1media/IMG_2722 copy.jpeg2022-06-06T07:11:05-07:00What does it mean to be a Lesbian?21gallery2023-04-20T06:07:19-07:00Out of all of the commonly recognized queer communities, lesbians have been among the most visible for the longest time, and have gone through the most radical change in culture. Existing primarily as a word for the experience of women loving women, inside the community lesbians have been challenging gendered labels, presentations, and expectations longer than anyone. As queerness has diversified however, culture has homogenized leading to the disappearance of some of the key traits that once marked the community, such as Lesbian specific bars, a strong alternative community in response to societal rejection, and a semi-rigid system of roles. While today the term lesbian provides identity to many people, one can only imagine what it will mean to be a lesbian in the future. Lesbians represent a significant challenge to cultural norms and expectations for the role of women in society by decentralizing the role of men in their relationships allowing for a greater diversity of experiences. As a consequence of this, lesbians have historically faced a significant amount of stigma forcing them out of most spaces. This, however, encouraged lesbians to build their own culture and define the roles they want to pursue in society. Lesbians Through HistoryLesbians and Queerness
1media/IMG_2895.jpeg2022-06-06T07:11:21-07:00What does it mean to be Gay15gallery2022-08-17T12:36:55-07:00Gayness for many people is an entry into understanding queerness, so much so that it has grown to be, itself, an umbrella term for the queer community. Gay in the traditional sense is a label for men who love other men. Fundamentally, though gayness represents a rejection, by men, of societal expectations of power and control in favor of love. Traditionally men carry an expectation of performance of gender roles and as such are more severely punished for expressing femininity than women are for expressing masculinity. Gay men actively defy this expectation in their culture with events such as drag shows which allow people, predominantly gay men, the space to challenge gender roles, as well as establishing their own social gathering spaces which allowed them the space to interact out of the public eye. The gay community also faced some of the most difficult trials such as the AIDS epidemic when millions of gay men died while most of society refused to care. They have been subjected to countless hate crimes, and targeted government harassment. Today, the gay community represents one of men making space for themselves and being unafraid to live as their complete selves.
