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Lesbian Historic Motif Project Tags: Misc. Tags - Identity, Sex, and Gender

Monday, November 14, 2016 - 07:30

Today's LHMP addition is a Tag Index Page for "Misc. Tags - Identity, Sex, and Gender". The set-up of this type of content page means I currently can't "embed" the index page itself in this blog post. Click through for the full content. Or check out the teasers below. The tag display page currently has some technical issues that limit the number of entries displayed for each tag, but I hope to have that fixed soon. At the very least, it will give you a taste of what's available. (I know I keep mentioning little technical glitches in the website. I operate by the principle that it's better to get flawed content out there than to wait until the entire thing is perfect.)

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The purpose of tags is to make information relatively easy to find. The topics covered under “misc. tags” are a combination of themes that guided my choice of publications to cover, and themes that emerged from those publications This essay is intended to explain briefly how the “misc.” tags are being used.

The second purpose is to provide a tag list that the visitor can use to explore the site. The number of tags used in the project, and the organization into four different categories, doesn’t lend itself to a traditional tag-cloud. The Place and Time Period tags each have a single essay. The Event/Person and Misc. Tags will be covered in thematic groups in multiple essays due to the larger number.

I’m planning three essays for the Misc. Tags, each covering a general category with several subcategories. This present essay includes specific vocabulary terms used for lesbians or persons engaging in lesbian-like activities, terms and concepts relating to sexual activity and the physical expression of affection, and concepts relating to gender presentation and identity.

Sample entries:

Vocabulary Terms

Within the European tradition, there are several sets of vocabulary with a long history that specifically refer to women who engage in sex with other women.

Greek and Latin

  • lesbian - (Greek origin) A person from the Isle of Lesbos. The adoption of this term for a female homosexual is inarguably due to the association with Sappho, however the path has a few tangles. Greek comedic writers of the 5th c BCE used the word to indicate a sexually assertive (heterosexual) woman, especially one who practiced oral sex. One sometimes hears mistaken claims that the use of lesbian for sexual orientation is a modern invention. The earliest suviving use clearly indicating homosexuality is from Lucian in the 2nd century CE. Byzantine commentaries of the 10th c on the 2nd c religious writings of Clement of Alexandria directly equate lesbian and tribas. The earliest known use in English in this sense is in the 1730s.

Sex and Physical Affection

Overt sexual activity

In general, these tags will be used when sexual activity is an explicit part of the discussion, not simply when it is implied. The most general tag is sex between women, but when more specific activity is mentioned that will also be tagged.

  • green sickness - Green sickness was considered a genuine medical syndrome in certain times and places, being the result of unsatisfied female sexual desire. Medical manuals sometimes prescribed masturbation or manual stimulation by another woman as a cure.

Gender Presentation and Identity

This set of tags will cover a great deal of the ambiguous territory between sexual orientation and gender identity. Keep in mind that the purpose of this project is not to define the identity of any specific historic or literary figure, but to cast a very broad net over presentations and activities that contain space for lesbian-like potential.

 

  • cross-dressing - Any context where an individual wears clothing that is socially designated for a different gender than the one they are assigned. The tag includes instances where clothing is used as an overt symbol rather than an overall presentation.
  • cross-gender roles/behavior - Any context where a person engages in actions or fulfills a social role that is socially designated for a different gender than the one they are assigned. This may be a covert part of an overall presentation or may be in open contradiction to their assigned gender.
Tags: 
LHMP
historical