Her Neighbor's Wife

Her Neighbor's Wife PDF Author: Lauren Jae Gutterman
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
ISBN: 0812251741
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 328

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Book Description
At first glance, Barbara Kalish fit the stereotype of a 1950s wife and mother. Married at eighteen, Barbara lived with her husband and two daughters in a California suburb, where she was president of the Parent-Teacher Association. At a PTA training conference in San Francisco, Barbara met Pearl, another PTA president who also had two children and happened to live only a few blocks away from her. To Barbara, Pearl was "the most gorgeous woman in the world," and the two began an affair that lasted over a decade. Through interviews, diaries, memoirs, and letters, Her Neighbor's Wife traces the stories of hundreds of women, like Barbara Kalish, who struggled to balance marriage and same-sex desire in the postwar United States. In doing so, Lauren Jae Gutterman draws our attention away from the postwar landscape of urban gay bars and into the homes of married women, who tended to engage in affairs with wives and mothers they met in the context of their daily lives: through work, at church, or in their neighborhoods. In the late 1960s and 1970s, the lesbian feminist movement and the no-fault divorce revolution transformed the lives of wives who desired women. Women could now choose to divorce their husbands in order to lead openly lesbian or bisexual lives; increasingly, however, these women were confronted by hostile state discrimination, typically in legal battles over child custody. Well into the 1980s, many women remained ambivalent about divorce and resistant to labeling themselves as lesbian, therefore complicating a simple interpretation of their lives and relationship choices. By revealing the extent to which marriage has historically permitted space for wives' relationships with other women, Her Neighbor's Wife calls into question the presumed straightness of traditional American marriage.

Her Neighbor's Wife

Her Neighbor's Wife PDF Author: Lauren Jae Gutterman
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
ISBN: 0812251741
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 328

Get Book Here

Book Description
At first glance, Barbara Kalish fit the stereotype of a 1950s wife and mother. Married at eighteen, Barbara lived with her husband and two daughters in a California suburb, where she was president of the Parent-Teacher Association. At a PTA training conference in San Francisco, Barbara met Pearl, another PTA president who also had two children and happened to live only a few blocks away from her. To Barbara, Pearl was "the most gorgeous woman in the world," and the two began an affair that lasted over a decade. Through interviews, diaries, memoirs, and letters, Her Neighbor's Wife traces the stories of hundreds of women, like Barbara Kalish, who struggled to balance marriage and same-sex desire in the postwar United States. In doing so, Lauren Jae Gutterman draws our attention away from the postwar landscape of urban gay bars and into the homes of married women, who tended to engage in affairs with wives and mothers they met in the context of their daily lives: through work, at church, or in their neighborhoods. In the late 1960s and 1970s, the lesbian feminist movement and the no-fault divorce revolution transformed the lives of wives who desired women. Women could now choose to divorce their husbands in order to lead openly lesbian or bisexual lives; increasingly, however, these women were confronted by hostile state discrimination, typically in legal battles over child custody. Well into the 1980s, many women remained ambivalent about divorce and resistant to labeling themselves as lesbian, therefore complicating a simple interpretation of their lives and relationship choices. By revealing the extent to which marriage has historically permitted space for wives' relationships with other women, Her Neighbor's Wife calls into question the presumed straightness of traditional American marriage.

From Wedded Wife to Lesbian Life

From Wedded Wife to Lesbian Life PDF Author: Deborah Abbott
Publisher: Celestial Arts
ISBN: 9780895947666
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 289

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Book Description
FROM WEDDED WIFE TO LESBIAN LIFE presents personal stories of discovery and change by women who got married, defied tradition, and came out as lesbians. Drawing from a broad range of cultures and classes, this revealing collection of first-person essays, interviews, and poems offers a glimpse into the lives of such well-known lesbian authors as JoAnn Loulan, Margaret Randall, Margarethe Cammermeyer, Joanna Kadi, Ellen Bass, Joan Larkin, and Minnie Bruce Pratt, as well as emerging writers.

For Lesbian Parents

For Lesbian Parents PDF Author: Suzanne M. Johnson
Publisher: Guilford Press
ISBN: 9781572306639
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 262

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Book Description
Raising a child is overwhelming, thrilling, exhausting, terrifying, and joyous--and all at the same time. In addition to the adjustments that any new parents must make, lesbian mothers face numerous special questions and concerns. From "coming out" to your child to coping with the pressures of trying to be a lesbian super-mom, this wise and reassuring book offers information and support for women forging a new path in what it means to be a family. The authors are uniquely qualified for the task as expert developmental psychologists who are also coparenting two young daughters. With clarity and wit, they offer helpful advice on what kids need to know, and at what age; how to help them respond to questions and teasing from peers; ways to foster sensitivity in relatives, teachers, and others; how to talk to teens about their own developing sexuality; how parenting affects couple relationships; and much more. Chapters are packed with the insights and experiences of lesbians who have come to be parents in a variety of ways. Also included are listings of useful web sites, publications, and other resources. Winner--Best Parenting Book, ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year Awards ?

Married Women Who Love Women

Married Women Who Love Women PDF Author: Carren Strock
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1135466432
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 285

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Book Description
This book is about women in heterosexual marriages who discover or come to terms with their lesbianism or bisexuality. It answers questions such as how women make this discovery, what they do once they realize their same-gender sexuality, how family and friends deal with the situation, and what happens to marriages and families. This second edition contains a new introduction, three new chapters, a glossary of gay-related terms, and a new list of additional reading.

F 'em!

F 'em! PDF Author: Jennifer Baumgardner
Publisher: Seal Press
ISBN: 1580053602
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 258

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Book Description
From Jennifer Baumgardner, one of the leading voices of Third Wave feminism, comes this provocative, thoughtful, often funny collection of essays and interviews that offers a state of the union on contemporary feminist issues. F 'em! is a mix of old and new essays by Baumgardner, ranging in tone from laugh-out-loud confessional to sobering analysis. She investigates topics as varied as purity balls, sexuality, motherhood, and shared breastfeeding; rape, reproductive rights, and the future of feminism. The essays in F 'em! are rounded out by candid one-on-one interviews with leading feminists who have influenced Baumgardner's perspectives—including Riot Grrrls' Kathleen Hanna, Native American activist Winona LaDuke, transgender activist Julia Serano, and artists like Ani DiFranco, Björk, and Amy Ray. At turns intimate, fierce, philosophical, and funny, they are an intimate window into the minds and hearts of Third Wave pioneers. Holding it all together is Baumgardner's insightful thinking about what it means to be a feminist today, as she answers frequently-asked questions: What does it mean to be a woman today? Do we even need feminism anymore? Thought-provoking and cutting-edge, F 'em! provides a clearer and more complete understanding of feminism—its past, its present, and its future.

Lesbian Epiphanies

Lesbian Epiphanies PDF Author: Karol L Jensen
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317765923
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 239

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Book Description
Exploring identity development and gender orientation, Lesbian Epiphanies: Women Coming Out in Later Life contains firsthand information about the experiences and difficulties of women who discover and reveal their newfound lesbian sexuality in later life. Psychologists, social workers, counselors, and professors will find that Lesbian Epiphanies is the first book to extensively quote from interviews of lesbians and bisexuals who had entered into heterosexual marriages. From the analysis of these 24 interviews, the psychological, erotic, and social processes of women who come out as lesbians or bisexuals after a heterosexual marriage are clearly explained so you can better assist your clients throughout this coming-out process. Discussing the personal and societal standards which clouded early self-awareness for these women, Lesbian Epiphanies lifts the veil of confusion to clearly illuminate the issues at hand to assist you in understanding and helping your clients. From the case studies in this important book, you will learn how some women came to realize their same gender attractions and the barriers they faced, including negative attitudes toward lesbian women and the lack of strong role models. Helpful and informative, Lesbian Epiphanies explores the development of sexual identity in women in the Unites States today and provides you with essential information to help you improve your services to lesbian and bisexual clients by: examining how the role of marriage in American culture stifles a woman’s self-awareness of her sexuality in order to help clients avoid the mistake of a heterosexual marriage before husbands and children are involved examining reasons behind the lack of valuable sexual information in America that limits a woman’s general awareness of herself, her body, her sexuality, and her life options understanding the challenges that lesbians and bisexuals experience when attempting to establish their true identities to assist your clients in overcoming these barriers suggesting support groups for clients who are having a difficult time becoming used to the ideas and feelings of some same gender attractions This insightful book knocks down the sociological and psychological barriers that keep women from realizing or acknowledging their real sexual orientation by dispelling societal and cultural myths about what it means to be a woman in the United States. Offering you invaluable advice on how to help clients effectively and happily live with their new identities, Lesbian Epiphanies provides solutions to the challenges that women experience in establishing their other-than-heterosexual orientation in a heterosexist society.

The Story of Sexual Identity

The Story of Sexual Identity PDF Author: Phillip L. Hammack
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190296186
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 496

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Book Description
This book assembles a diverse group of scholars working within a new, pathbreaking paradigm of sexual science, fusing perspectives from history, sociology, and psychology. The contributors are united in their commitment to the idea of "narrative" as central to the study of sexual identity, offering an analytic approach to social science inquiry on sexual identity that restores the voices of sexual subjects. The result is a rich examination of lives in context, with an eye toward multiplicity and meaning across the life course. Central to the chapters in this volume is the significance of history, generation, and narrative in the provision of a workable and meaningful configuration of identity.

The Therapist's Notebook for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Clients

The Therapist's Notebook for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Clients PDF Author: Joy S. Whitman
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317760751
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 342

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Book Description
Most therapy is set up in a heterosexist context. Explore the issues facing your gay, lesbian, and bisexual clients--and how to deal with them!The Therapist's Notebook for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Clients offers therapists treating lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients innovative, practical interventions plus homework and hands-on activities tailored to these populations. Use the notebook to explore the issues surrounding coming out, homophobia in the workplace, spirituality, identity formation, and issues that require a non-heterosexist approach, such as domestic violence and relationship concerns. Grounded in current theory, each chapter explains the rationale for the activity it proposes, includes contraindications, and provides a list of helpful resources for therapists and clients.Here are just a few of the issues this extraordinary book explores in its four thoughtfully planned sections:Section I: Homework, Handouts, and Activities for Coming Out and Managing Homophobia and Heterosexism addresses: conflicts in self-perceptions obstacles to the growth of a healthy GLB identity dealing with the trauma and anxiety that result from discrimination using semi-hypnotic visualization to treat internalized homophobia helping bisexuals decide whether to come out or to “pass” coping with internalized homophobic messages dealing with heterosexism in the workplace or at school Section II: Homework, Handouts, and Activities for Relationship Issues will help you and your clients understand and work on issues involving: choosing the right partner intimacy and gender roles financial stability assimilation, queer pride, and everything in between how ethnicity and coupling impact sexual identity negotiating a healthy open relationship sexual concerns, sexual dysfunction, and pleasuring sexual role values for bisexual and lesbian womenSection III: Homework, Handouts, and Activities for Gender, Ethnic, and Sexual Identity Issues addresses “who am I” issues: sexual orientation and gender identity the intersection of sexual and ethnic identity oppression on multiple fronts gender exploration for lesbiansSection IV: Homework, Handouts, and Activities for Specific Issues tackles concepts including: enhancing resilience through spirituality reconciling with religion spiritual wellness and the spiritual autobiography body image disturbances unwanted sexual behavior creating a safety plan in case of same-sex domestic violence alienation and finding a caring community medication adherence for HIV+ clients the difficulties faced by coupled lesbians with children family care planning addiction and recovery healing from the wounds of homophobia relationships with ex-partners managing workplace stressIf you're new to treating lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients you’ll find rich material, based in current literature, to guide your work. If you've already worked extensively with LGBT clients, the activities and fresh, innovative strategies in The Therapist's Notebook for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Clients will expand and invigorate your skills.

Same-Sex Marriage, Context, and Lesbian Identity

Same-Sex Marriage, Context, and Lesbian Identity PDF Author: Julie Whitlow
Publisher: Lexington Books
ISBN: 1498516998
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 203

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Book Description
This book demonstrates that everyday interactions and struggles over the right words to use are at the heart of the experience of those in same-sex marriages. At a time when same-sex marriage is on the cusp of becoming legal across the United States, the authors demonstrate through in-depth interviews and rich survey data how the use of relationship terms by married lesbians is tied to a variety of factors that influence how their identities are shaped and presented across social contexts. Via rich anecdotes of how married lesbians navigate the social sphere through their varied use or avoidance of the use of the term wife, this volume is provides groundbreaking insights into how social change is being constructed and made sense of through an examination of real-life interactions with family and friends, on the job, and across service and casual encounters. The authors introduce us to the concept of contextual identity to explain how history and social context inspire cultural change. This first-of-its-kind analysis demonstrates how the first lesbians to marry have navigated acceptance and rejection, insecurity and political strength through their use of language in daily interactions. This book will surely resonate with anyone interested in understanding how married lesbians are presenting themselves at this historical juncture where social change and linguistic nuance are colliding.

Homoplot

Homoplot PDF Author: Esther Saxey
Publisher: Peter Lang
ISBN: 9780820488752
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 180

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Book Description
Homoplot analyses the lesbian, gay and bisexual coming-out story in fiction and autobiography from the late 1960s to the present day. These stories are recognised as an invaluable record of lesbian, gay or bisexual life. However, this book illuminates their equally vital role as active tools in the arduous project of creating gay, lesbian and bisexual identities - constructing the identities they seem to describe. Homoplot shows how a popular twist of the plot, or a single common character trait, can be a powerful intervention into sexual politics. Approaching these texts with the tools of queer criticism, the book celebrates their success, but also illuminates their chief problem: how the need to create concrete sexual identities has often narrowed the range of queer experiences represented. Despite the ongoing popularity of coming-out stories, this is the first book-length study of the genre. Homoplot surveys hundreds of examples - including in-depth readings of authors such as Jeanette Winterson, Dorothy Allison, Rita Mae Brown, Oscar Moore, Paul Monette and Aaron Fricke - and provides an incisive account of the genre's defining features. The book is essential reading for anyone considering queer literature, or lesbian, gay and bisexual identity in the twentieth century and beyond. Researchers and students considering life history and autobiography will also benefit from its analysis of feminist and queer politics.