The Social Construction of Lesbianism

The old model of lesbianism as a pathological affliction has largely given way to a liberal social scientific one which presents it as an alternative lifestyle, a way of loving, a sexual preference, or a source of personal fulfilment. This controversial book argues that the shift from `pathological' to `gay affirmative' research merely substitutes one depoliticized construction of lesbianism for another. The author contends that the gay affirmative model is fundamentally incompatible with radical feminist theory in which lesbianism is a political statement representing the bonding of women against male supremacy. This volume was awarded a 1989 Distinguished Publication Award by the Association for Women in Psychology.