lesbian lens with Halie Torris
How does a lesbian artist express lesbian sexuality in her work when lesbian desire is usually either ignored, denied, purified or assumed to be created for men? Halie Torris’ art appeals to the legions of lesbians craving sexy depictions of ourselves through a lesbian lens. Halie Torris is a lesbian figurative painter who channels emotion…
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Flamboyance and Fortitude: Butch-Femme Relationships in 2024
Butch-Femme relationships play an important role in lesbian history. What does the Butch-Femme relationship mean today?
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‘I Kissed a Girl’ is better than ‘The Ultimatum: Queer Love’
What do you think of when you read the words “I kissed a girl”? I hope it’s not the song by Katy Perry from 2008, where the singer portrays female same-sex desire as something for the male gaze. I hope it’s the recently aired BBC television show hosted by Dannii Minogue. I Kissed a Girl…
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Why ‘Blue is the Warmest Color’ is a shit film
‘Blue is the Warmest Color’ is a shit film and here’s why.
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Why is lesbian culture and community important?
It is unequivocally healthy and normal to find a sense of belonging in your lesbianism. Many people grow roots in their marginalised cultures because the world is harsh to the oppressed and a relatable community heals us.
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Is lesbian separatism possible in 2023?
Q&A style posts on LesbianHerstory.com are an opportunity for readers to ask questions that serve as prompting topics for LH to write about. Questions can be advice-based, about our hot takes, asking whether we’ll cover a certain event or figure from history, or about lesbian news and media – you name it. Send your questions/prompts…
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Boston Marriages and the Language of Lesbian Relationships
Maybe it was two women in your history textbook. Maybe it was your unmarried great aunt and her live-in ‘best friend’. We are all familiar with the story: two women are designated close friends by historians, family members and society, despite the pair’s decision to unite and entwine their lives like any marriage between a…
