Lesbian, as a concept, used to differentiate women with a shared sexual orientation, is a 20th-century construct. Although female homosexuality has appeared in many cultures throughout time, not until recently has lesbian, described a group of people. In the late 19th century, sexologists published their observations on same-sex desire and behavior, and designated lesbians in Western culture as a distinct entity.
As a result, women who became aware of their new medical status formed underground subcultures in Europe and North America. Further broadening of the term occurred in the 1970s with the influence of second wave feminism. Historians since have re-examined relationships between women in history, and have questioned what qualifies a woman or a relationship as lesbian,. The result of such discussion has introduced three components to identifying lesbians: sexual behavior, sexual desire, or sexual identity.
Women’s sexuality throughout history has largely been constructed by men, who have limited acknowledgment of lesbianism either as a possibility or as a valid expression of sexuality due to the absence of males in a lesbian, relationship. Feminist historians assert that the primary motivation for sexologists to describe lesbians was based on their wariness of women’s growing independence from men; women who challenged their strictly prescribed gender roles were considered mentally ill.
The different ways lesbians, have been portrayed in the media suggests that Western society at large has been simultaneously intrigued and threatened by women who challenge feminine gender roles, and fascinated and appalled with women who are romantically involved with other women. Further discourse on women’s sexuality affects how lesbians are viewed by others as well as how they view themselves; some women who engage in homosexual behavior may not identify themselves as lesbians or bisexual.
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