User:Tptrahan/History of lesbianism

 Later 20th and early 21st centuries (1969–present) 

Into the mid 1970s, lesbians around the world were publishing their personal coming out stories, as these came few and far between at the time. In addition to coming out stories, lesbians were publishing biographies of lesbian writers who were misplaced in history, looking for examples of who they were and how their community came to be.

The “Sex Wars” was a time in feminist history that divided “anti-pornography” and “pro-sex” feminists. The common belief among pro-sex feminists was that there needed to be a new way for female desire to be advertised and demonstrated. General photography of women in this manner was debated among feminists everywhere.

On December 15th, 1973, the American Psychiatric Association voted almost unanimously to to remove “homosexuality” from the list of psychiatric disorders that is included in the group’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This reversal came after three years of protests from gay and lesbian liberation activists and major disruption at the group’s panel on homosexuality in 1970.

The belief in the platonic friendliness of these “Boston marriages” started to dissipate after followers of Freudianism corroded the innocence and the friendships that revolved around confidence in oneself that came along with these “Boston marriages.”

Many activists in the 21st century have attempted to create more visibility for lesbian history and the activists that brought it to light. They argue that LGBTQ history is not nearly as represented as other civil rights movements, including African American's or women's civil and equal rights. Activists and other volunteers around the country have attempted to collect historical artifacts, documents, and other stories to help preserve this history for generations in the future to celebrate and cherish.

Also in the 21st century, there has been an increased movement for LGBTQ+ visibility in school curriculums. The exclusion of the LGBTQ+ community and its history is one of the biggest contributors to homophobia and the exclusion of those a part of the LGBTQ community in schools.

Ever since the 1990s, lesbian communities have dismantled the idea of butch/femme lesbian relationships that were popular in the 1950s and 1960s. This notion has been expanded on since. Women who are a part of this community have noted that these ways of expression is more of a spectrum today.

Despite this change in notion, it was not uncommon for women in the 90s, if they found themselves to be on the femme side of the spectrum, to be told they "don't look the part" or they "don't look lesbian enough." This often led to these women who identified as lesbian to feel outcasted from their own community.

When Ellen Degeneres came out as a lesbian in 1997, there was an increased support for her and her community. However, mainstream media continued to cast lesbians at the time as having a few things in common. Most of them where femme, white, and middle class. There was little to no representation of Black lesbians in the 1990s into the early 2000s. Whoopi Goldberg's lesbian nurturer, Jane, in the film "Boys on the Side" and Queen Latifah's Cleo in the film "Set it Off" were the only women of color who identified as lesbian in mainstream media at the time.