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lesbianism |
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lesbianism: see homosexuality homosexuality, a term created by 19th cent. theorists to describe a sexual and emotional interest in members of one's own sex. Today a person is often said to have a homosexual or a heterosexual orientation, a description intended to defuse some of the long-standing ..... Click the link for more information. . lesbianismalso called sapphism or female homosexuality,the quality or state of intense emotional and usually erotic attraction of a woman to another woman. First used in the late 16th century, the word “lesbian” referred to the Greek island of Lesbos. The connotation of female homosexuality was added in the late 19th century, when an association was made with the poetry of Lesbian poet Sappho (c. 610–c. 580 BC). At the turn of the 21st century, issues of concern to lesbians in Europe and North America included legal recognition for same-sex unions, child-rearing rights, women's health-care, taxes, inheritance, and the sharing of medical benefits with a partner. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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Now, in her first book since 1998, Jong examines the Greek poet whose sexual exploits gave sapphism its name. Sarah Waters's terrific first novel, Tipping the Velvet, led its readers on a rambunctious tour through the various underworlds of late-19th-century London: music halls, boy-hustling and cruising scenes, aristocratic sapphism, and dyke socialism, all through the eyes of a cross-dressing "tom," Nancy Astley. |
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