Lesbians and Politics

[Hollylane]

What an awesome thread topic! Thank you, I am subscribing.

[Kobi]

I think this is wonderful and long overdue.

Yet, a part of me has to wonder why a group concerned about women and lesbians has one value definition that is woman/lesbian specific and the other 2 are generalized.

[What is a pro-lesbian candidate?

LPAC will support candidates who champion a range of issues that impact lesbians and their families, a pro-lesbian candidate is someone who supports:

Ending discriminatory treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals and their families;

Sexual and reproductive freedom and women’s access to quality healthcare; and,

Furthering social, racial, and economic justice for all Americans. ]


It seems odd to me how stuff supposedly geared toward women seems to get routinely watered down to include all people, thereby taking the focus off women/lesbian. Is there some reason women just cant focus on what is good for women? Is there some reason we have to sandwich this between what is good for everyone else?

And, where the heck is any mention of feminism and sexism? Or, are those on par with Voldemort i.e. that-which-must-not-be-named?

This just seems, to me, to be part of the internalized and operationalized patriarchial programming where women must always be mindful of others, place others needs on equal par or better yet above our own, etc.

[aishah]

i had the opposite reaction kobi...in my experience, many initiatives that choose only to focus on women's issues pretty much erase the needs/experiences/presence of marginalized women. because they don't address the fact that we can't even get to the table to talk about sexism half the time because of colonialism, poverty, racism, etc. and that these other issues have deeply shaped what sexism looks like in our communities. so to me...any women's initiative that is going to be inclusive of us has to deal with that. it's not about watering it down...it's about making sure that initiatives to address sexism go beyond middle/upper class white women's communities and needs.

this is compounded by the fact that many women with disabilities, poor and rural women, and women of color who are descriptively lesbian or queer cannot or will not identify that way politically because it can threaten their access to community and resources, among other things. for many people it's a life or death issue and they won't have the freedom to identify this way politically because those other issues are not usually included or addressed at the political queer table.

since the political sphere is dominated by middle and upper class white folks...before i read that part of the initiative i had serious concerns about the possibility that this could be at all inclusive or address the needs of a more diverse group of women. i still have concerns but that at least gives me some hope that they are keeping this in mind as they move forward.

this is really awesome thanks for sharing about it howsoonisnow!

[Toughy]

Longtime LGBT movement leader, and LPAC advisory board member, who helped spearhead the effort, Urvashi Vaid, said: “I’m involved in starting LPAC because I want to create fresh politics, one in which the lives of ordinary working women and men, LGBT people and people of color matter, and because I believe lesbians must step up and lead in solving our country’s challenges.”

Urvashi being involved gives me hope.

[Soon]

Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll Denies Lesbian Relationship Claims

Florida's Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll is on the defensive after former staff member Carletha Cole claimed that she caught Carroll and her female travel aide in a "compromising position" in Carroll's capitol office.

"Black women that look like me don't engage in relationships like that," a giggling Carroll, who was attending the opening of a Mitt Romney campaign office in Orange Park, told Tampa 10. Watch the video above.

She told reporters that she's been married for 29 years, while her accuser, is "the one that's been single for a long time."

-----------------------------

In response to the bolded statement above: Twitter#ThisIsWhatALesbianLooksLike and in the comments section below.

Slideshow on HP of women who have sent pictures of their lesbian selves.

[Dude]

very nervous faux laugh
if you ask me

as if , looks , being married or being single have anything to do with anything.
how lame.

I'm amused by all the comments so far
but
decadent lifestyle?
Straight people are so convinced we get our freak on so much more than them.
Like bunnies , it really is , ALL we think about. right?
Nobody works or has a real life , just like the soap operas...
oh wait "some" of the soap opera stuff is true
but we could say that about "some" straight relationships also.

I say it takes a lot of courage to go public and tell the truth
(assuming that it is the truth.) Could a person that has been
fired or scorned make up something like that? Absolutely.
I want the details of the compromising "position"

[Deborah]

What does she mean women that look like her don't have relationships like that....

I disagree we certainly do....everyday. That comment doesn't make me believe or disbelieve her it just makes me think she thinks we aren't that smart...smoke and mirrors perhaps....

[Soon]

$50k Match for Tammy Baldwin

Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin is running for Senate. She needs our help immediately. This is an important and historic campaign: if elected, she would be the first openly gay member of the US Senate.

---Tammy is under attack from anti-women, anti-choice, and anti-equality forces.
---Secret groups funded by the Koch brothers, the US Chamber of Commerce, and Karl Rove have already spent millions of dollars attacking her.
---Every dollar you give to help Tammy's campaign, the LPAC Board will match, up to $50,000.