User:Livrendon/sandbox

Lesbians of Color

Lesbians of color are non-white, minority women who are marginalized due to their race or ethnic origin, including lesbians of African American, Latina, Asian, Arab, and other non-Caucasian origin. Lesbians of color are marginalized by the intersections of race, gender, and sexual orientation and experience racism, homophobia, and misogyny all at once due to their many identities. The lesbian community is largely composed of white women and is influenced by American culture, leading some lesbians of color to experience difficulties integrating into the community at large. Lesbians of color are often systematically excluded from lesbian spaces based on the fact that they are women of color. Additionally, these women face a unique set of challenges within their respective racial communities. Many feel abandoned, as communities of color often view the lesbian identity as a "white" lifestyle and see the acceptance of homosexuality as a setback in achieving equality. These communities, especially those comprised of immigrant populations, often hold the sentiment that the lesbian of color identity adversely affects assimilation into the dominant culture. Historically, women of color have been excluded from participating in LGBT movements. This exclusion comes as a result of the white majority dismissing the intersections of gender, race, and sexuality that are a core part of the lesbian of color identity. The lesbians that organized events were white and middle-class and largely focused their movements on the issues of sexism and homophobia, rather than class or race issues. The white lesbian feminist movement has been criticized for excluding race and class issues from their spaces and a lack of focus on issues that do not strictly impact whites. Audre Lorde, Barbara Smith, and Cherrie Moraga are revered theorists within the various movements for lesbians of color for their insistence on inclusion and equality, from both racial communities and white lesbian communities.

Mental Health

The many intersections surrounding lesbians of color can often contribute to an increased need for mental health resources. Lesbians of color are likely to experience a number of psychological issues due to the various experiences of sexism, racism, and homophobia as a part of their existence. Mental health providers, such as therapists, often use heteronormative standards to gauge the health of lesbian relationships, and the relationships of lesbian women of color often receive the most judgment because they are seen as the most deviant. The decision to come out within racial communities can be costly, as there is a threat of loss of support from family, friends, and the community at large. Lesbians of color are often exposed to a range of adverse effects as a result of their intersections, ranging anywhere from microaggressions to discrimination to violence, threatening or otherwise.

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DRAFTS/NOTES FROM WORD

Lesbians of color are typically placed at an economic advantage as opposed to their peers. Lesbians of color are usually poorer than white lesbians, insert something about how the wage gap and pay disparity affects this on top of class divide.

Exclusion issues among colleges maybe? Can talk about organizations on campuses that don't provide queer WOC adequate safe spaces and are often run by white students

Ethnocentrism/androcentrism/European beauty standards and the effect they have on lesbian WOC, WOC are already seen as undesirable so adding lesbian on top of that adds to people not really caring about them... Large focus on white lesbians only as they are able to be sexualized by the culture at large and are typically easier to accept than WOC. White lesbians embody European beauty standards and are often seen as "purer" than lesbians of color. White, gay, middle class men are at the top of the hierarchy within LGBT spaces, followed by White queer women, at the bottom are trans WOC and queer WOC

Many lesbians of color feel as though they are outsiders within their own communities... Invisibility marks a huge problem because many feel as though they lose their authority in certain communities because of their gay status. (Alimahomed)

HIV/AIDS and other health funding is lacking for lesbian WOC because they aren't seen as a vulnerable population... Funding for programs that help queer POC are male-centric and funnel money into HIV/AIDS and not into other diseases that impact WOC. Queer white populations are the target of rehabilitation programs.