The Woman Identified Woman — Study Notes

What is a lesbian? Definition and experience

A lesbian is described as “the rage of all women condensed to the point of explosion.”
She is the woman who, often beginning very early, acts on an inner compulsion to be a more complete and freer human being than her society—perhaps then, but certainly later—allows her to be.
This need and these actions bring her into painful conflict with people, situations, and the accepted ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving, leading to a state of continual war with everything around her and usually with herself.
She may not be fully conscious of the political implications of what began as personal necessity; on some level she has not accepted the limitations and oppression imposed by the basic female role in society.
The turmoil tends to induce guilt proportional to the degree to which she feels she is not meeting social expectations, and/or she comes to question what the rest of society accepts.
She is forced to evolve her own life pattern, often living much of her life alone, and learns earlier than her straight sisters about the essential aloneness of life and about the reality of illusions.
To the extent that she cannot expel the heavy socialization that comes with being female, she cannot find peace with herself.
She is caught between accepting society’s view of her (which she cannot fully accept) and coming to understand what this sexist society has done to her and why it is functional for it to do so.
Those who work that through emerge on the other side of a tortuous journey through a night that may have been decades long. The perspective gained—the liberation of self, inner peace, the real love of self and of all women—is something to be shared with all women because we are all women.
It should first be understood that lesbianism, like male homosexuality, is a category of behavior possible only in a sexist society characterized by rigid sex roles and male supremacy.
These sex roles dehumanize women by defining us as a serving/ supporting caste in relation to the master caste of men, and emotionally cripple men by demanding detachment from their own bodies and emotions to perform their social/economic/political/military functions.
Homosexuality is described as a by-product of a particular way of setting up roles based on sex; as such it is an inauthentic (not consonant with “reality”) category.
In a society in which men do not oppress women and sexual expression is allowed to follow feelings, the categories of homosexuality and heterosexuality would disappear.
But lesbianism is also different from male homosexuality and serves a different function in society.
The term “Dyke” is a different kind of put-down from “faggot,” though both imply you are not playing your socially assigned sex role and are not therefore a “real woman” or a “real man.”
The grudging admiration felt for tomboys, and the queasiness around a sissy boy, point to the same thing: the contempt in which women—or those who play a female role—are held, and the great investment in keeping women in that contemptuous role.
Lesbian is a word, the label, the condition that holds women in line. When a woman hears this word tossed at her, she knows she is stepping out of line; she recoils, protests, and reshapes her actions to gain approval.
Lesbian is a label invented by the Man to throw at any woman who dares to be his equal, who dares to challenge his prerogatives (including that of all women as part of the exchange medium among men), who dares to assert the primacy of her own needs.
To have the label applied to people active in women’s liberation is the most recent instance of a long history; older women recall that not so long ago, any woman who was successful, independent, not orienting her whole life around a man would hear this word.
In this sexist society, for a woman to be independent means she can’t be a woman—she must be a dyke. That fact alone signals where women are at.
It says as clearly as can be said: women and person are two contradictory terms. A lesbian is not considered a “real woman.”
Yet, in popular thinking, there is really only one essential difference between a lesbian and other women: sexual orientation—the essence of being a “woman” is, in the public mind, to be a person who gets fucked by men.
“Lesbian” is one of the sexual categories by which men have divided up humanity. While all women are dehumanized as sex objects, there are compensations: identification with his power, his ego, his status, his protection (from other males), feeling like a “real woman” by adhering to her role, etc.
If a woman faces herself by confronting another woman, there are fewer rationalizations or buffers to avoid the stark horror of her dehumanized condition.
This dehumanization is expressed when a straight woman learns that a sister is a lesbian; she begins relating to the lesbian sister as a potential sex object, projecting a surrogate male role onto the lesbian, which reveals heterosexual conditioning and denies the lesbian her full humanity.
For women, especially those in the movement, to perceive their lesbian sisters through this male grid of role definitions is to perpetuate male cultural conditioning and to oppress their sisters as men have oppressed them.
The question arises: are we going to continue the male classification system of defining all females in sexual relation to some other group of people?
Affixing the label lesbian not only to a woman who seeks to be a person, but also to real love, real solidarity, or real primacy among women, is a primary form of divisiveness among women: it keeps women within the feminine role and is a debunking/scare term that inhibits the formation of primary attachments, groups, or associations among women.
Women in the liberation movement have, in many cases, gone to great lengths to avoid discussion of lesbianism. It makes people tense; they may be hostile, evasive, or try to recast it as part of a broader issue, or dismiss it as a lavender herring. But it is not a side issue; it is essential to the success and fulfillment of the women’s liberation movement.
As long as the label “dyke” can be used to frighten women into a less militant stance, keep her separate from her sisters, and prevent primacy of any woman’s needs other than men and family, the movement remains controlled by male culture.
If women want only more privileges within the system, they do not want to antagonize male power; they deny lesbianism to avoid challenging the basis of the female role.
Some younger, more radical women have honestly begun to discuss lesbianism, but so far it has primarily been framed as a sexual “alternative” to men, which still gives primacy to men because it frames female relationships as a response to male desire, and because the lesbian relationship is being defined by sex, which is divisive and sexist.
On a personal/political level, women may withdraw emotional and sexual energies from men and explore other patterns; but what is crucial is to disengage from male-defined response patterns. If we remain male-identified in our heads, we cannot realize our autonomy as human beings.
Why have women related to and through men? Because we were brought up in a male society and have internalized the male culture’s definition of ourselves. That definition assigns women to sexual and family functions and excludes us from defining and shaping our own lives.
In exchange for our psychic servicing and for performing society’s non-profit functions, the man confers on us only one thing: a slave status that makes us legitimate in the society in which we live. This is called “femininity” or acceptance as a “real woman.” We are authentic and legitimate to the extent that we are the property of a man whose name we bear. To belong to no man is to be invisible, pathetic, inauthentic. He confirms his image of us—but not our real selves; he confirms our womanhood as he defines it, but cannot confirm our personhood.
Internalizing this role creates an enormous reservoir of self-hate. This self-hate is often not recognized as such; it may present as discomfort with one’s role, emptiness, numbness, restlessness, or paralyzing anxiety, or may be expressed in shrill defensiveness about the glory and destiny of the feminine role. Yet it exists, often beneath consciousness, poisoning existence and separating from oneself and other women.
People may resist by identifying with the oppressor, living through him, gaining status from his ego and accomplishments, and not identifying with other “empty vessels” like themselves.
Women resist relating to other women who reflect their oppression; to confront another woman is to confront one’s own self—the self we have gone to such lengths to avoid. The result is difficulty in respecting or loving what we have been taught to be.
Because the self-hate and lack of real self are rooted in a male-given identity, we must create a new sense of self. Being “feminine” and being a whole person are irreconcilable; only women can give each other a new sense of self. This consciousness is the revolutionary force from which all else will follow, for ours is an organic revolution.
We must be available and supportive of one another, giving commitment, love, and emotional support to sustain the movement. Our energies must flow toward our sisters, not backward toward our oppressors. If liberation efforts focus on freeing women without addressing the heterosexual structure that binds them to oppressors, energies get diverted into trying to repair individual heterosexual relationships (e.g., how to get better sex or how to reform the “new man”). This splits energy and undermines the construction of new patterns that will truly liberate us.
The primacy of women relating to women, and the creation of a new consciousness among women, lies at the heart of women’s liberation and the basis for a cultural revolution. Together we must find, reinforce, and validate our authentic selves. As this happens, the sense of pride and strength grows, barriers melt, and we feel a real-ness and alignment with ourselves. With that real self and consciousness, we begin a revolution to end coercive identifications and to achieve maximum autonomy in human expression.
Printed with permission by KNOW, INC. P.O. Box 86031, Pittsburgh, PA 15221.

The social context: sex roles, oppression, and the function of sexuality

Lesbianism is described as a product and response within a sexist society characterized by rigid sex roles and male supremacy.
Sex roles dehumanize women (as a supporting/serving caste) in relation to the master caste of men and emotionally cripple men by demanding alienation from their own bodies and emotions to perform their roles.
Homosexuality is framed as a by-product of a particular way of setting up gender-based roles; it is described as inauthentic in the sense that it arises from a system of power and classification rather than from natural, free expression of feelings.
The authors argue that in a society where oppression ends and sexual expression can follow genuine feeling, the boundaries of heterosexuality and homosexuality would dissolve.
Nevertheless, lesbianism is distinguished from male homosexuality in function within society; it serves a different purpose in maintaining and challenging gender hierarchies.

Labels, power, and the control of women's identities

The term “lesbian” is a label used by men to police women’s behavior and to push women off balance when they challenge male prerogatives.
The word operates to frame women who act independently or who demand primacy among women as threats aligned with male power dynamics.
Historically, older women recall that independence in a woman—if it is not oriented around male partnership—has been pathologized or labeled as lesbian as a way to undermine female autonomy.
Popular thinking tends to reduce being a woman to sexual orientation (being valued for sexual function in relation to men), thereby dehumanizing women while offering certain social compensations tied to male-defined roles.
When a straight woman perceives a lesbian sister through a male grid of role definitions, it reveals heterosexual conditioning and can lead to further oppression of the lesbian by the straight woman.
The use of the label as a form of division within the movement impedes the creation of solid female solidarity and primary attachments among women.
There is a call to confront the issue openly rather than dismissing it as a side issue or lavender herring; doing so is essential to the success and fulfillment of the women’s liberation effort.

Personal transformation and collective revolution

Many women internalize male culture’s definitions of themselves, which assign them to sexual and family functions and exclude them from shaping their own lives.
The social arrangement grants women only a slave-like status in exchange for social legitimacy under patriarchy; genuine womanhood is equated with belonging to a man, making a woman who belongs to no man invisible and inauthentic.
This internalization fosters self-hate, which manifests as discomfort with one’s role, emptiness, numbness, or anxiety, and can also appear as defensive rhetoric about the supposed destiny of woman's role.
Women who resist by aligning with male oppressors or by avoiding sister-to-sister solidarity perpetuate their own oppression; confronting another woman is equivalent to confronting one’s own constrained self.
A new sense of self is required—one that is defined by women for themselves, not by men. This new sense of self is the basis for a revolutionary movement, described as organic and self-sustaining.
The revolutionary potential arises from women supporting and validating each other, focusing energy on strengthening sisterhood rather than trying to reform relationships with male oppressors.
The “primacy of women relating to women” is presented as the heart of the liberation movement and the groundwork for broader cultural transformation.
This transformation aims to end coercive identifications and maximize autonomy in human expression, building a society where women can live as authentic selves.

The path forward: solidarity, autonomy, and practical implications

The movement should acknowledge and address lesbianism openly to prevent it from acting as a barrier to solidarity and action.
The energy of the movement should be redirected toward supporting one another, building mutual commitment and emotional support to sustain the collective effort.
Emphasis on the autonomy of women and non-reliance on male validation for legitimacy; the goal is to create new social patterns centered on female relationships and mutual empowerment.
The authors advocate an organic, culturally transformative revolution rather than incremental reforms within the existing patriarchal framework.
The message culminates in a vision of a sisterhood that lives out real love, solidarity, and primacy of women in both private and public life, transforming both personal psychology and social structures.

Metaphors, imagery, and key concepts

The opening line portrays the lesbian as “the rage of all women condensed to the point of explosion,” a vivid metaphor for accumulated oppression.
The journey is described as a “night that may have been decades long,” illustrating the long, strenuous path to self-knowledge and liberation.
The concept of the “mirror” is used to describe how confronting another woman can reveal one’s own internalized oppression.
“Organic revolution” and “cultural revolution” indicate a fundamental, interwoven change in both individual identity and social order, rooted in relationships among women.
The idea of finding a center inside oneself and achieving a “real self” signals a reorientation away from male-defined legitimacy toward female-defined authenticity.

Publication and historical note

Printed with permission by KNOW, INC, P.O. Box 86031, Pittsburgh, PA 15221.
© 1970 (as indicated by the transcription, with formatting oddities in the date). This document reflects the early lesbian feminist critique of patriarchy and gender roles from Radicalesbians.