Going online to be a lesbian: AfterEllen, Vice Versa, The Ladder and queer (?) theorizing in discursive spaces

By constructing a lineage of mediated discourse in which queer women theorize their spaces and identities, this article argues for the significant place of communication technologies as venues for queer women’s theoretical discussions. Specifically, it analyses content from AfterEllen, a website devoted to popular culture and media for lesbian and bisexual women, connecting the site to two twentieth-century lesbian periodicals, Vice Versa and The Ladder, ultimately arguing for a conception of the discourse produced in these spaces as a type of proto-queer theory. In each space, queer women reject the fictive wholeness proffered by systems of heteronormativity through their critiques of mainstream society and cultivation of representation and community. However, this article also analyses the dangers of theory, as spaces like AfterEllen theorize a lesbian subjectivity that denigrates and dismisses trans lesbians. Utilizing convergence theory, this article additionally argues that heralding the web as the first liberating space of its kind for LGBT individuals obfuscates a rich history of investment in and dependence on communication networks for identity and community formation.

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‘Sexuality is fluid’, or or is it? An analysis of television’s The L Word from the perspectives of gender and sexuality

interalia: a journal of queer studies ◽

10.51897/interalia/heez1704 ◽

2007 ◽

Author(s):

Nina Kuorikoski

Keyword(s):

Los Angeles ◽

Feminist Theory ◽

Queer Theory ◽

The United States ◽

Critical Discussion ◽

Gender And Sexuality ◽

Bisexual Women ◽

Current Article ◽

And Bisexual ◽

L Word

North American television series The L Word (USA 2004-present) tells the story of a group of lesbian and bisexual women living in Los Angeles. The current article offers a close reading of the first two seasons of the series, analysing them from the perspectives of both feminist theory and queer theory. It demonstrates that even though the series deconstructs the normative boundaries of both gender and sexuality, it can also be said to maintain the ideals of a heteronormative society. The argument is explored by paying attention to several aspects of the series. These include the series' advertising both in Finland and the United States and the normative femininity of the lesbian characters. In addition, the article aims to highlight the manner in which the series depicts certain characters which can be said to stretch the normative boundaries of gender and sexuality. Through this, the article strives to give a diverse account of the series' first two seasons and further critical discussion of The L Word and its representations.

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Hidden from history? A brief modern history of the psychiatric “treatment” of lesbian and bisexual women in England

The Lancet Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/s2215-0366(19)30059-8 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 (4) ◽

pp. 289-290 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Sarah Carr ◽

Helen Spandler

Keyword(s):

Psychiatric Treatment ◽

Modern History ◽

Bisexual Women ◽

History Of ◽

And Bisexual

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Lesbian and bisexual women's experiences of aversion therapy in England

History of the Human Sciences ◽

10.1177/09526951211059422 ◽

2022 ◽

pp. 095269512110594

Author(s):

Helen Spandler ◽

Sarah Carr

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Psychological Treatment ◽

Treatment Technique ◽

Bisexual Women ◽

Ethical Implications ◽

History Of ◽

1960S And 1970S ◽

And Bisexual ◽

Post War ◽

The 1960S

This article presents the findings of a study about the history of aversion therapy as a treatment technique in the English mental health system to convert lesbians and bisexual women into heterosexual women. We explored published psychiatric and psychological literature, as well as lesbian, gay, and bisexual archives and anthologies. We identified 10 examples of young women receiving aversion therapy in England in the 1960s and 1970s. We situate our discussion within the context of post-war British and transnational medical history. As a contribution to a significantly under-researched area, this article adds to a broader transnational history of the psychological treatment of marginalised sexualities and genders. As a consequence, it also contributes to LGBTQIA+ history, the history of medicine, and psychiatric survivor history. We also reflect on the ethical implications of the research for current mental health practice.

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From Stonewall to millennium : Lesbian representation in three representative Late 20th-century plays by American women.

10.32469/10355/46844 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Vanessa Marie Campagna

Keyword(s):

Queer Theory ◽

20Th Century ◽

Political Campaigns ◽

Bisexual Women ◽

Late 20Th Century ◽

American Women ◽

Lgbt History ◽

And Bisexual ◽

Lgbt People ◽

And Gender

From Stonewall to Millennium: Lesbian Representation in Three Late 20th-Century Plays by American Women explores the relationship between the lived experiences of LGBT people (especially lesbians and bisexual women) and staged depictions thereof. In the dissertation's three analytical chapters, I offer close, critical readings of three representative plays by American women, one from each of the final three decades of the 20th century: Last 07 at Bluefish Cove by Jane Chambers, And Baby Makes Seven by Paula Vogel, and Stop Kiss by Diana Son. Motivated by the New Historicist perspective that that the significance of literary texts "can be fully grasped only in relation to the other expressive possibilities with which it interacts," I illuminate deeper meanings within the plays by investigating the social/political climates in which they were written and debuted. Exploring past modes of living and staging LGBT identities and experiences is valuable because it helps contextualize the current historical moment, which is marked by aggressive social/political campaigns aimed at LGBT empowerment and enfranchisement. This project will be of interest to artists and scholars in the varied, but often intersecting, fields of Theatre, Performance Studies, Communication, Women's and Gender Studies, and Queer Theory, as well as those outside of the academy who take interest in LGBT history, American history, and the arts.

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“Girl-on-girl culture”

Journal of Language and Sexuality ◽

10.1075/jls.18013.bai ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 195-220 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Aimee Bailey

Keyword(s):

Critical Discourse Analysis ◽

Corpus Linguistics ◽

Online Community ◽

The United States ◽

Bisexual Women ◽

Queer Women ◽

Girl Culture ◽

And Bisexual ◽

And Gender ◽

The One

Abstract This article investigates the construction of sex advice for queer women as it features on the world’s most popular lesbian website, Autostraddle. Based in the United States, the website is a “progressively feminist” online community for lesbian, bisexual and other queer women. Using multimodal critical discourse analysis and corpus linguistics, this article explores how representations of sexual and gender identity facilitate the construction of homonormativity on the website. It argues that these representations involve a tension between exclusivity and inclusivity. On the one hand, Autostraddle wants to construct an exclusive markedly lesbian subjectivity and a subcultural model of lesbian sex, which is lacking in mainstream culture. On the other hand, it aims to be inclusive of transgender and bisexual women, and to deconstruct the idea of sexual homogeneity. Findings show that Autostraddle discursively negotiates these competing goals to construct a distinctly “queer female” normativity centred on young cisgender feminine lesbians.

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