Lesbophobia

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Protest against lesbophobia on the Caminhada lésbica ( São Paulo 2009)

Lesbophobia is a sexist behavior towards lesbian women that overlaps with homophobia and is characterized by double discrimination against women, both on the basis of their homosexuality and their gender. This can be seen on the one hand in the discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, on the other hand in the discrimination as a woman ( intersectionality ). According to the feminist view, in contrast to lesbian women, gay men benefit from so-called "male privileges". Lesbophobia encompasses diverse forms of negative attitudes towards lesbian women as an individual, as a couple, or as a social group. Based on the categories of social gender or biological gender, sexual orientation, lesbian identity and the type of expression of gender identity, this rejection manifests itself in prejudice , discrimination and emotional abuse , which also includes contemptuous to hostile attitudes and feelings. The professor of law at the University of Ottawa , Cynthia Petersen , includes "women's fear of loving other women, as well as men's fear of not being loved by women" in the term lesbophobia.

Etymology and related terms

In English, the adjective anti-lesbian has appeared sporadically since 1981 and then from 1987. The noun lesbophobia has been used since 1994.

While some use only the more general term homophobia to describe this type of prejudice or behavior, others question the precise reflection of the specific concerns of lesbian women in the terms " homosexual " and "homophobia". In particular, some lesbians argue that they experience the double discrimination of both classic homophobia and classic sexism. Similarly, bisexual women might prefer the term " biphobia " to describe prejudice or abuse they encounter because of their bisexual identity and behavior, just as transsexuals might prefer the word " transphobia " to use.

Extent of lesbophobia

The notion that lesbians are dangerous while heterosexuality is natural, normal, and instinctive is a common example of lesbophobic attitudes that are classified as " heteronormative " because they assume that heterosexuality is dominant, predetermined, and normal, and that other sexual or partner- like views are Relationships are abnormal and unnatural. A stereotype seen as lesbophobic is that athletes are always or predominantly lesbians.

Forms of lesbophobia

Study on lesbophobia in France

The Association nationale de lutte contre la lesbophobie, la gayphobie, la biphobie et la transphobie carried out a survey among lesbian women in France between 2003 and 2004 with the aim of working out the contours of lesbophobia, a special manifestation in connection with homophobia, more specifically. Of particular interest were the social context in which lesbophobia occurs, the specific form of expression of lesbophobia and the risk profiles of affected women.

63 percent of the women surveyed said they had previously experienced lesbophobia. In relation to the total number of respondents, it became clear that the majority of lesbophobic attacks took the form of insults in everyday life (45 percent). Public spaces were mentioned here the most. The joint appearance with the partner was named as the main trigger. Within the family, 44 percent of women said they were affected by homophobia. This manifests itself primarily through a general lack of understanding of sexual orientation. 20 percent reported a general rejection and 13 percent of insults. In the Freundeskreis, 24 percent of women see themselves affected by lesbophobic behavior. The reactions manifest themselves primarily in a lack of understanding of the relevant lifestyle (13 percent), general rejection (20 percent) and bullying (1 percent). In the workplace context, 24 percent said they had experienced lesbophobic behavior. These usually came from colleagues and were mostly expressed by spreading rumors and open mockery. With regard to neighborhood relationships, 18 percent cited experiences in this regard, the most common in the form of insults, defamations and threats. In the context of purchasing and using services, 12 percent of the women surveyed reported incidents in connection with the healthcare system. 7 percent indicated that they were affected with regard to the residential / rental relationship. In contact with authorities and administration, 6 percent, 3 percent with the police and 2 percent with the judiciary reported lesbophobic experiences.

The results of the study made it clear that lesbophobic expressions are not limited to the isolated context in which they occur. A one-off incident increases the likelihood that further incidents will take place in the same area of ​​life as well as spread to other contexts. On average, each woman named three areas of life in which she was exposed to lesbophobic behavior. Some women have described that their entire lives have been in an atmosphere of oppressive lesbophobia. An accumulation of lesbophobic attacks can have clear psychosocial consequences for the individual. In the context of earlier studies, it was found that experienced lesbophobia is linked to an increase in suicidality .

In the area of ​​everyday life and circle of friends, Parisians and women under the age of 25 have the highest risk of being affected by lesbophobia. Women over 35 years of age are particularly at risk in professional life. No relevant characteristics could be determined for the risk of experiencing lesbophobia in the family context.

Lesbophobic violence

Lesbophobia is often expressed through violent crimes, including " corrective rape " and even murder. In South Africa , the Soweto lesbian activist Sizakele Sigasa and her partner, Salome Masooa, were raped, tortured and murdered in an attack in July 2007. Lesbian gay rights organizations, including the umbrella organization Joint Working Group, judged this attack to be lesbophobically motivated. Two other rapes and murders had previously occurred in South Africa in the summer of 2007: Simangele Nhlapo, a member of an HIV aid organization, was raped and murdered together with her two-year-old daughter in June. In addition, 16-year-old Madoe Mafubedu was raped and stabbed to death.

In 2006, 19-year-old Zoliswa Nkonyana was beaten to death by around 20 young men in the black settlement of Khayelitsha in Cape Town . The Banyana Banyana soccer player, Eudy Simelane , was also raped and murdered in South Africa.

The head of the advisory council for neighborly relations with the community, Zanele Muholi , reports on 50 recorded cases of rape in the past decade involving black lesbians in so-called townships (→ urban settlements inhabited by blacks). “The main problem is patriarchy . The men who commit such crimes see rape as healing and as an attempt to show women their place in society, ”she explains.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans And Intersex Association: Lesbophobia ( Memento of the original from February 20, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / ilga.org
  2. ↑ Elke Amberg: Lesbians in the press. Study based on four Munich daily newspapers , on behalf of Letra, advice center, meeting point and event location for lesbian, bisexual and other interested women, with the support of the City of Munich, coordination center for same-sex lifestyle
  3. ↑ Petersen, Cynthia. (1994) "Living Dangerously: Speaking Lesbian, Teaching Law." Canadian Journal of Women & the Law 7 (2).
  4. ↑ Julie Coleman: Love, Sex, and Marriage: A Historical Thesaurus (Volume 118 by Costerus (Atlantic Highlands)), Rodopi, 1999, ISBN 9789042004337 , p. 184 "S.01.01.02 / 01 Lesbophobia"
  5. ↑ What is “Lesbophobia”? . ILGA. December 18, 2006. Retrieved August 7, 2007.
  6. ↑ Jillian Todd Weiss, "The Gender Caste System - Identity, Privacy, and Heteronormativity" ( Memento of the original from September 29, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 10 Law & Sexuality 123 (Tulane Law School, 2001) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / phobos.ramapo.edu
  7. ↑ Peper, Karen, "Female athlete = Lesbian: a complex myth constructed from gender role expectations and lesbiphobia", Queer words, queer images: communications and the construction of homosexuality , pages 193-208 (New York University Press, 1994)
  8. ↑ Darcy Plymire and Pamela Forman, "Breaking the Silence: Lesbian Fans, the Internet, and the Sexual Politics of Women's Sport", International Journal of Sexuality and Gender Studies , pages 1566–1768 (Springer Netherlands, April 2000)
  9. ↑ SOS Homophobie (PDF; 1.2 MB): Enquête sur la Lesbophobie - Synthèse (fr.) Accessed on March 14, 2012
  10. ↑ Bridgland, Fred. (July 14, 2007). "Lesbian couple killed in execution-style murder: Hate crimes increase despite equal rights law." Sunday Herald (Glasgow, Scotland). Retrieved August 11, 2007
  11. ↑ Cogswell, Kelly Jean. (July 26, 2007). "Cut It Off - And Stop AIDS." Gay City News . Retrieved August 11, 2007
  12. ↑ S. Africa gangs using rape to 'cure' lesbians . In: MSN . Archived from the original on March 14, 2009.