Reclaiming Lesbian Pride

[Kobi]

Originally Posted by Chazz

I'm still thinking about this "defining oneself in opposition" business....

Let's pluck out the term opposition from that statement and drop in the word, contrast.... As in, F/W IDed butches stand in contrast to male IDed butches - not in how we look, necessarily, but in how we identify. (I look mega butch - whatever that means - and, so what?)

Is there something about contrasting identities that some find unsettling, even as they are questioning our willingness to embrace diversity?

Why proffer veiled accusations about "opposition" and "oppression" in this thread?

Why would "we" experience a need for a thread about reclaiming lesbian pride if "we" weren't already painfully aware of "opposition", "oppression"?

I really like this idea of using "contrast" for a lot of reasons. To me, it seems to be a less threatening, more soothing word. It fits the intent of this discussion better. And, it feels more like a bridge to others.

Contrast implies more of a cooperative stance of equals.

Opposition/oppression implies more of a divisive, defensive stance of competitors.

Diversity is about contrasting parts of a whole.

Chazz, did I get my semiotics right?

Words, how we use them or misuse them, have profound effects on both the message sent and the message received. Is good to have reminders to choose our words carefully.

[Kobi]

A lot of good stuff is coming out of this discussion. I have been looking for themes that might benefit from having their own space to ferret stuff out a little more.

One of those themes was butch lesbians reconciling with the female/woman part of themselves.

There is now a thread called Lesbian Butches - Coming home to ourselves. Feel free to check it out.