Lesbian is frequently identified as a female who is attracted for other female romantically, sexually, or each other, certainly one of many other significance. Even in the event lesbians are generally identified as women who try exclusively drawn so you can women, he has got also been described as women mainly attracted to most other women. Certain prefer to explore or also use „gay“ or „gay woman“ as the an identifier.

Lesbians features debated who shares the label that will be part of new lesbian community for more than an excellent century. They have variously started outlined based on sexual habits, sexual internet, otherwise notice-identifying to the label. For instance, ladies who notice-identify just like the each other bisexual and you can lesbian [notice 1] would not be included in a description that specifies lesbians try just based on the feminine, however, would-be during the a broader meaning that border most other names. Significance together with vary in whether they play with extended code of gender, like a person who notice-means since a lady or phrasing you to explicitly comes with people that do not pick only as the feminine, instance lady-aimed [note dos] and several genderqueer and you will/otherwise low-binary individuals who become a connection to womanhood.

Lesbians may be cisgender otherwise transgender; because the gender was a different sort of layout from sexual direction, some one is generally both trans and you can lesbian. [note 3] Centered their assigned gender within delivery and you may attraction in order to feminine, and you will just before realizing its gender identity and you will transitioning, specific trans feminine (tasked men on delivery) earlier pick given that upright and many trans dudes (tasked women in the delivery) while the lesbian. Trans women drawn to women will get subsequently understand on their own given that lesbian women. As lesbian organizations are far more acknowledging out of masculine and you will gender non-compliant people who was basically tasked female on birth than straight teams, trans men commonly first pick since the lesbians ahead of transitioning; but not, it doesn’t mean that every butch or otherwise masculine lesbians is transgender. Depending on personal issues, some trans guys look after its lesbian identities and you will community engagement because guys.

Certain lesbians have used the brand new name to explain their gender when you look at the introduction on the internet. Regarding the Gender Census, a yearly on line around the globe survey of individuals who don’t purely choose into gender binary, players shown its personal identifiers; the item „lesbian (partly otherwise completely with regards to gender)“ is actually selected because of the a dozen.9% of your professionals for the 2021 and you can thirteen.8% during the 2022.

Material

• step 1 Etymology
• 2 People
• 2.step 1 Records
• dos.step 1.step 1 Within the Weimar Republic (1919–1933)
• 2.1.2 When you look at the Nazi program (1933–1945)
• dos.1.3 Court demands so you’re able to lesbian literature
• dos.step one.cuatro Middle-twentieth century, You
• 2.step one.5 Stonewall riots
• dos.step one.six Lesbian-feminism in addition to lesbian sex battles

Etymology

The definition of „Lesbian“ to begin with known some body or anything throughout the Greek isle from Lesbos. It is from the popular poet Sappho, a community chief about isle out of Lesbos which blogged numerous love poems to many other women circa 600 BCE. The adjective „sapphic“ is also derived from Sappho. Sappho and published sensual and you can romantic passages that included guys, in English vocabulary texts, her sorts of association into the sensual like between women has been old in order to 1732 otherwise in advance of. Of the 1870, „lesbianism“ came into existence a beneficial noun to possess a good female’s sensual interest in other feminine otherwise homosexual relationships between them, given that terminology „lesbian like“ was at have fun with because of the 1883, in the first place distributing in the U.S. medical periodicals one to framed sexual intimacy between feminine due to the fact pathological. Used given that a keen adjective related to new area regarding Lesbos or to amatory poetry, „lesbian“ has been in continuous explore since the 1890 to describe personal and you will/otherwise sexual behavior between female irrespective of their particular sexualities, particularly „lesbian couples“, „lesbian sex“, otherwise „lesbian kiss“. Because of the 1904, lesbian was a student in fool around with since the a good noun.