General and Historical Overview
This page aims to educate folks on non-men attraction and dispel misconceptions and misunderstandings regarding lesbian and sapphic identities and experiences. If you have any additions or edits to this content, email us at rcsgd@sa.ucsb.edu!
Lesbian and Sapphic adults make up about 15% of people who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans or Queer (LGBTQ+) as shown in Gallup’s 2023 LGBTQ+ Identification Poll. There is a long history of Lesbian and Sapphic advocacy and visibility ranging from from the word’s origins—deriving from ancient Greek poet Sappho of Lesbos, who wrote passionate poems about her same-gender attraction—to lesbians who helped and advocated for gay men during the AIDS crisis (Medium).
The longstanding history of the words “sapphic” and “lesbian” come from the aforementioned Greek poet, Sappho of Lesbos. Her poems were not only self-reflective but also detailed in their description of her attraction to fellow female students attending the school she conducted on the island of Lesbos. The words—”lesbian” from Lesbos and “sapphic” from Sappho—stem from the poet’s passion for other women, and the terms are now used to describe female homosexual attraction (Lesbos World History). Since the 1950s, the word “sapphic” became specifically used to describe ALL non-men attracted to non-men. Yasmine Hamou from Them defines sapphic as “an umbrella term that includes lesbian, bisexual, and pansexual trans femmes, mascs, nonbinary folks, and cis women” (Them). According to the Trevor Project, the word “lesbian” is typically used to describe “people who identify as women or feminine of center, whose attractions are to some other women.” The Trevor Project further states that “some nonbinary people who were assigned female at birth use this term to describe their attraction to women, despite not identifying or not solely identifying as women” (Trevor Project Source).
Lesbian is also the first letter in the LGBT acronym because of the work lesbians did during the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. Thousands of men and transwomen within the LGBT community had died, and many healthcare professionals were terrified to provide care for, or even touch, those who were affected.. Lesbians, however, were advocating heavily for their care and acted as nurses for many patients, fostering solidarity between gay men and lesbians that had never been seen before. This activism and solidarity shown by lesbians in the 80s is what pushed the acronym change from GLBT to LGBT–it was the queer community’s way of showcasing their solidarity with the lesbian community and adding visibility to the identity as a whole (Medium, Why L is First).
Terminology
Lesbian is commonly used to describe people who identify as women or feminine of center, whose attractions are to some other women. Some nonbinary people who were assigned female at birth use this term to describe their attraction to women, despite not identifying or not solely identifying as women. (Trevor Project)
Sapphic is an umbrella term that covers "all queer women, and some nonbinary people, who are attracted to other women and/or some nonbinary people" (AutoStraddle). This includes trans femmes, mascs, nonbinary folks, and cis women who identify as lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, or are otherwise attracted to women or nonbinary people (Them). While all lesbians could be considered sapphics, not all sapphics are lesbians.
Butch describes a specific kind of queer masculinity that challenged the gender conventions at the time and spoke to a working-class lesbian experience. There are also subcategories of the Butch identity:
- Soft Butch: As the phrase implies, soft butches tend to have a gentler take on the butch aesthetic, opting for a general masc vibe with some lighter touches like dainty jewelry or painted nails. Soft butches still sit firmly on the masc side of the butch/femme spectrum but with a certain feather touch.
- Futch: Short for “femme butch,” futch refers to people who strike a balance between butch aesthetics and femme aesthetics (think a mix of big earrings and Carhartt overalls) but ultimately lean more femme.
- Dapper Butch: If you’ve ever seen a butch in a crisp suit, with suspenders, and a bow tie, you’ve likely encountered a dapper butch. Dapper butches play on an old-school kind of classic masculinity that tends to involve loafers, pocket squares, and sleek ties.
Stone Top describes not wanting to receive any sexual touch and/or only desiring sexual touch in specific ways with specific partners; getting sexual and/or mental gratification from sexually pleasing a partner. (AutoStraddle)
Femme represents a queering of femininity, not just identifying as queer.
“From the invisibility queer femmes can feel in some lesbian circles to the sharp vulnerability inherent in being a trans woman, no two femme-identified individuals share the same experience of what it means to be femme,” says Joss Barton (Donish, 2017).
Stud describes a Black masculine identifying lesbian. Not all Black masculine identifying lesbians consider themselves studs, but all studs are most certainly Black. Stud is racially specific because it was created by Black lesbians to differentiate their experiences from their white counterparts and express gender roles developed within the Black community.
Myths
CW: Homophobic/Lesbophobic Stereotypes and Tropes
Reality: Sexual orientation is about attraction, not hatred or fear. The fact that a woman is sexually and emotionally attracted to another woman has absolutely nothing to do with men. Just because someone is a lesbian/sapphic and attracted to other non-men, that doesn’t mean that the have any animosity towards other genders, men or otherwise. Most lesbians/sapphic people can still have meaningful, emotionally satisfying, and long-lasting friendships with men, such as family members or friends. (Hunt 2023, Gluck 2022)
Reality: Every lesbian and sapphic has a different way of expressing themselves and their femininity. Lesbians/Sapphics who present themselves as more masc do so for their own comfort or because they like the fashion. It’s important to remember that everyone expresses their gender differently and to not make assumptions based on someone’s looks. (Hunt 2023, Gluck 2022)
Reality: Just because someone is attracted to one gender in particular doesn’t mean that they are attracted to every member of that gender. This applies to everyone, regardless of their sexuality. (Gluck 2022)
Reality: A sapphic relationship inherently means there are no men involved–that’s what makes it a sapphic relationship. Regardless of how one person in a relationship expresses their gender (femme or butch), both are still non-men. (Hunt 2023, Gluck 2022)
Reality: There is no stereotypical look or intuition that lets you know a person’s sexuality off the bat. All lesbians/sapphics have their own personal styles just like everyone else–there is no dress code! (Hunt 2023, Gluck 2022)
This is a common misconception, but lesbians can be attracted to individuals of various sexual orientations (bisexual girls and lesbians can date, etc.). Attraction is not just limited to a person’s own sexuality. Some people have preferences, but it doesn’t mean that they’re excluding others outside of the lesbian identity. (Hunt 2023)
Reality: Sexual orientation is way more than just physical attraction – it includes romantic, emotional, mental, and/or spiritual attraction to other people, too. You don’t need to have a physical experience with someone to know you are attracted to them. While an intimate experience might help some come to terms with their identity, crushes, fantasies, and feelings of attraction are equally valid ways of discovering your sexuality. Remember that your sexuality may change and shift over time, but only you can decide how you identify! (Trevor Project, Gluck 2022)
Special Dates
Lesbian Week of Visibility April 22nd - 28th
Lesbian Day of Visibility - April 26th
Videos
Below are a variety of videos that seek to educate folks on lesbian/sapphic people and their experiences. If you have suggestions for videos to add to the list, please submit them to rcsgd@sa.ucsb.edu!
Sexualization
The lesbian/sapphic identity has been heavily sexualized and fetishized for years, leading to mental turmoil for the sapphic community as a whole. Hypersexualization of lesbians/sapphics can be traced to the patriarchy and the male gaze, with some media representations only reinforcing these fetish-y stereotypes.
In general, any kind of same-sex attraction up until the early 70s was viewed as a disease and was viewed purely through a sexual lens. There was no room or consideration for any romantic feelings between two consenting adults of the same gender; it was strictly viewed as just “perversion.” (Saxby 2021, Powell) Coming into the Cold War, there was “an influx of erotic lesbian fiction and magazines in the West … targeted towards heterosexual men” (Saxby, 2021). The shift from disgust to objectification birthed the idea that men could “fix” lesbians/sapphics and reassert their masculinity. This shift also introduced the unfortunately popular idea that lesbianism/the sapphic identity is just for male pleasure.
It is important to understand that sexualization is not the same as being accepted–it’s dehumanizing. Sexualization disregards a person’s autonomy; their feelings are not taken into consideration at all (Ward, 2016). Many sapphics have expressed how being objectified negatively impacts their relationships and ability to feel safe in expressing affection with their partners.
Even in the TV and movies sapphics watch, there is a heavy amount of sexualization and stereotypical representations of the lesbian identity. In an academic study from 2021, researchers found that lesbians reported seeing the “hot” and “feminine” lesbian stereotype the most in media–which makes sense as any other lesbian identity that breaks from gender norms is essentially treated as invisible. In interviews with the sapphic community, a lot of participants explained that most portrayals were “stereotypical, hypersexual, and performative for the male gaze.” Even though they recognize that it’s still heavily stereotypical, the saphhic community will take whatever representation it can get because there is such a low amount of lesbian/sapphic representation in media as a whole. (Annati, A., Ramsey)
Overall, lesbian and sapphic relationships are sapphic because of the lack of men in their spaces. They don’t need to prove their attractiveness to anyone for the relationships to be real and valid: “that’s sort of the whole point” (Rogerson 2022).
Compulsory Heterosexuality
Compulsory Heterosexuality or Comphet is the concept that heterosexuality is the default, that people are innately attracted to their opposite gender. This term is most typically used in conversation with the lesbian/sapphic community because the theory has mostly been applied to women/non-men loving non-men as a marginalized group.
Compulsory Heterosexuality, or Comp Het, as it is better known, is a term coined by the 1980s essayist Adrienne Rich, a prominent figure in feminist history. Though her term has stuck around and often provides a useful touchpoint for many members of the queer community, Rich’s participation in the authoring of The Transsexual Empire (1979) has been largely criticized for its transphobic content. This history is important to acknowledge.
Comphet erases the room for any other sexual identity and keeps people from exploring their sexuality. When women like other women, they assume it’s because they want to be like them with no room for any other explanation. Women can feel pressured to be heterosexual as a result, and society reinforces this feeling/belief that there is no other choice. Suppressing sexuality like this can result in a negative impact on mental health and on relationships as a whole.
This is a fair concern especially considering Adrienne Rich’s history, but the comp het theory is just a theory that brings attention to sexual identity as a whole. Comp Het is asking people to look at their identity and their attraction more deeply, to clarify and reaffirm who they are attracted to just for themselves. It’s more so to bring awareness to the heteronormative society we live in and make sure we re-examine our attraction by exploring our options and making sure we actually desire to be with a person of the opposite gender instead of societal pressures (i.e, marrying a man to please your family, etc.)
UCSB Community Resources
This is a weekly social space for all students who identify as Sapphic, Lesbian, WLW, etc. to scrapbook together. Stop by anytime, we have all the supplies you need!
More details (date, time, location) can be found on our Events Page!
Our Sapphic GroupMe is open to any WLW/sapphics/lesbians at UCSB. It serves as a platform for community building, sharing resources, advice, collaboration, etc.
Check out TQCOMM's Instagram to find details on their next Sapphic Lounge event!
Citations and Sources
Resources and Publications - National Center for Lesbian Rights
Understanding Gay and Lesbian Identities - The Trevor Project
Lesbian Loneliness - Cosmopolitan
Debunking Myths About Lesbians: Separating Fact from Fiction |Robin Hunt | 2023
Top 10 Myths About Lesbians | Samantha Gluck | 2022
What Is Comphet and How to Overcome It? | Healthnews
Compulsory Heterosexuality, Past and Present: Adrienne Rich and the Lesbian Masterdoc - Post45