Chandra â âMonosexual women who love women wanting to have an exclusive label of their own is fine. “Dyke”, but isn’t that label.”
Explain that please to straight folks you’re going to provide your self as a âdyke” to after that. How could they know that, because all dictionaries suggest that âdyke” indicates âlesbian”:
merriam-webster
collinsdictionary
noun
1. (jargon) a lesbian
dictionary.cambridge
⺠slang a lesbian . Many individuals consider this phrase offensive
oxforddictionaries
casual
A lesbian.
wordreference
[Slang (disparaging and offensive).]
female homosexual;
lesbian.
For me personally, that’s the whole problem right here. That’s what individuals realize because of it, if youare going to utilize that word, at the least make sure no body will believe that you are “lesbian who’s drawn to guys”. This really is especially important in framework of pervading lesbian erasure, of women that happen to be drawn merely to ladies.
It’s not only in pop tradition, in which “lesbian sex with men and enjoying it” stays acutely overused trope, which seems to be a little more and gross of late while the next boundaries are busted (like with “Waterloo Road”, where lesbian fictional character ended up being almost intimately harassed by men after the guy discovered the lady, that was demonstrated to in the long run pay because they finished up having passionate gender, or movie like “The Humbling” getting produced and mainstream market and experts apparently having no hassle with-it).
It is also (pseudo) research â I’m certain you have got heard of the claims that âall women can be aroused by every little thing” â the analysis that claimed so possessed insurance regarding the biggest old newspapers, insinuating that âall women can be bisexual”. Whenever that studies have been debunked (such as the existing investigation, there clearly was calculated vaginal feedback, while newer research been able to measure clitoral hard-on, and not just it showed that those two had absolutely nothing in accordance, but results for the research additionally advised that vaginal impulse is âautomatic preparatory response instead of genital arousal every se”), it wasn’t included in conventional news anyway â alike occurred in relation to men, just in reverse, because there had been studies which recommended that bisexual men you should not occur, which too, had wide coverage. When it is already been debunked â not one person desired to mention it.
And therefore payed down and brings about lesbophobic, lesbian-erasing attitudes among âopen minded” young people. It’s difficult today to not hear that âsexuality is fluid” and âno one is 100% one way or another”. Funny thing is, âsexual fluidity” was actually popularized by gender specialist Lisa M. Diamond, therefore doesn’t mean after all what those individuals believe it indicates â Diamond, considering results of the woman longitudinal study, actually believes that intimate direction is actually solid and should not modification, though she’s extremely particular concept of intimate direction (âproceptivity”, generalized sexual attraction).
As seen in internet talks in which folks are certainly more truthful when it comes to what they think, âlesbian” actually starts to be recognized as a âbisexual woman whonot need to stay relationship with men”. Unfortunately, it really is motivated by some queer women as well. For example, perhaps you have seen âlesbian” subforum on Reddit? Its chock-full of lesbian identified women that tend to be keen on guys (some of these records are probably artificial, but additionally people that revealed their face) just who cherish every one of a lot of right guys which come truth be told there to express their own tales regarding their âlesbian conquests”, declaring that it shows exactly how â[lesbian] sex is fluid”, they also upright advice direct men which they must not give up on their lesbian crushes, because âno one is completely gay” and even âorientation can change” (logical conclusion of âsexuality is fluid”). When some lesbian, as with, homosexual woman attempts to state something, she actually is bullied out.
That is why we want to know just for that â for treatment. Its how it is, anytime it or not âdyke” is actually realized as word of âlesbian”, when you genuinely wish to reclaim that label, tell men and women about your point of view instead of preserving furious accusations of biphobia and prejudice just for lesbians the period out their issues to you. For the reason that it way, you aren’t truly reclaiming any tag for bisexuals, you are just producing individuals think that you’re a lesbian that’s into men, promoting both lesbophobia and lesbian erasure. And certainly, i understand from the responses that it is perhaps not your own worry, but exactly why do you expect subsequently that lesbians should explain to you even more treatment and respect than you demonstrate to them?
