Sunday’s Women
A Report On Lesbian Life Today
Sasha Gregory Lewis
Sasha Gregory Lewis puts forth a very clear political statement throughout Sunday’s Women: love yourself, connect with other lesbians, con tribute in whatever way possible to furthering lesbian rights, and–if you can–come out: to your friends, family, co-workers, and the world at large. Strength through declaration and recognition, by lesbians of one another and by the general public of lesbians, is more than personally satisfying icing on what may be a relatively secure closeted life; it may be essential to survival in these days of electron ic isolation, rootlessness, cultism, and economic misery–the kind of social climate that leads to demagoguery, scapegoatism, and rampant fear. Lesbians have always managed to declare themselves to one another, in subtle ways, and to form underground networks of support, Lewis says, as she traces the histories of lesbians she interviewed for this book, interweaving their stories with information gathered in two major surveys of lesbian lives and with her own knowledge, research, and analysis. As she explores the personal problems and solutions over time of the women who agreed to be a part of the book, many of whom survived years of social and political repression, Lewis extolls their resilience and bravery, their common sense, their mutual support. She does not demand that people come out she’s too cognizant of the real consequences they may face, but she does ask that each of us push ourselves to whatever personal limit seems safe, even if it’s sending an anonymous donation to a lesbian rights group. The only behavior among lesbians that she is not tolerant of is what she terms the ‘extremist’ demands placed upon lesbians by some lesbian feminists today. Ostracism of some lesbians by other lesbians for being monogamous, she cites as an example reported to her by women she inter viewed, is the antithesis of lesbians helping one another survive, develop self-respect, and gain the strength to go public. The lesbian feminist movement in general, however, is credited with making it possible even for a closeted lesbian to breathe fresh air and feel healthy. She implies that even if the backlash does force the lesbian population back into an underground subculture, it will be wiser, stronger, more numerous, and it will survive. ~ Fran Moira, Off Our Backs, Vol. 10, No. 10 (November 1980).
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Details
| ISBN | 9780807037942 |
| Genre | LGBT Studies/Social Sciences |
| Copyright Date | 1979 |
| Publication Date | 1979 |
| Publisher | Beacon Press |
| Format | Hardcover |
| No. of Pages | 217 |
| Language | English |
| Rating | NotRated |
| Subject | Lesbianism – United States; Lesbians – United States |
| BookID | 12711 |
