The L-word. No, not the show. Lesbian. So much controversy surrounds the word – some lesbians call themselves so proudly, while others prefer the label gay.
This issue was brought to the surface again on BBC Three’s latest lesbian dating show, I Kissed a Girl. Georgia, one of the contestants, had an emotional discussion with the other women about what the word means to each of them, and what it means in history.
She talks about why lesbian is the first letter in LGBTQ+. When the AIDS crisis occurred, lesbians stepped forward to care for the men affected by it. Many people were too scared to go near HIV and AIDS positive men in case they got the virus. But lesbians stepped up and cared for men with AIDS, and from that the lesbian/gay solidarity blossomed.
The other contestants weren’t sure or couldn’t remember why the L comes first. I’m sure many viewers, (myself included) learned something new.
“Being lesbian is something to be so proud of”, said Georgia. “But I think a lot of the time, I don’t really know how to.”
She went on to talk about what the word meant for her, something that brought a lot of emotions to the surface.
“I didn’t realise how deep and how many […] emotions […] I had attached to the fact that I struggled to actually say ‘lesbian’.
“I’m obviously quite confident and […] proud of my sexuality, but I think that it still bothers me when it shouldn’t, because it’s such a good word,” Georgia said tearfully.
This is something you can see in the queer community often. Some lesbians prefer the label gay but are often unsure of why they dislike the term lesbian. Lesbian has been used as an insult or viewed as a “dirty” word for so long that it can be a struggle to identify with such a term.
Georgia’s admission of her struggles with the word when it is something, that she admits, to be proud of will hopefully encourage other lesbians to use the label. Of course, you can always identify in whatever way you like – this article isn’t arguing otherwise.
What I am trying to say is that if you identify as a lesbian, you should be proud to do so!
Featured Image Credit: Screengrab from @meghomer / Instagram
Fourth year student journalist studying Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Journalism Studies.
Words at Brig, The Daily Evergreen, Alloa Advertiser, Discovery Music Scotland, and The Mourning Paper.
