lesbianism

les·bi·an·ism

L0127300 (lĕz′bē-ə-nĭz′əm)n. Sexual orientation of women to women.

lesbianism

the practice of homosexual relations between women. Also called Sapphism. — lesbian, n., adj.See also: Homosexuality

Thesaurus

Noun

lesbianism - female homosexuality sapphismgayness, homoeroticism, homosexualism, homosexuality, queerness - a sexual attraction to (or sexual relations with) persons of the same sextribadism - a form of lesbianism that simulates heterosexual intercourse

Translations

lesbianismesaphisme

lesbianism

lesbianism:

see homosexualityhomosexuality,
a term created by 19th cent. theorists to describe a sexual and emotional interest in members of one's own sex. Today a person is often said to have a homosexual or a heterosexual orientation, a description intended to defuse some of the long-standing sentiment
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lesbianism

a sexual categorization referring to female HOMOSEXUALITY. In this usage, sexual behaviour and sexual identification are taken as the primary factors denoted by the term.
(feminist usage) homoerotic desire between women, or, more widely, a specifically female experience involving the social, emotional and erotic bonding of women. In this usage lesbianism is seen as primarily a political category, placing less importance on the issue of genital sexuality and more on woman-identified experience.

Political lesbianism stresses that lesbianism is ‘Far more than a sexual preference; it is a political stance’ (Abbott and Love, 1972). Nestle (1981) challenges this approach for its misrepresentation of lesbian history and for its implicit desexualization of lesbian culture, Rich (1980) has suggested that lesbianism should, however, be regarded as one of the primary forms of resistance against ‘compulsory heterosexuality’ (see HETEROSEXUALITY). In this context, Rich (op. cit.) has distinguished between lesbian existence and the lesbian continuum. The former refers to conscious lesbian identification, the latter to a broad range of woman-identified experience or sisterhood. In both. Rich places less emphasis on sexual desire as the primary criterion for identification with lesbianism, and more on women's active, political resistance to heterosexual privilege.

Lesbianism is subjected to both social and legal control in many contemporary societies. In the UK, lesbianism is not subject to criminalization except in the armed forces. Lesbians, however, tend to be subject to control via the civil courts, particularly in custody cases involving the children of lesbian mothers. The history of lesbianism and its regulation via law and custom is different from that pertaining to male homosexuality, and has been the subject of both misrepresentation and invisibility.

lesbianism

[lez´be-ah-nizm] homosexuality between women.

les·bi·an·ism

(lez'bē-ăn-izm), Homosexuality in women. Synonym(s): sapphism [G. lesbios, relating to the island of Lesbos]

Sexual preference by women for other women
Medical issues Lesbianism is far less studied medically than male homosexuality. Early studies indicate that lesbians are more often obese, exercise less, smoke more, eat fewer fruits and vegetables, suffer more from anxiety and depression, and are more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs. The trilogy of alcohol abuse, obesity and poor nutrition increases lesbians’ risk of breast, endometrial and ovarian cancers. Sexually-transmitted infections seen in lesbians include bacterial vaginosis, HPV, trichomonas, and herpes. Syphilis, gonorrhoea, and HIV are relatively uncommon in lesbians

les·bi·an·ism

(lez'bē-ăn-izm) Homosexuality involving women.
Synonym(s): sapphism. [G. lesbios, relating to the island of Lesbos]

lesbianism

Female homosexuality. Long-term stable lesbian relationships are common, as in male homosexuality. The term comes from the Greek female poet Sappho, who lived on the island of Lesbos with her followers during the 7th century BC.

lesbianism

les·bi·an·ism

lesbianism

lesbianism

lesbianism:

lesbianism

lesbianism

lesbianism

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lesbianism

Synonyms for lesbianism

noun female homosexuality

Synonyms

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