Tribady
Tribadie ( Gr . Tribein "rub"), also tribadism , is a non- penetrative sexual practice in which a woman rubs her external genitals on her partner for the purpose of clitoral stimulation. The term is predominantly used in connection with a same-sex practice among women, but it can also refer to rubbing the vulva and clitoris on an object regardless of sexual orientation .
Until the middle of the 20th century, the word was used in German-speaking countries as a synonym for female homosexuality .
Origin and understanding of the term
In ancient Greece, Tribadie described a hyper masculine woman who penetrated her sexual partner - whether women or men - with a dildo or an enlarged clitoris . It was not until the 16th century that the Greek texts became accessible to a larger audience through translations that the term reappeared. Travel reports and stories about homoerotic female sexuality from Turkey, Arabia and Africa initially led to the tribadie being viewed as a misconduct by non-Christian women. It was not until the mid-17th century that reports were circulated suggesting that Christian women were also using this stimulation practice.
From the Greek origin, analogous to the Greek term “rubbing” or “rubbing” in Latin, the Fricatrix , in the Francophone-speaking area Ribaude and in the English language the term rubster , to designate women who practice this sexual practice. Accordingly, lesbian women were also called tribades in the German language .
In many languages, pejorative (derogatory) terms that describe lesbian sexuality have emerged from this context ; An example of this is the English slang expression "scissoring" (German: "cutting with scissors", which refers to the leg movements in the scissoring position).
Sexual practice
Possible variants are rubbing the clitoris on the partner's clitoris while the legs are crossed like scissors, or rubbing the vulva on the partner, similar to the missionary position . The practice can be modified individually through the use of dildos , strap-ons , vibrators and other parts of the body or objects. The practice can also be used for masturbation or in a heterosexual context. Contrary to the notion, which extends well into modern times, that female homosexuality is predominantly characterized by mutual oral satisfaction, tribadia is a practice that is seldom mentioned to this day, after heated discussions in the Middle Ages, but it was and is still practiced.
Lesbian author Susie Bright believes that the practice is less perceived as a typical lesbian sexual practice because of its simplicity resulting from the hug and the ability to do the practice with clothing. Like Jack Halberstam , she suspects that the typically masculine, demanding and possibly penetrating role of one partner and the more passive role of the other cannot easily be reconciled with the conventional feminist ideas of equal sexuality and will therefore not be discussed further.
As with all other sexual contacts, appropriate sexual hygiene should also be observed during the Tribadie to avoid sexually transmitted diseases .
Genito-genital rubbing for bonobos
In addition to humans, the practice can also be observed in female bonobos , a species of primate related to the chimpanzee , where they are referred to as "genito-genital rubbing" or GG rubbing . African natives refer to this behavior of the female bonobo as hoka-hoka, as Dale Petersen and Richard Wrangham report in their book Demonic Males . This behavior should serve to reduce tension, strengthen cohesion within the females of a group and also indicate the hierarchical rank, since it is more often started by lower-ranking females.
literature
- Bonne Zimmerman: Lesbian Histories and Cultures: An Encyclopedia . Taylor & Francis, 2000, ISBN 0-8153-1920-7 .
- Susie Bright: Susie Sexpert's Lesbian Sex World . Cleis Press Inc., 1999, ISBN 1-57344-077-9 .
- Manuela Kay, Anja Müller (Eds.): Come beautiful. The sex book for lesbians . querverlag, 2005, ISBN 3-89656-047-6 . Excerpt from the section “Tribadie” available as PDF at querverlag.de (PDF; 200 kB).
further reading
- Judith Halberstam : Female Masculinity. Duke University Press, 1998, ISBN 0-8223-2243-9 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Until then, the concept of female same-sex love had mostly been associated with the Greek poet Sappho and oral practices. From this point on it was discussed under the term tribady whether an enlarged clitoris leads to this type of "fornication" or whether the clitoris only enlarged through this practice. For the researchers of the Middle Ages, there was a connection between the development of a female homosexual tendency and intersexuality, or hermaphrodism. See Zimmerman, p. 280 ff.
- ^ Bonne Zimmerman: Lesbian Histories and Cultures: An Encyclopedia . Taylor & Francis, 2000, p. 280, ISBN 0-8153-1920-7 .
- ↑ a b Susie Bright: Susie Sexpert's Lesbian Sex World. Cleis Press Inc., 1999, ISBN 1-57344-077-9 , pp. 57-63.
- ↑ For example, Woods and Pirie vs. Cumming Gordon debates how and whether same-sex arousal in this form is possible without penetration and whether British women are capable of more than a romantic friendship with a woman. See Judith Halberstam: Female Masculinity. Duke University Press, 1998, ISBN 0-8223-2243-9 , pp. 61-74.
- ^ Frans de Waal : Bonobo Sex and Society . ( Memento of July 2, 2007 in the Internet Archive )