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FEMINISM_IS_THE_THEORY

                                                             December 23, 2014
                                                             February 19, 2015
                                                             February 19, 2019

In the Internet Archive, there are some back issues of
"The Body Politic" from the late 70s, early 80s period,
where different commentators refer to the slogan:

  "Feminism is the theory; lesbianism the practice."

It's clear this was already an old saying in those circles,
as of the late-70s.

If someone organized a protest for Women's Rights, the
separatists would refuse to show up if men were allowed to
attend.  Feminists who identified as lesbians were under
pressure not to associate with the wrong kind of people.
The straight feminists felt like they weren't allowed to
associate with their lesbian friends any more.


"The Body Politic" from April 1982 carried a piece
called "the leather menace", by Gayle Rubin.  Gayle
Rubin regarded the lesbian feminists as a big
influence on feminism in general:

    "One of these is the confusion between
    sexual orientation and political belief
    which originated in the idea that feminism
    is the theory, lesbianism is the
    practice. There are elements of truth in
    the idea that being a lesbian brings one
    into conflict with some basic elements of
    gender hierarchy. But like many good
    ideas, this insight has been over-used and
    over-applied. It has made it difficult to
    accept that there are heterosexuals who
    are feminists and that there are lesbians
    who are not.  ... "

    "It has encouraged many women who are not
    sexually attracted to women to consider
    themselves lesbians. It has prevented the
    lesbian movement from asserting that our lust
    for women is justified whether or not it
    derives from feminist political ideology. It
    has generated a lesbian politic that seems
    ashamed of lesbian desire."


Christine Bearchell, in "The cloak of
feminism", from the June 1979 issue of "The
Body Politic", has a number of complaints
about the lesbian separatist movement:

   "What was going on at the evaluation meeting was not only
   lesbian chauvinism-- it was lesbian chauvinism disguised
   as feminism. The only *true* feminism."

   "Feminism is the theory; lesbianism the practice. It
   is an old adage that all too many of us still act
   on. Yet it so obviously contradicts feminism's demand
   for respect for *all* women, and in particular,
   respect for all women's choices-- their social,
   political, economic and sexal choices. The 'lesbianism
   is the logical conclusion of feminism' theory does a
   serious disservice to this potential base of power."


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