Whatever Happened to…

the Menace ….? 1969 “Outspoken are a threat to the • Feminists in National Feminist Movement” Organisation for Women (NOW) declare that issues are irrelevant and hinder the feminist movement • Lesbian sponsorship is deleted from programs and Lesbian speakers are excluded from events • NOW’s young administrator, , resigns and gathers together a group of women who love women for , President of NOW, refers to lesbians as “The ” • This informal group of lesbian feminists organise to protest the exclusion of lesbians from the 2nd Congress to Unite Women in • They storm the 2nd Congress, wearing purple t-shirts hand-printed with “Lavender Menace”, to much hilarity • Attendees of the conference demand the program be changed to accommodate these women • Workshops on lesbian issues are spontaneously set up and lead by members of this group In 1973, Rita’s semi-autobiographical rite of passage story establishes the genre of lesbian coming-of-age novel

Rubyfruit Jungle is a The cover strapline is metaphor for a “A book about being different woman’s genitals and loving it” of being an out Lesbian in 1970s USA Rubyfruit • • • • • •

poverty unemployment, homelessness and disappear and to seek community “inversion” Under constant threat of violence, Exploitation by women in the closet Migration to larger cities to both Expulsion from College or High School Routine psychiatric Often outcast by family and community Jungle

reveals the impact hospitalisation for

Rubyfruit Jungle Rubyfruit • • • • •

like love women, not because they hate men attraction in some women orientation Celebrating that Lesbians and Bisexual Women Declaring women are Lesbians because they Exploring early experience of same sex Depicting Female as a valid sexual Laughing at Butch/ Stereotypes Jungle

SEX! explodes myths by

Rubyfruit Jungle Personal Reflection Select a specific GSD identity to reflect on, e.g. “Lesbians” or “Bisexuals”. Take five minutes to complete, in writing, the sentences Lesbians (are)… or Bisexuals (are)… as many times as you can. Write quickly and without censoring anything that comes to mind. You do not need to share anything you have written with the group unless you want to. This is not a test but a way to uncover unconscious or surprising associations. What associations are interesting or significant? Activity in Pairs With a partner, take 10 minutes to share and discuss your earliest awareness of people belonging to the group you have reflected on. Consider the social, cultural and family context within which you first learned that people like this existed. What messages did this give you when growing up about people in this group? What do you want to know more about to help you better serve clients within this group? I am a poster girl…

with no poster Like Molly Bolt, the heroine of Rubyfruit Jungle, Rita went on to study cinematography Lesbians were allowed to be depicted in Hollywood as long as… …They die horrible deaths by… Suicide

AIDS

Drug Overdose

Punitive Ritualistic Murder If allowed to live they must live bad, sad lives as… Predatory Loners Thieves and Jailbirds

Mentally Disturbed Homicidal Psychopaths

…or Vampires Facts about Lesbian and Bisexual Women’s Mental Health

• No evidence of higher prevalence of pernicious anemia (vampirism) than the general population but…. • More stress during teenage years • More likely to attempt suicide than heterosexual women • Higher prevalence of depression, drug and alcohol dependency, obesity and conditions such as PTSD and OCD • More likely to turn to psychotherapy for help Sources: Berrill, K.T. 1992. Koh A.S., Ross L.K.. 2006 Chakraborty A, McManus S, Brugha TS, Bebbington P, King M. 2011 Variations in Mental Health Issues within the Les/Bi population Bisexual Women more likely than Lesbians to experience Drug and Alcohol Dependency Eating Disorders Suicidal Ideation and Para Suicide Koh A.S., Ross L.K.. 2006, The Bisexuality Report 2012 Out LesBi women are psychologically healthier and less stressed than closeted LesBi women Juster R.P. (2013) Centre of Studies on Human Stress, University of Montreal Lesbians are more likely to seek therapy than Bisexual women Koh A.S., Ross L.K. 2006 To g et h er What might be the causes for a higher percentage of Bisexual Women suffering with depression, eating disorder and drug and alcohol abuse than Lesbians? How can we explain that in Canada Lesbian and Bisexual Women who are in hiding are “less than averagely happy and more than averagely stressed”, while those who are out are “more than averagely happy and well” ?

Why might Lesbians be more comfortable seeking therapy than Bisexual women? Activity in Pairs Join up with some one reflecting on a similar group to the one you are exploring. What stereotypes come to mind about this group? Consider these stereotypes in terms of their evolutionary function, such as to help cope with the impact of: Being an Outcast ! Missing Out on Social/Developmental Experiences ! Being Pathologised ! Interrupted Education ! Being Invisible ! Finding Others ! Threat of Violent Attack ! Unemployment ! Homelessness ! Poverty ! Exploitation by “Straight” Community