Search

This article contributes to the study of contemporary lesbian communities by examining the management of internal diversity on a lesbian 'subreddit' (i.e. a sub-section of the popular social news media website Reddit) in relation to the parallel conceptual categories of 'post-gay' and 'post-lesbian'. Drawing on data obtained via virtual ethnography of this subreddit, it argues that contemporary lesbian communities have diverged significantly from their history of suppressing internal diversity in order to produce a stable category of collective identification. Rather, members of this community drew upon ideals typical of the post-gay era by celebrating internal differences made real through a 'minoritising' logic of multi-'ethnicity'. The article closes with implications for future research into (post-)lesbian communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents an in-depth case study of the way contemporary lesbians use labels in the niche dating site, “WomynLink.com.” Drawing on five months of online ethnography between November 2011 and March 2012, I examine and compare butch, femme, and queer members’ use of labels and bodily presentations in WomynLink’s (video) chat room, forum boards, and profiles. I also conducted 21 online interviews through WomynLink’s free chat room service or external messaging services such as Skype.I draw on the boundary-making literature to illustrate how femme, butch, and queer members engage in different forms of boundary work to achieve online desirability by reconciling the tensions between their gendered bodily presentation, label use and other members’ perceptions of them. Femme members sought to highlight their femininity, butches’ boundary work made salient their sexual interest, and queer members defended their sex category as female and sexual identity as lesbian. These patterns of boundary work provide insight into how the salience of lesbian gender labels has evolved, particularly in the contemporary online era. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Sixty women (28 lesbian, 19 bisexual, three queer, and 10 heterosexual) were interviewed about their definition of and connection to ‘community’. Women across sexual identities defined community according to support, similarity to others, physical proximity, and interlocking circles of closeness from family, friends, and lovers outwards to acquaintances and organizations. Regarding women’s connection to community, founders started their own groups and organizations. The majority of lesbian and bisexual women were finders who joined organizations and identified community. Yet bisexual women often felt marginalized within lesbian organizations. Heterosexual women were more connected to family and religious organizations but also more likely to be flounderers, those who felt isolated or marginalized from community. Whereas there are now extensive organizations and activities in the USA for women who identify as lesbian, bisexual, or queer, many women were also part of ‘mainstream’ organizations. Nevertheless, a number of women feel excluded or isolated from community, and this has implications for their needs for connectedness. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article analyses the inequality of access of people to the international policy process. It is argued that this presents an important challenge for global social policy considerations. The work explores the question of how these inequalities are produced, maintained and reproduced by looking at the relationship between international organizations and non-governmental organizations. As an entry point discussions of social exclusion are introduced and then linked to the concept of durable inequality. This move provides a way of looking at how conditions of exclusion are maintained and reproduced over time. Two instances of IO/NGO relationship are looked at as illustrative examples. The first case looks at the processes whereby international gay and lesbian organizations are trying to obtain formal NGO consultative status with the United Nations by applying to the UN's Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The second case looks at the role of NGOs within the formal structure of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), which has created a new perspective for international organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the lesbian community, there are many women who entered same-sex relationships in midlife after previously identifying as heterosexual. This article reviews the state of knowledge regarding this unique group of women. Attention is given to the impact of this life-changing event on the woman; her relationships with family members and friends; her awareness of status-related oppression; and the process of becoming a cultural insider given her new identity. Suggestions are included for providing support to women who are undergoing the transition and for future research with this understudied population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I examine the rules of sex and dating in a midwestern white middle-class lesbian community. I interview participants and describe how they comply with these rules, which largely (though not entirely) correspond with stereotypes of white middle-class female sexuality. The participants also describe how through the community rules they resist heterosexual norms of sexuality, which primarily means resistance of stereotypical male sexuality. The women seem unaware of the ways in which they participate in the process of creating and reifying these rules within their community, perceiving themselves instead to be completely ignorant of them. I examine these patterns within the context of the lesbian 'sex wars', concluding that the legacy of lesbian feminism has remained surprisingly strong in this community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canadian lesbians of ethnic ancestry experience many identity struggles as a result of being in multiple situations within both their own ethnic communities and their chosen lesbian communities. The case study presented here used a life-history approach to explore these dynamics. The life and experiences of one lesbian of ethnic ancestry are examined to highlight the usefulness of the life-history method in uncovering the complex realities that ethnic lesbians face in the creation of their subjective identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]