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Dyke Caucus: Ambivalence of lesbians in the feminist movement, The
Off Our Backs, Apr 1996 by Mantilla, Karla
The Dyke Caucus: ambivalence of lesbians in the feminist movement
While the Feminist Expo showed its strength in its hammering out of political and economic agendas for women, there were complaints that lesbian issues were left out. An impromptu "Dyke Caucus" was organized for Saturday evening of the weekend long conference and was attended by over a hundred lesbians. There was a lot of discussion over lack of concern with lesbian issues at the conference. While many lesbians voiced considerable frustration with their invisibility at yet another feminist event, there was also a tone of moderation in that women did not want to be seen by the media or others as "trashing" the conference organizers or the feminist movement in general.
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Bonnie Morris, a women's studies professor at George Washington University (see interview below), was one of the early speakers, saying she had contacted the conference organizers beforehand about the inclusion of lesbian issues. She told them it appeared to her that lesbian issues were not sufficiently visible in the conference agenda and that there would be criticism of this at the conference. She suggested that she be allowed to organize one or two lesbian sessions. Conference organizers declined her offer, saying that there would be a session on lesbian health, and that because two of the four members of the organizing board were lesbians, lesbian issues would be covered adequately at the conference.
After some discussion about the frustration lesbians felt at attempting to have lesbians issues addressed at the conference, a lesbian at the caucus offered a different view, saying that "We are here as women and feminists. The Feminist Majority conference is about politics, economics and feminism. Is it productive if we focus on lesbian issues?...We must be together because of the conservative 104th Congress."
It was noted that some of the lesbian issues left out of the conference were lesbian parenting rights and breast cancer in lesbians. One woman said "abortion rights are not as important for lesbians. We are tired of lesbians fighting for the right to choice, while no one is taking up lesbian issues." Another woman countered that "The Feminist Majority did not leave lesbians alone out: also left out were African Americans, Latinas, etc. The conference was trying to speak to all women, not to divide us. I would go somewhere else for that."
Another lesbian made an eloquent statement on behalf of lesbian inclusion, saying "I have been out since 1959 and with my partner for 30 years. There is no aspect of my life that is not affected by my being a lesbian. I am not just a feminist, I am a lesbian feminist. It is a question of focus. We need someone to say the focus of these issues is different for lesbians."
Someone speculated that the Feminist Majority felt pressured to downplay lesbian presence at the conference in order to play better in the mainstream media. During the conference, Patricia Ireland was under attack by Christina Hoff Sommers and Michael Novak on the CNN talk show Crossfire for the presence of lesbians at the conference. A woman said that she saw the CNN show and "guessed that the reason for leaving us out is to be taken more seriously. On CNN, just feminism alone has a hard time, so maybe they are trying to use the least controversial words."
A woman said "This [feminist] movement is and always has been lesbian led. Lesbians give love and energy to women." Another woman pointed out that "When we were lesbian baited years ago, Gloria Steinem said all women should come out. Everyone should stand now and support the ones [lesbians] the right wing is targeting."
Again, an opposing viewpoint was offered. A woman said that "We are divided among ourselves...instead of using our different experiences to work for the common good. Infighting seems to shoot us in the foot more than anything else." Along the same lines, a woman said "There are so many groups here, how could they have represented them all? Maybe it is better that they didn't represent each group. We are here for a feminist conference. We have more strength collectively as a group than separating. You can't divide up."
A young lesbian in high school then spoke up saying, "As a lesbian high school student, lesbian issues affect me. I come from New Hampshire where they are voting on a bill that has already passed in one school district, that homosexuality can't be taught in a positive light. If you are a lesbian, bisexual, or gay student at any of the schools you cannot go to a guidance counselor, they are not allowed recommend you to therapy,...there isn't any other group that this is happening to."
A lesbian offered, "The agenda of this conference is to portray feminism for the public eye. I think the women at this caucus want to see a conference that is here for us, as feminist women, talking amongst ourselves and solving our own problems." Another lesbian said, "This conference focused on politics, but in the General Assembly, although they talked about eliminating affirmative action in California, last week in California they also passed a law outlawing same sex marriage. And the General Assembly did not address this. Newt Gingrich says the winds of change blow from West to East. The conference panel on the law did not address laws affecting lesbians."
