In ancient times the metal copper was associated with the Roman goddess Venus because of its visual appeal. Copper (ˈkɒpɚ is a Chemical element with the symbol Cu (cuprum and Atomic number 29 Venus was a major Roman Goddess principally associated with Love, Beauty and fertility, the equivalent of the Greek goddess Copper's ancient alchemy symbol became a sign for both the goddess and the planet. Alchemy a part of the Occult Tradition is both a philosophy and a practice with an ultimately unknown aim involving the improvement of the alchemist as well as the making of The VENUS ( V ictoria E xperimental N etwork U nder the S ea project is a cabled sea floor observatory operated by the University It was later also used to represent the female in biology and popular culture. Foundations of modern biology There are five unifying principles Here, it is doubled and twined in symbolic hues of lilac as a sign for lesbian. About the plant lilac see Syringa. Lilac is a color that is a pale shade of violet.

A lesbian is a woman who is romantically and sexually attracted only to other women. NOTICE TO WOULD-BE-ROMEOS*************** Generally speaking human sexuality is how people experience and express themselves as sexual beings ^[1][2] Women who are attracted to both women and men are more often referred to as bisexual. Bisexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of both sexes or to a bisexual orientation An individual's self-identification might not correspond with her behavior, and may be expressed with either, both, or neither of these words.

Etymology

The word lesbian dates back at least to 1732 and lesbianism appears in the 1870 Oxford English Dictionary meaning sexual orientation rather than a reference to Sappho and inhabitants of Lesbos. The Oxford English Dictionary ( OED) published by the Oxford University Press (OUP is a comprehensive Dictionary of the English Sexual orientation is believed to refer to "an enduring pattern of emotional romantic and/or sexual attractions to men women or both sexes Sappho (ˈsæfoʊ in English Attic Greek el Σαπφώ sapːʰɔː Aeolic Greek el Ψάπφω) was an Ancient Greek lyric Lesbos (Λέσβος also transliterated Lesvos, Midilli is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. Lesbian as an adjective is in the 1890 Oxford English Dictionary and as a noun by 1925. Until the early twentieth century lesbian was interchangeable with Sapphist. ^[3]

Broadened meaning

Calling an historical figure a lesbian can be misleading. Women who have written about their affection for each other, along with spinsters who lived together for years, have often been viewed without much hint they had intimate relationships. With the coming of second wave feminism in the later 20th century a tendency to view all women in more or less heterosexual terms stirred a rebellion in which the definition of lesbian was challenged. Second-wave feminism refers to a period of Feminist activity which began during the 1960s and lasted through the late 1970s Some groups widened the definition to mean any woman who didn't live a traditional heterosexual life. Heterosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the opposite sex or to a heterosexual orientation ^[4] In 1970 the Radicalesbians stated, "A lesbian is the rage of all women condensed to the point of explosion. "^[5] In 1980 feminist writer and poet Adrienne Rich proposed a continuum of lesbian relationships ranging from sexual to platonic. Adrienne Cecile Rich (born May 16 1929 in Baltimore, Maryland) is an American poet essayist and Feminist. Continuum theories or models explain variation as involving a gradual quantitative transition without abrupt changes or discontinuities Rich wrote that instead of genital or sexual relationships between women, lesbian can mean any woman who skirts a conventional married life and resists male tyranny. Rich suggested lesbian relationships can happen between women who live or work together, even within the same family. ^[6]

An updated take on this wider definition has to do with the girl crush as written about by Stephanie Rosenbloom in The New York Times. Rosenbloom defines a girl crush as "that fervent infatuation that one heterosexual woman develops for another woman who may seem impossibly sophisticated, gifted, beautiful or accomplished. " Such girl crushes may trigger the same kind of feelings involved in a romance and although not sexual in nature, these feelings may sway relationship dynamics if the object of the crush learns about them. ^[7] This broadening of the meaning for lesbian as any woman who bonds with another woman became known as woman identified woman. However, this usage has been criticized as desexualizing lesbians. Cheshire Calhoun wrote in 1995 "When feminist woman loving replaces lesbian genital sexuality, lesbian sexual identity disappears into feminist identity. "^[8]

History

See also: History of lesbianism

Sappho as depicted through a 2nd century CE Roman copy of an ancient Greek bust. Early Greece (776-480 BC It is speculated that many men in Ancient Greece sought homosexual relationships because of the low intellectual status of women as in classical Sappho (ˈsæfoʊ in English Attic Greek el Σαπφώ sapːʰɔː Aeolic Greek el Ψάπφω) was an Ancient Greek lyric Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca

The earliest known written references to same-sex love between women are attributed to Sappho (the eponym of sapphism), who lived on the island of Lesbos in ancient Greece from about 625 to 570 BCE and wrote poems which apparently expressed her sexual attraction to other females. Sappho (ˈsæfoʊ in English Attic Greek el Σαπφώ sapːʰɔː Aeolic Greek el Ψάπφω) was an Ancient Greek lyric Lesbos (Λέσβος also transliterated Lesvos, Midilli is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca Modern scholarship has suggested a parallel between ancient Greek pederasty and the friendships Sappho formed with her students. Greek Pederasty, as idealised by the Greeks from archaic times onward was a relationship and bond between an adolescent boy and an adult man outside ^[9][10] Lesbian relationships were also common among the Lacedaemonians of ancient Sparta. Spartan pederasty, the traditional intimate and pedagogic friendship between a man and a boy a custom held in common with other Dorian tribes is thought to have either The city of Sparta ( Doric Σπάρτα Attic Σπάρτη Plutarch wrote "love was so esteemed among them that girls also became the erotic objects of noble women. Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus ( Greek: Μέστριος Πλούταρχος c "^[11]

Accounts of lesbian relationships are found in poetry and stories from ancient China. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Research by anthropologist Liza Dalby, based mostly on erotic poems exchanged between women, has suggested lesbian relationships were commonplace and socially accepted in Japan during the Heian Period. Liza Crihfield Dalby (born 1950 is an American Anthropologist and novelist specializing in Japanese culture. The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. In medieval Arabia there were reports of relations between harem residents, although these were sometimes suppressed. The Arabian Peninsula (in Arabic: شبه الجزيرة العربية šibh al-jazīra al-ʻarabīya or جزيرة العرب jazīrat al-ʻarab) HAREM is the first evaluation contest of Named entity recognition (NER for Portuguese and its call for participation was announced in September 2004 For example Caliph Musa al-Hadi ordered the beheading of two girls who were surprised during lovemaking. The Caliph is the Head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah Abu Abdullah Musa ibn Mahdi al-Hadi (أبو عبد الله موسى بن المهدي الهادي (d ^[12] During the twelfth-century Etienne de Fougères derided lesbians in his Livre des manières (about CE 1170), likening them to hens behaving as roosters and reflecting a general tendency among religious and secular authorities in Europe to reject any notion women could be properly sexual without men. ^[13]

Sexuality

See also: Lesbian sexual practices

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's 1893 painting In Bed

Sexual activity between women is as diverse as sex between heterosexuals or gay men. Lesbian sexual practices are many and sundry As with most interpersonal behaviour any physical expression of intimacy depends on the context of the relationship along with social cultural Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (ɑ̃ʁi dø tuluz loˈtʁɛk (24 November 1864 &ndash 9 September 1901 was a French painter, printmaker, draftsman Heterosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the opposite sex or to a heterosexual orientation Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. Some women in same-sex relationships do not identify as lesbian, but as bisexual, queer, or another label. Bisexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of both sexes or to a bisexual orientation Queer has traditionally meant odd or unusual but is now also used to refer to anyone who is not heteronormative. As with any interpersonal activity, sexual expression depends on the context of the relationship.

Recent cultural changes in Western and a few other societies have enabled lesbians to express their sexuality more freely, which has resulted in new studies on the nature of female sexuality. Research undertaken by the U. S. Government's National Center for Health Research in 2002 was released in a 2005 report called Sexual Behavior and Selected Health Measures: Men and Women 15-44 Years of Age, United States, 2002. The results indicated that among women aged 15-44, 4. 4 percent reported having had a sexual experience with another woman during the previous 12 months. When women aged 15–44 were asked, "Have you ever had any sexual experience of any kind with another female?", 11 percent answered "yes".

There is a growing body of research and writing on lesbian sexuality, which has brought some debate about the control women have over their sexual lives, the fluidity of woman-to-woman sexuality, the redefinition of female sexual pleasure and the debunking of negative sexual stereotypes. Research is defined as Human activity based on Intellectual application in the investigation of Matter. One example of the latter is lesbian bed death, a term invented by sex researcher Pepper Schwartz to describe the supposedly inevitable diminution of sexual passion in long term lesbian relationships; this notion is rejected by many lesbians, who point out that passion tends to diminish in almost any relationship and many lesbian couples report happy and satisfying sex lives. Lesbian bed death is a term invented by sex researcher Pepper Schwartz to describe the supposedly inevitable diminishment of sexual passion in long term Lesbian relationships Pepper Schwartz, PhD, is an American Sociologist and Sexologist teaching at the University of Washington in Seattle Washington

Public policy

See also National Center for Lesbian Rights, Category:Lesbian politicians and National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR is a non-profit, public interest Law firm that litigates precedent-setting cases at the trial and appellate The National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights was a large political rally that took place in Washington D

Same-sex married couple at San Francisco Pride 2004. Same-sex marriage (also referred to as gay marriage) is a term for a legally or Socially recognized Marriage between two people of the same The San Francisco Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Pride Celebration, usually known as San Francisco Pride, is a Parade and Festival held in June each

In Western societies, explicit prohibitions on women's homosexual behavior have been markedly weaker than those on men's homosexual behavior. The term Western world, the West or the Occident ( Latin: occidens -sunset -west as distinct from the Orient) can have multiple meanings During the 1990s, dozens of chapters of Lesbian Avengers were formed to press for lesbian visibility and rights. The Lesbian Avengers is an activist group for Queer women who want to promote Lesbian issues and perspectives Same-sex marriage has now been legalized in Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Canada, and South Africa but it is still not permitted by many countries. Same-sex marriage (also referred to as gay marriage) is a term for a legally or Socially recognized Marriage between two people of the same The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa In 2004 Massachusetts became the first state in the United States to legalize same-sex marriages. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Same-sex marriage (also referred to as gay marriage) is a term for a legally or Socially recognized Marriage between two people of the same ^[14]

In the United Kingdom, lesbianism has never been illegal. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located In contrast, sexual activity between males was not made legal in England and Wales until 1967. History The Roman occupation of Britain was the first period in which the area of present-day England and Wales was administered as a single unit (with the exception Lesbianism was left out of the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885; a common anecdote stating that Queen Victoria did not believe sex between women was possible is likely apocryphal. The Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885 (48 & 49 Victoria Cap 69 or "An Act to make further provision for the Protection of Women and Girls the suppression of brothels and other purposes" Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901 was from 20 June 1837 the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland ^[15] A 1921 proposal, put forward by Frederick Macquisten MP to criminalize lesbianism was rejected by the House of Lords; during the debate, Lord Birkenhead, the then Lord Chancellor argued that 999 women out of a thousand had "never even heard a whisper of these practices. Frederick Alexander Macquisten KC (born 23 July 1870 in Inverkip, Scotland, died 29 February 1940 in Walton-on-Thames The House of Lords is the second house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is also commonly referred to as "the Lords" Frederick Edwin Smith 1st Earl of Birkenhead, GCSI, PC ( 12 July 1872 – 30 September 1930) was a British The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor is a senior and important functionary in the Government of the United Kingdom. "^[16] In 1928, the lesbian novel The Well of Loneliness was banned for obscenity in a highly publicized trial, not for any explicit sexual content but because it made an argument for acceptance. "The Well Of Loneliness" was the fourth single by McCarthy taken from their debut album I Am A Wallet. Obscenity (in Latin obscenus, meaning "foul repulsive detestable" is a term that is most often used in a legal context to ^[17] Meanwhile other, less political novels with lesbian themes continued to circulate freely. ^[18]

Jewish religious teachings condemn male homosexual behavior but say little about lesbian behavior. However, the approach in the modern State of Israel, with its largely secular Jewish majority, does not outlaw or persecute gay sexual orientation; marriage between gay couples is not sanctioned but common law status and official adoption of a gay person's child by his or her partner have been approved in precedent court rulings (after numerous high court appeals). For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Secularity ( adjective form secular) is the state of being separate from Religion. Common law refers to law and the corresponding legal system developed through decisions of courts and similar tribunals rather than through legislative statutes or executive (Marriage in Israel is heavily regulated by official religious bodies; in the case of Judaism, the body in question is traditionalist. Orthodox Judaism is the formulation of Judaism that adheres to a relatively strict interpretation and application of the laws and ethics first canonized ) There is also an annual Gay parade, usually held in Tel-Aviv; in 2006, the "World Pride" parade was scheduled to be held in Jerusalem. Tel Aviv-Yafo (תֵּל ־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ تل أبيب Tal ʾAbīb) (usually Tel Aviv) is the second-largest city in Israel Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the

Western-style homosexuality is rarely tolerated elsewhere in the Muslim world, with the exception of Turkey where there are no laws or discriminative policies against lesbianism. Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. The term Muslim world (or Islamic world) has several meanings Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches It is punishable by imprisonment, lashings, or death in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA ( المملكة العربية السعودية, al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya) or Suudi Yemen ( Arabic: اليَمَن al-Yaman officially the Republic of Yemen ( Arabic: الجمهورية اليمنية al-Jumhuuriyya Though the law against lesbianism in Iran has reportedly been revoked or eased, prohibition of male homosexuality remains. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. In the English language, gay is an Adjective that in modern usage refers to Homosexuality.

Discrimination and violence

Lesbophobia is a term used to describes prejudice, discrimination, harassment or abuse, either specifically targeting a person because of her lesbian identity or targeting lesbians as a group. Lesbophobia (sometimes Lesbiphobia) comprises various forms of negativity toward Lesbian women as individuals as a couple or as a social group ^[19] Some lesbians prefer to use the more general term homophobia, or biphobia in the case of women who identify as bisexual. BenPhelpsJPG|thumb|right|Westboro Baptist Church picket signs with Ben Phelps grandson of Fred Phelps Biphobia is a term used to describe the fear of aversion to or discrimination against Bisexuality or LGBT people who are bisexual or perceived to be bisexual

Reproduction and parenting rights

See also: Parenting by same-sex couples

Many lesbian couples seek to have children through adoption, but this is not legal in every country. Sexual orientation is believed to refer to "an enduring pattern of emotional romantic and/or sexual attractions to men women or both sexes Sexology is the study of sexual interests behavior and function Asexuality is a Sexual orientation that describes individuals who do not experience Sexual attraction. Autosexuality refers to Sexual orientation and sexual behavior of attraction or romance that one holds exclusively and expresses towards oneself Bisexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of both sexes or to a bisexual orientation Heterosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the opposite sex or to a heterosexual orientation Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. Pansexuality or anthrosexuality ( anthro- literally meaning human human sexual (sometimes referred to as omnisexuality) is a Sexual orientation Pomosexual, or undefined sexual orientation, is a Neologism used to describe a person who shuns Sexual orientation labels (such as heterosexual and homosexual Zoophilia Zoosexuality is a term used to describe a Sexual orientation towards non-human animals In the English language, gay is an Adjective that in modern usage refers to Homosexuality. Queer has traditionally meant odd or unusual but is now also used to refer to anyone who is not heteronormative. Questioning is a term that can refer to a person who is questioning their Gender, Sexual identity or Sexual orientation. The Kinsey scale attempts to describe a person's sexual history or episodes of their sexual activity at a given time The Klein Sexual Orientation Grid attempts to further measure Sexual orientation by expanding upon the earlier Kinsey scale which categorizes sexual history from 0 Biology and sexual orientation is research into possible biological influences on the development of human Sexual orientation. Measurement difficulties Measuring the prevalence of various Sexual orientations is difficult because there is a lack of Reliable data. Intersexuality is the state of a living thing of a gonochoristic species whose Sex chromosomes, Genitalia, and/or Secondary sex characteristics Transgender (trænzˈdʒɛndɚ from ( Latin) derivatives Transsexualism is a condition in which a person identifies with a physical Sex different from the one with which they were born Many lesbian gay bisexual and transgendered people are parents LGBT adoption refers to the Adoption of children by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgendered people

In some countries access to assisted birth technologies by lesbians has been the subject of debate. In Australia the High Court rejected a ban on access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments for lesbian and single women. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The High Court of Australia is the final court of appeal in Australia the highest court in the Australian court hierarchy. In vitro fertilisation ( IVF) is a process by which ^[20][21] Immediately after this High Court decision, Prime Minister John Howard amended legislation in order to prevent access to IVF for these groups, effectively overruling the High Court decision and enforcing the Roman Catholic position, which raised indignation from the gay and lesbian community as well as groups representing the rights of single women. The Prime Minister of Australia is the Head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia, holding office on commission from the Governor-General. See also Howard Government John Winston Howard AC (born 26 July 1939 was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia from 11 March Legislation (or " Statutory law " is law which has been promulgated (or " Enacted quot by a Legislature or other Governing

Parthenogenesis

See also: Lesbian utopia

Parthenogenesis occurs naturally in some plant and insect species but not in mammals. Lesbian utopia refers to a conceptual community made up entirely of biological Females who are not dependent on men for anything Parthenogenesis (from the Greek παρθένος parthenos, "virgin" + γένεσις genesis, "creation" is an asexual form However, scientists have created mice pups from two female mice. A mouse (plural mice) is a small Animal that belongs to one There is a possibility that with further research the same or similar procedure could allow two human females to be the genetic parents of the same child. Genetics (from Ancient Greek grc-Latn genetikos, “genitive” and that from grc-Latn genesis, “origin” a discipline of Biology, is ^[22] Additionally, parthenogenesis and cloning opens the prospect for any single individual, male or female to eventually be able to reproduce themselves.

Lesbian feminism

See also: Lesbian feminism and Feminism

Many lesbians have been involved in women's rights. Lesbian feminism is a cultural movement and critical perspective most popular in the 1970s and early 1980s (primarily in North America and Western Europe that questions the position Feminism is a discourse that involves various movements theories, and Philosophies which are concerned with the issue of Gender difference, advocate Late in the 19th century, the term Boston marriage was used to describe romantic unions between women living together, often while contributing to the suffrage movement. Boston marriage was a term used in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries for households where two Women lived together independent of any male support Suffrage (from the Latin suffragium, meaning "voting tablet" and figuratively "right to vote" probably from suffrago "hough" and originally Lesbian feminism gained renewed popularity in North America and Western Europe during the "second wave" of the 1970s and early 1980s. By the end of the 1970s lesbian feminism was accepted as a field of study within academic institutions, although mostly as a branch of feminist disciplines. More recently, lesbian feminism has emerged as an expression of dissatisfaction with the 1970s era second wave feminist and gay liberation movements. Gay Liberation is the name used to describe the radical Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender movement of the late 1960s and early to mid 1970s ^[23]

Lesbian feminist texts have examined the influence of institutions such as patriarchy, capitalism and colonialism on gender and sexuality with mixed success, sometimes describing lesbianism as a rational result of alienation and dissatisfaction with these institutions. Patriarchy is the structuring of Society on the basis of Family units where fathers have primary responsibility for the welfare of hence authority over Capitalism is the Economic system in which the Means of production are owned by private Persons and operated for Profit and where See Colony and Colonization for examples of colonialism which do not refer to Western colonialism In her 1980 essay Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence, Adrienne Rich characterized heterosexuality as a violent political institution making way for the "male right of physical, economical, and emotional access" to women. " Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence " is a 1980 essay by Adrienne Rich, published in her 1986 book Blood Bread and Poetry. Adrienne Cecile Rich (born May 16 1929 in Baltimore, Maryland) is an American poet essayist and Feminist. Heterosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the opposite sex or to a heterosexual orientation A political system is a System of Politics and Government. It is usually compared to the Law system, Economic system, Cultural Other key thinkers and activists have included Rita Mae Brown, Audre Lorde, Marilyn Frye, Mary Daly and Sheila Jeffreys. Rita Mae Brown (born November 28 1944) is a prolific American Writer. Marilyn Frye (born 1941 in Tulsa, Oklahoma) is a philosophy professor and feminist theorist. Mary Daly (born October 16, 1928 in Schenectady, New York) is a radical feminist Sheila Jeffreys (born 1948 is a radical lesbian feminist scholar and political activist known for her analysis of the history and politics of sexuality in Britain

Lesbian Separatism is one specific type of Lesbian feminism. Separatist feminism is a form of Feminism that does not support Heterosexual relationships due to a belief that sexual disparities between Men

Culture

See also: Lesbian culture and Category:Lesbian musicians

Lesbians at a Paris gay pride parade. Poliamory pride in San Francisco 2004jpg|thumb|Representatives of the Polyamory community at a San Francisco parade Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city

Throughout history hundreds of lesbians have been well-known figures in the arts and culture. Parent article List of gay lesbian or bisexual people Siblings This is a referenced overview list of notable Gay, Lesbian or bisexual The arts is a broad subdivision of Culture, composed of many expressive disciplines. Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate" generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic

Before the influence of European sexology emerged at the turn of the Twentieth Century, in cultural terms female homosexuality remained almost invisible as compared to male homosexuality, which was subject to the law and thus more regulated and reported by the press. Sexology is the study of sexual interests behavior and function However with the publication of works by sexologists like Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, Richard von Krafft-Ebing, Havelock Ellis, Edward Carpenter, and Magnus Hirschfeld, the concept of active female homosexuality became better known. for the (unrelated periodical directory see Ulrich's Periodicals Directory Karl-Heinrich Ulrichs weiner ( Aurich, 28 August Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing ( August 14 1840 &ndash December 22 1902) was an Austro-German sexologist and Psychiatrist Henry Havelock Ellis ( February 2, 1859 - July 8, 1939) was a British sexologist, physician and social reformer Also see Ed Carpenter. Edward Carpenter ( 29 August 1844 – 28 June 1929) was an English Magnus Hirschfeld ( May 14, 1868 - May 14, 1935) was a German- Jewish physician sex researcher, and early Gay rights

As female homosexuality became more visible it was described as a medical condition. In Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality (1905), Sigmund Freud referred to female homosexuality as inversion or inverts and characterized female inverts as possessing male characteristics. Sigmund Freud (ˈziːkmʊnt ˈfʁɔʏt born Sigismund Shlomo Freud (May 6 1856 &ndash September 23 1939 was an Austrian Psychiatrist who founded Freud drew on the "third sex" ideas popularized by Magnus Hirschfeld and others. While Freud admitted he had not personally studied any such "aberrant" patients he placed a strong emphasis on psychological rather than biological causes. Freud's writings did not become well-known in English-speaking countries until the late 1920s.

This combination of sexology and psychoanalysis eventually had a lasting impact on the general tone of most lesbian cultural productions. Sexology is the study of sexual interests behavior and function Psychoanalysis is a body of ideas developed by Austrian physician Sigmund Freud and his followers which is devoted to the study of human psychological functioning and behavior A notable example is the 1928 novel The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall, in which these sexologists are mentioned along with the term invert, which later fell out of favour in common usage. "The Well Of Loneliness" was the fourth single by McCarthy taken from their debut album I Am A Wallet. Radclyffe Hall (August 12 1880 - October 7 1943 (born Marguerite Radclyffe-Hall) was an English poet and author of eight novels including the Lesbian classic Freud's interpretation of lesbian behavior has since been rejected by most psychiatrists and scholars, although recent biological research has provided findings that may bolster a Hirschfeld-ian "third sex" interpretation of same-sex attraction. Foundations of modern biology There are five unifying principles The terms third gender and third sex describe individuals who are considered to be neither women nor men as well as the social category present in those societies who recognize

Since the 1980s lesbians have been increasingly visible in mainstream cultural fields such as music (Melissa Etheridge, K.D. Lang and the Indigo Girls), television (Ellen DeGeneres, Rosie O'Donnell, and Portia de Rossi), sports (Martina Navrátilová, Amélie Mauresmo, Lisa Raymond and Billie Jean King) and in comic books (Alison Bechdel and Diane DiMassa). Melissa Lou Etheridge (born May 29, 1961, in Leavenworth, Kansas) is an Academy Award -winning and two-time Grammy Award kd lang, OC (born Kathryn Dawn Lang, November 2, 1961) is a Grammy Award -winning Canadian Singer and Indigo Girls are an American Folk rock duo consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. Ellen Lee DeGeneres (born January 26 1958 is an eleven time Emmy Award -winning American stand-up comedian, Television host and actress Roseann "Rosie" O'Donnell Portia de Rossi (born 31 January 1973 is an Australian actress best known for her roles as lawyer Nelle Porter on the television series Ally McBeal Martina Navratilova ( Czech: Martina Navrátilová; born October 18, 1956, in Prague, Czechoslovakia) is a former World Amélie Simone Mauresmo (ameli simɔn moʀɛsmo in French born July 5 1979 is a French professional Tennis player Lisa Raymond (born August 10, 1973 in Norristown, Pennsylvania) is a professional female tennis player from the United States. Billie Jean King ( née Moffitt) (born November 22, 1943, in Long Beach, California) is a retired Tennis Alison Bechdel (born September 10 1960 is an American Cartoonist. Diane DiMassa (born 1959 is an American feminist author and Cartoonist. More recently lesbian eroticism has flowered in fine art photography and the writing of authors such as Pat Califia, Jeanette Winterson and Sarah Waters and Stella Duffy. Fine art photography refers to photographs that are created to fulfill the creative vision of the artist Patrick Califia (formerly known as Pat Califia) born 1954 near Corpus Christi Texas) is a Writer about sexuality and of Erotic Jeanette Winterson OBE (born August 27, 1959) is a British novelist Sarah Waters is a British Novelist. She is best known for her novels set in Victorian society, such as Tipping the Velvet and There is an increasing body of lesbian films such as Desert Hearts, Go Fish, Loving Annabelle, Watermelon Woman, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Everything Relative, and Better than Chocolate (see List of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender-related films). Desert Hearts is a 1985 Lesbian -themed romantic Drama film loosely based on the Jane Rule novel Desert of the Go Fish is a 1994 Lesbian -themed independent Drama film. Directed and co-written (with her then-girlfriend Guinevere Turner Loving Annabelle is a 2006 film directed by Katherine Brooks Based on Mädchen in Uniform, it tells the story of a boarding school student Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit was a critically acclaimed 1990 BBC television drama mini-series directed by Beeban Kidron. Better Than Chocolate is a 1999 Canadian Romantic comedy movie shot in Vancouver directed by Anne Wheeler. IMPORTANT!!!! Please note If you add a movie to this list please add it to the List of lesbian gay bisexual or transgender-related films by year article as well Classic novels such as those by Jane Rule, Vin Packer, Ann Aldrich, and Ann Bannon have been reprinted. Jane Vance Rule, CM, OBC ( March 28, 1931 &ndash November 27, 2007) was a Canadian writer of Lesbian Marijane Meaker (born May 27 1927) is an American Novelist and Short story Writer, who has used multiple Pseudonyms Marijane Meaker (born May 27 1927) is an American Novelist and Short story Writer, who has used multiple Pseudonyms Ann Bannon ( Pseudonym of Ann Weldy) (born September 15 1932 is an American writer who wrote six Lesbian pulp fiction novels from 1957 to 1962 known Moreover, prominent and controversial academic writers such as Camille Paglia and Germaine Greer also identify with lesbianism. Camille Anna Paglia (born 2 April 1947 in Endicott New York) is an American Author, Teacher, Feminist and Social critic Germaine Greer (born 29 January 1939 is an Australian born Writer, Academic, Journalist and Scholar of early modern English literature

Media depictions

See also: Media portrayal of lesbianism

Lesbians often attract media attention, particularly in relation to feminism, love and sexual relationships, marriage and parenting. Lesbians often attract media attention particularly in relation to Feminism, love and sexual relationships marriage and Parenting Some writers have asserted Feminism is a discourse that involves various movements theories, and Philosophies which are concerned with the issue of Gender difference, advocate Same-sex marriage (also referred to as gay marriage) is a term for a legally or Socially recognized Marriage between two people of the same A parent is a Father or Mother; one who sires or gives Some writers have asserted this trend can lead to exploitive and unjustified plot devices. ^[24]

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Categories
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• Arena Three (magazine)
• Black triangle (badge)
• Butch and femme
• Drag king
• Faux queen
• Lesbian-identified
• Lesbian literature
• List of lesbian periodicals
• Category:Lesbian organizations
• Lesbian science fiction
• Lesbian teen fiction
• Lesbian until graduation
• Lesbianism in erotica
• Lesbophobia
• Lipstick lesbian
• List of gay, lesbian or bisexual people
• List of LGBT-related organizations
• List of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender-related films
• Minorities Research Group
• Soft butch
• Terminology of homosexuality
• The Ladder
• Tomboy
• Tribadism
• U-Haul lesbian
• Yuri (term)

References

External links

• The National Center for Lesbian Rights
• Old Lesbians Organizing for Change (OLOC)
• All Things Lesbian
• SHOE Leading Lesbian Online Community

Media depictions

• AfterEllen.Com Lesbian and Bisexual Women in Entertainment and the Media
• The Encyclopedia of Lesbian Movie Scenes Warning: contains explicit content
• It's February; Pucker Up, TV Actresses The New York Times, February 10, 2005. Events 1355 - The St Scholastica's Day riot breaks out in Oxford, England, leaving 63 scholars and perhaps 30 locals dead Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Magazines

• Curve Magazine
• On Our Backs
• Diva
• Sinister Wisdom