Page "Lesbian" Paragraph 31

The sexual revolution in the 1970s introduced the differentiation between identity and sexual behavior for women.

Many women took advantage of their new social freedom to try new experiences.

Women who previously identified as heterosexual tried sleeping with women, though many maintained their heterosexual identity.

However, with the advent of second wave feminism, lesbian as a political identity grew to describe a social philosophy among women, often overshadowing sexual desire as a defining trait.

A militant feminist organization named Radicalesbians published a manifesto in 1970 entitled " The Woman-Identified Woman " that declared " A lesbian is the rage of all women condensed to the point of explosion ".

Militant feminists expressed their disdain with an inherently sexist and patriarchal society, and concluded the most effective way to overcome sexism and attain the equality of women would be to deny men any power or pleasure from women.

For women who subscribed to this philosophy — dubbing themselves lesbian-feminists — lesbian was a term chosen by women to describe any woman who dedicated her approach to social interaction and political motivation to the welfare of women.

Sexual desire was not the defining characteristic of a lesbian-feminist, but rather her focus on politics.

Independence from men as oppressors was a central tenet of lesbian-feminism, and many believers strove to separate themselves physically and economically from traditional male-centered culture.

In the ideal society, named Lesbian Nation, " woman " and " lesbian " were interchangeable.