LESBIANISM: Yang without Yin cont. lies not in its erotic content, nor in that striving for social autonomy considered "masculine", but lies aseptic eroticism. That this tra~ feminism to haunt thos e detractors instead in its olympian impertinence. clition can exist alan.~~: side of a who would see them perish together? tradition of tevufsion toward the In answer, at least to the second Here, in the conceptual realm, and in female body is not at all sur· question posed, there has been no savage defense of the most cherished prising to me, for they are two tradition of "head lesbianism". In concepts of patriarchal society, separate traditions typical of the fact, the idea that a woman, or arises bigotry against lesbianism. :male schizophrenia toward woman, two women could effectively exist Because the impertinence of le s- the Other: virgin and bitch, saint or choose to exist in a state exclud- bianism could not even be seen ex- and temptress, mother and whore. ing a male simply has no place in cept through or in relation to the Though the popular opinion of our philosophical heritage. insolent gaze of the new feminism lesbian sexuality may_ indeed re- . Returning to that principle of itself, it is no wonder that the two gard it as offensive, this same o- sexua l interdependence and balance, seem terrible sisters to those who pinion regards s e x in any form a s Yin and Yang, it is not surprising would defend the. myth. at least mildly offensive. It is sim- to find that much of the ritual per- For where early feminism sought ply easier to €nore the sexual con- formed in conjunction with this to attain that balance: separate but tent of a known heterosexual union concept has to do with getting rid equal, set before us as the ideal which is perceived more by its of too much Yang. When a house- toward which we must strive. the social than its sexual a ttributes. hold contains a balance of Yin and new feminism perceives that this Regardless, the shock factor sur- Yang, its members experience mythic equilibrium is a trap, and rounding lesbian sexua lity is not as well being, good health and many that only in the autonomy of woman- severe as that attached to male homo- sons. When the family falls into bad hood can we, as individuals and • s e xual behavior, luck, poor health or too few sons, as a sex, struggle toward that Moving from the e rotic to the so- an overdose of Yang, the female solitary sense of selfhood which cial a s p e cts of l e sbianism, I find principle, is held accountable, and leaves no Other hanging in the a simila r a ttitude of conde scension rites a r e conducted to quell its bala nce. Head lesbianism, a without r evulsion, For a woma n to stre ngth, Yet no reverse imbalance thought tradition which renders wish to be a m a n (as l esbia n s ar e of this magnitude--too much Yin-- comprehensible intimate and import- thought to) maybe contrary, or piti~ is considered pernicious enough to ant relationships among women, be- able but it is certainly understood, require corrective action. In this gan with the slogan, "Sisterhood In fact, much of "female psychology" is revealed the profound dis hone sty is Powerful". That this phrase is as inherited and only slightly per- underlying this rhetoric of mutual- so jolting, so enigmatic to the pop- mutated from Freud, is based upon ity, ular mind, tesl:i!ies to the unique- the assumption that women do want to "Woman needs man, and man ness of the idea contained. That to be like men; that in normal wo- must have his mate" says the song, it is voiced with such exhiliaration men this desire fi.1ds irs fulfill- but the careful listener may refer by the emerging woman testifies to ,J,. ment in giving birth to a male child , this latter phrase to Webster and its potential vitality. '!! or in simply becoming the good- find that "mate" is defined first as This, t hen, is the potential of les- sporty companion of a man, shar- helper, associate and companion, bianism aa d.U b o:. l.!e today, Yet feminism ing happily from the sidelines (and a nd second as one of a pair. The is the larger, and the real issue at adding a feminine insight to) h is in- t e rm .e volves from ' 'helpmate''• the terests. .These assumed aspirations wife, and only in our era of quasi- stake (a truth which I hope will not be for manhood on the part of the le s- egalitarianism has it been extended lost in the scramble of lesbian nation- bian could not account for the in- to include both partners of a mari- building), for it is the sisterhood of tensity of prejudice against her. tal union. women, straight and gay which will Another essentially social atti- That woman, with the negative eventually destroY'both patriarchy tude toward lesbians we can ident- va1ues that have been attributed-- and its myths. however euphemistically--to her It remains to be seen whether ify with even the recent past is the ' supposed domain, could exist sisterhood will require a tradition view that lesbianism is not really a alone or togethe r with an Other wo- similar to the misogyny that has choice for women, but rather a sorry substitute for thos e unable to man, is incomprehensible from a ace om pan ied the fraternal bond. snare a husband. Here again, we I wo~ld guess that only in the oblit- - world view which makes of her the find condolence and condescension, erabon of sexual polarity--and in compleme nta ry opposite of the the final disavowal of that pat and but little rage and no shock. male, and thereby places her on From whe re, then, derive s pretty fantasy of Yin and Yang-- the periphery of tha t universe could e ither tradition exist without bigotry toward lesbianism? Other whose center is Yin. questions are also appropriate here. such negative support. A..s long as And indeed, women have circled man and woman are held as campo. Where is there, within our philoso- through the centurie~, the satellites lementary--and as opposites--in phical heritage, a place or position of husbands, fathers and sons, held the human spectrum, these oppo- for "head lesbiansim" correspond- alien and apart from one another. ing to that of head homosexuality? sites will attain balance only pre- Because lesbiani8m defies this Why, though an erotic lesbian tra- tradition of the isola tion of women cariously, over a riven earth. dition exists, have so few women (which has furthered the vested followed this tradition by at least ' interests of the brotherhood of men) expe:c.im.entally relating sexually and because it ~.:hali.enges to the with other women? What aspect of core that myth of male centrality the oppression of l e sbians finds its which tilts the scales to the side of equal in intensity to the oppression Yin, the lesbian has suffered in the Distaff is on file with the Women's of the homose xual male . And what past the most oppressive of all History Library , 2325 Oak Street, has this to do with that dead epithet, states: invisibility. Berkeley, Calif. 94708. The Library feminists are "just a bunch of les- Today, in the context of the new publishes directories of women's bians'', which now rises, phoenix- feminism, lesbianism has come in- works everywhere. A donation and lik" from fhJI. !fla1pes of the new l to foc.}ls,. To the ':Iegree that it be- if c'birlU \.:isible, is gteeted by a t =ir~ii#:~ ~~~~ine;~:~~::ma~:/~~- 12 1 hostile and threatened audience. For the shock value of lesbianism formatlon.