Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality,, or as an adjective, to describe characteristics of an object or activity related to female same-sex desire.

Lesbian as a concept, used to differentiate women with a shared sexual orientation, is a 20th-century construct. Although female homosexuality has appeared in many cultures throughout time, not until recently has lesbian described a group of people. In the late 19th century, sexologists published their observations on same-sex desire and behavior, and designated lesbians in Western culture as a distinct entity. As a result, women who became aware of their new medical status formed underground subcultures in Europe and North America. Further broadening of the term occurred in the 1970s with the influence of second wave feminism. Historians since have re-examined relationships between women in history, and have questioned what qualifies a woman or a relationship as lesbian. The result of such discussion has introduced three components to identifying lesbians: sexual behavior, sexual desire, or sexual identity.

Men have historically shaped ideas about what is respectable for women in love, sex, and family, and, because of the absence of males in a lesbian relationship, frequently rejected the possibility of lesbianism or disregarded it as a valid expression of sexuality. Early sexologists based their characterization of lesbians on their beliefs that women who challenged their strictly prescribed gender roles were mentally ill. Since then, many lesbians have often reacted to their designation as immoral outcasts by constructing a subculture based on gender role rebellion. Lesbianism has sometimes been in vogue throughout history, which affects how lesbians are viewed by others as well as how they view themselves. Some women who engage in homosexual behavior may reject the lesbian identity entirely, refusing to identify themselves as lesbian or bisexual.

The different ways lesbians have been portrayed in the media suggests that Western society at large has been simultaneously intrigued and threatened by women who challenge feminine gender roles, and fascinated and appalled with women who are romantically involved with other women. Women who adopt the lesbian identity, however, share experiences that form an outlook similar to ethnic identity: as homosexuals, they are unified by the discrimination and potential rejection they face from their families, friends, and others. As women, they face concerns separate from men. Lesbians may encounter distinct health concerns. Political conditions and social attitudes also continue to affect the formation of lesbian relationships and families.

The presence of sexual activity between women as necessary to define a lesbian or a relationship continues to be debated. According to feminist writer Naomi McCormick, women's sexuality is constructed by men, whose primary indicator of lesbian sexual orientation is sexual experience with other women. The same indicator is not necessary to identify a woman as heterosexual, however. McCormick states that emotional, mental, and ideological connections between women are as important or more so than the genital. Nonetheless, in the 1980s, a significant movement rejected the desexualization of lesbianism by cultural feminists, causing a heated controversy called the Sex Wars. Butch and femme roles returned, although not as strictly followed as they were in the 1950s. They became a mode of chosen sexual self-expression for some women in the 1990s. Once again, women felt safer claiming to be more sexually adventurous, and sexual flexibility became more accepted.

The focus of this debate often centers on a phenomenon named by sexologist Pepper Schwartz in 1983. Schwartz found that long-term lesbian couples report having less sexual contact than heterosexual or homosexual male couples, calling this lesbian bed death. However, lesbians dispute the study's definition of sexual contact, and introduced other factors such as deeper connections existing between women that make frequent sexual relations redundant, greater sexual fluidity in women causing them to move from heterosexual to bisexual to lesbian numerous times through their lives—or reject the labels entirely. Further arguments attested that the study was flawed and misrepresented accurate sexual contact between women, or sexual contact between women has increased since 1983 as many lesbians find themselves freer to sexually express themselves.

More discussion on gender and sexual orientation identity has affected how many women label or view themselves. Most people in western culture are taught that heterosexuality is an innate quality in all people. When a woman realizes her romantic and sexual attraction to another woman, it may cause an "existential crisis"; many who go through this adopt the identity of a lesbian, challenging what society has offered in stereotypes about homosexuals, to learn how to function within a homosexual subculture. Lesbians in Western cultures generally share an identity that parallels those built on ethnicity; they have a shared history and subculture, and similar experiences with discrimination which has caused many lesbians to reject heterosexual principles. This identity is unique from gay men and heterosexual women, and often creates tension with bisexual women. Social theorists note that often behavior and identity do not match: women may label themselves heterosexual but have sexual relations with women, self-identified lesbians may have sex with men, or women may find that what they considered an immutable sexual identity has changed over time. A 2001 article on differentiating lesbians for medical studies and health research suggested identifying lesbians using the three characteristics of identity only, sexual behavior only, or both combined. The article declined to include desire or attraction as it rarely has bearing on measurable health or psychosocial issues.

 

source : http://en.wikipedia.org

Seorang perempuan berusia 31 tahun mengaku menyamar sebagai anak laki-laki agar bisa mengencani gadis belia.

Seperti diberitakan Sydney Morning Herald, Kamis (7/10/2010), perempuan asal Ohio, Amerika Serikat (AS) dinyatakan bersalah karena melakukan pembohongan publik mengenai jenis kelaminnya. Hakim di Pengadilan Anak Warren County di Lebanon, Warren County, Ohio menjatuhkan pidana kurungan enam bulan penjara terhadap perempuan yang bernama Patricia Dye ini.

"Perempuan ini menjadikan seorang gadis remaja menjadi korban dan harus dihukum atas tindakannya tersebut," demikian disampaikan Kepala Asisten Jaksa Bruce McGary dalam sebuah pernyataan.

Sementara, pengacara Dye, Rob Kaufman, mengatakan ia menginginkan agar kliennya menjalani evaluasi mental dan sejumlah metode pengobatan yang tepat untuknya. Kliennya mengaku sangat terpukul dengan kejadian ini dan banyak belajar dari pengalaman.

"Ini pertama kalinya ia masuk penjara dan saya tidak percaya jika ia akan pernah mengalami masalah lagi. Kasus ini memberikan pengaruh sangat besar kepadanya," jelas sang penasihat hukum.

TRIBUNNEWS.COM

Para wanita di seluruh Eropa, yang tergolong pecinta sesama jenis atau lesbian, tertarik mengunjungi sebuah pulau di Yunani untuk menghadiri sebuah festival internasional yang unik khusus untuk kaum wanita. Pulau itu bernama Pulau Lesbos. Pulau itu terletak di sebuah kawasan yang dipengaruhi oleh Yunani Ortodoks di mana sebagian masyarakatnya menentang pernikahan sesama jenis.

Tetapi, justru secara diam-diam acara untuk para kaum lesbian berkembang di sudut Laut Aegea tersebut.

Selama dekade terakhir, pengunjung acara yang digelar selama dua pekan itumeningkat drastis, dari sekitar 30-an sampai ratusan wanita. Mereka datang dari berbagai negara di Eropa tak hanya Jerman, Inggris, Belanda dan Skandinavia saja tetapi juga dari Yunani dan Italia.

Para perempuan yang hadir di sana mengisi acara dengan mengadakan perjalanan menggunakan kapal pesiar, menikmati matahari terbenam, workshop, mengadakan kelas tarian Yunani serta memutar film tentang lesbian. “Aku terpesona, tidak ada kecemasan sama sekali,” kata Lauren Bianchi, seorang peserta asal Skotlandia.

Lauren Bianchi mengaku ini untuk pertama kalinya ia mengikuti festival tersebut. Ia mengaku sebelumnya ia telah membaca artikel tentang hubungan yang sulit antara penduduk lokal dan lesbian. Tetapi, saat berada di sana, ia merasakan kenyamanan. Pada tahun 2000 silam, pertama kali festival ini diluncurkan, sempat ada ketegangan tinggi. Sebuah poster iklan dianggap sebagai pemicunya. Walikota mengancam membawa masalah ini ke pengadilan dan melarang penyelenggaraan acara tersebut. Ia berjanji akan mengusir para lesbian dari tempatnya tersebut.

Tetapi, konon para turis lesbian ini sudah mulai mendatangi kawasan wisata sejak tahun 1970-an. Menurut laporan sebuah agen perjalanan wisata, sekarang hampir sekitar 60 persen turis yang mengunjugi pulau tersebut kaum lesbian. Tetapi, ketikafestival berlangsung, turis lesbian akan melonjak menjadi 90 persen.