Written by Vanshi Kumar
Edited by Raghvi Sethi
A History, with a Touch of Lavender
Despite being the first letter in LGBTQ+, lesbians take a backseat in recognition for most movements. Society labeled us as followers of straight women in feminist movements and men in queer rights movements. The National Organization of Women, for some time, purged lesbian activists for bringing a “man-hating” image. They were afraid of lesbians. They were afraid of losing feminine appeal. Lesbian activist Karla Jay wrote, “I’m tired of being in the closet because of the women’s movement.” Lesbians turned to groups like the Lavender Menace, which brought awareness to ignored queer women. If straight feminists thought of lesbians as too angry, too crazy, and too radical before, societal ignorance certainly caused them to be now.
When it comes to queer movements, lesbians were also left behind. This discrimination isn’t more infamous and prevalent than during the AIDS crisis. Lesbians worked as nurses to help men affected by AIDS, but even they were affected. Lesbians were affected by ignored assault cases or rare transmission. Despite their contributions and struggles, as activist Lisa Powers stated, “The assumption was that lesbians started fights and that gay men didn’t.”
Lesbians: Ignored in Healthcare, Ignored in Eating Disorders Awareness
Dr. Suzanne Haynes of the National Cancer Institute finds that one in three lesbians may be at risk for breast cancer due to being at high risk compared to other women. Why? We don’t know. Much of the health statistics surrounding women, even on the CDC’s website, focus on mothers and children. On the other hand, men are categorized by race and sexuality. Despite health concerns for lesbian women, zero federal research dollars have been granted to investigate their issues.
Eating disorders are no exception. Clinical psychologist Wesley R. Barnhart states that “Much of what we know conceptualizes sexual and gender minorities as a monolithic group.” Despite this, organizations have taken the time to poll LGBTQ+ individuals. General trends find that proneness to eating disorders and determining self-worth based on weight was more prevalent in lesbians than in gay men. Race also plays a huge role, with Latina lesbians often being more at risk for an eating disorder than other groups. Stigma-causing discrimination against queer people puts them further at risk for eating disorders. The pressure to be identified a certain way, to fit in a certain way, is pressure that queer folks are not new to. Dedicated people in various fields have already made the move to research. When will our government do the same?
Eating Disorders: Problematically Understood?
The image conjured up for women affected by anorexia and bulimia is often one that is slender and feminine. Even I sometimes picture the attractive straight woman starving herself to be accepted in school and on social media. When I first learned about anorexia, I used to subconsciously attach it to wanting to get a boyfriend, something I never cared for. On the contrary, not only are the reasons for eating disorders multifaceted, my fellow lesbians are deeply affected. The truth is that eating disorders, even with so much emphasis on women, are defined with heterosexual appeal in mind. Vicky, a teen in an eating disorder study about lesbians, described her eating disorder as an escape from her sexuality. She believed food was a control and a distraction. Other lesbians, such as Jess, believed changing her appearance would prevent her from discrimination. She said, “It [her eating disorder] meant being seen as straight.”
Time and time again, eating disorders are viewed as a monolith and likewise paired with an ideal victim in mind. By presenting the all-encompassing “slender woman,” minorities with deep-rooted struggles are invalidated. Lesbians can be ignored no longer, which is why independent research is a must in order to improve healthcare services. Articles like this one need to continue to be published here in the ABC and beyond. Only then can we even hope for progress in the eating disorder recovery space.
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