Lesbian Visibility: From Invisibility to Acceptance

Allison Hope’s writing has been featured in various well-known publications such as The New Yorker, CNN, Slate, among others. Her views expressed here are her own, beyond what is published by these media outlets. To learn more about opinion pieces written for CNN, you may read further articles thereon (read: More Opinion). Lesbian Visibility Week celebrated annually in late April was initially observed in California during the year 1990 and continues to be commemorated worldwide as well as within lesbian households across America. In the past when homosexuality faced societal condemnation, being invisible had both advantages and disadvantages for lesbians. While some laws have criminalized gay men but not women, it has provided a certain level of safety from hateful legislation aimed solely at them. Lesbians were also largely exempted from the worst forms of discrimination that other LGBTQ individuals faced due to misogyny’s history of making them twice irrelevant. This was highlighted when Old Testament scripture quoted in the Bible, which is embraced by some as a guide for Christians, condemned homosexuality with Leviticus 18:22 stating “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.” However, this verse does not mention anything about women sleeping with other women. Lesbians faced many dangers even amid invisibility from homophobia’s toxic vitriol and violence that have long been inflicted on them in movies, books, jokes or as stock characters, expendable ones, childless aunts, invisible wives/husbands forced to conceal true love, heteronormative societal rules they had to follow. Lesbians were also subjected to heinous crimes such as “corrective” rape and abuse that go unprosecuted due to their invisibility in society’s radar of the law. In spite of these trials endured over years lesbians are embraced within society’s realm without facing the same degree of hatred directed towards gay men during times when laws criminalized homosexuality, but they still face societal prejudice and violence that goes unreported or ignored by authorities. Lesbian activists played a critical role in supporting HIV/AIDS victims while demanding federal support for treatment options as well as advancing the Second Wave Feminist Movement. While there are limitations to recognizing their visibility, it is still celebrated during this week-long event. Studies have shown that lesbians enjoy more satisfying sex than straight women and earn higher wages on average due to reduced childcare duties’ demand for high-paying occupations taken up by them compared to others. They remain supportive allies towards gay men and their trans counterparts despite failing, in some cases, to support equal rights or raise the needs of lesbians during crises that necessitate solidarity like AIDS/HIV outbreaks while expecting heterosexual partners for practical duties around family-oriented situations with limited time commitment expectations from homosexual female members’ husbands or male children’s roles and influence over relationships. Lesbian visibility has grown, thanks to mainstream media’s efforts in portraying nuanced images of the lesbians we see on television while recognizing those who paved their way for them during earlier times like “Dyke TV” that aired weekly across multiple US markets back then. The emergence of new bars owned by and catered to Lesbian audiences, coupled with growing trends in suburban neighborhoods as lesbians move out into the mainstream culture from where they once kept low-profile appearances because they’d never heard them or have only experienced minor hints that were enough for suspicion before any overt proof came about later. These recent changes provide psychological safety through which one can feel a sense of pride and dignity within oneself to go through everyday routines as mundane situations do not raise eyebrows anymore due to increased visibility in society’s mainstream culture, but this does not eliminate the necessity for hiding in plain sight while carrying out basic duties such as opening jars or fixing leaky faucets without injuring fragile male egos. Lesbians remain grateful both for being seen and unnoticed by cultural warriors who do nothing more than watch them go about their daily routines, including watching something sensible on TV with one’s wife after completing mundane tasks around the house.