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Lesbian Feminism




A large portion of lesbians are feminists, but only a smaller fraction of those lesbians who are feminists could be classified as ''lesbian feminists''.

The most important tenet of lesbian feminism is that all women can and should become lesbians in order to invest the majority of their energy in giving love and support to women. Lesbian feminists argue that to continue having sexual relationships with men is to remain caught in what is seen as an oppressive heterosexual pattern that leads towards a subservient position.

Most lesbian feminists do not regard all lesbians as having ''consciously'' chosen to become lesbians for feminist reasons. However, lesbian feminists have traditionally argued that all lesbians have at least ''unconsciously'' felt drawn toward women rather than men due to their desire for equality in their sexual relationships.


FOUNDING

If the founding of the lesbian feminist movement could be pinpointed at a specific moment, that moment would probably be the moment in May 1970 that Radicalesbians, an activist group of 20 lesbians led by lesbian novelist Rita Mae Brown , took over (uninvited) a conference in New York City known as the Congress to Unite Women, lined up on stage wearing matching T-shirts inscribed with the words " Lavender Menace ," and demanded the microphone to read aloud to 400 feminists their essay The Woman-Identified Woman , which laid out the main precepts of their lesbian feminist movement.


VIEWS ON BDSM AND SURGERY

Because of its focus on complete equality in sexual relationships, lesbian feminism has traditionally been opposed to all forms of BDSM . It is also associated with opposition to Sex Reassignment Surgery .


CONTINUATIONS

Lesbian Separatism is a logical continuation of lesbian feminist ideas, and is centered around creating separate societies exclusively for lesbian women.


FAMOUS LESBIAN FEMINISTS



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