The Lavender Menace, Stonewall and Gay Power
Betty Friedan labeled the lesbian factions of the women’s lib movement as the Lavender Menace, a term they later embraced and used to identify their community She worried that linking feminism with lesbianism would further support the growing conservative antifeminist movement Lesbian feminist sought to examine how sexism and patriarchy shaped their own discrimination In 1969, a raid of the NYC gay bar “Stonewall” erupted into a multiple day riot This was the birth of a nationwide Gay Rights movement The Gay Rights movement was made up of mostly gay men, while lesbians organized their own communities (although both participated in public demonstrations) Acceptance of Same-Sex Couples 1990’s-Present
Lesbian couples had trouble protecting their custody of children had in previous relationship if their prior husbands decided to make an issue of their sexuality In 1995, a lower court ruled that mother Sharon Bottoms was unfit to have custody of her children because her lifestyle would impost social condemnation upon them By the 90’s lesbianism was increasingly accepted & in some parts of the country it became trendy June 26, 2015, when the United States Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that state-level bans on same-sex marriage are unconstitutional Examine this quote:
Examine the following quote from the group Radicalesbians Determine what arguments are similar to those we’ve discussed in the Women’s lib movement, which are different
“It should first be understood that lesbianism, like male homosexuality, is a category of behavior possible only in a sexist society characterized by rigid sex roles and dominated by male supremacy. These sex roles dehumanize women by defining us as a supportive/serving caste in relation to the master caste of men, and emotionally cripple men by demanding that they be alienated from their own bodies and emotions in order to perform their economic/political/military functions effectively.” Anti Feminist
The Anti-Feminist attitudes grew out of several underlying issues The conservative backlash to the anti-motherhood perspective of many in the Women’s Liberation Movement Concern over the more radical wings of feminism The fractionalization of the women’s movement into smaller groups concerned with race, ethnicity, labor, spirituality, education, ecology, and peace led to a wide diversification of movement goals Religious and cultural disapproval of legalized abortion Was/Is feminism still needed?
Feminists worried about the growing belief that a change to consciousness among women was all that was required to change economic and political structures in American society
That meant the movement was already done What do you think about that notion?
Was it enough for women to realize their subordinate place?
Were the legal changes that already took place enough?
Was there any need to continue to organize for change?