i know this is a controvershell opinion because y’all really take slur reclaimation seriously on this site lol but there’s a reason why lesbians aren’t comfortable with bi/pan women claiming dyke. the word will always be associated with lesbianism. dyke is not just a slur directed at women who love women; it attacks women based on how their sexuality relates to men. since men are not acknowledged by lesbians the word dyke is used against us to highlight that we “hate men” and not because we love women. since we live in a male centered universe, sexuality is always gonna be defined by the role of men. and that concept applies to derogatory language. anyways, dyke itself has become its own lesbian term. lesbians may often identify simply as dyke to reaffirm how disconnected they are from men. so in a way calling yourself a dyke means you are also recognizing yourself as a lesbian. but if you aren’t a lesbian why would you want to identify with a term that associates you with lesbians? there’s no point being secure in your sexuality everyday but also calling yourself a term that would erase it. you can’t have it both ways. so it’s like do you want to claim dyke because you see yourself as a lesbian? or is it because you just want access to a slur since you feel entitled to it? and that’s why lesbians might often feel some type of way about this shit. and i know there’s some concern that not being able to say dyke somehow aligns you with straight people but that’s definitely not the case
uh as a pan person who has been called “dyke” many many times because of my attraction to women i don’t think it’s fair of you to be saying it’s a lesbian only term and only lesbians can use it considering that many pan/bi people are called dyke
its actually incredibly bold of you to assume that only lesbians are called that therefore they are the only ones allowed to reclaim it and that straight people actually care about the difference between gay/bi/pan women when throwing slurs around
why do you think it’s ok to tell bi/pan women that they’re not allowed to reclaim a slur that is used against them on a regular basis??
it’s not a matter of who gets called the slur it’s a matter of what the slur means
dyke means lesbian. when a bi/pan woman gets called a dyke they are being called a lesbian, as an insult. reclaiming the word dyke changes it from an insult to a badge of pride. how is a bi/pan woman going to wear lesbianism as a badge of pride?
“A long-term study of children
raised by lesbians found that these children were less likely
to suffer from physical and sexual abuse than were their peers
who were raised by heterosexuals. This is thought to be due to
the absence of adult heterosexual men in the households (Gartrell,
Bos, & Goldberg, 2010). Girls raised by
lesbians tend to have higher self-esteem, show more maturity
and tolerance than their peers, and are older when they have
their first heterosexual contact (Gartrell et al., 2005, 2010). Children
raised by same-sex parents seem to be less constrained by
traditional gender roles; boys are less aggressive, and girls are
more inclined to consider nontraditional careers, such as doctor,
lawyer, or engineer (Gartrell et al., 2005; Stacey & Biblarz,
2001). Over the course of more than 20 years, scientists studied
the psychological adjustment of 78 teenagers who were raised by lesbian mothers. Compared to age-matched counterparts raised
by heterosexual parents, these adolescents were rated higher
in social, academic, and total competence, and lower in social
problems, rule-breaking, aggression, and externalizing problem
behavior (Gartrell & Bos, 2010).
There are fewer studies of children raised by two men, but gay
fathers are more likely than straight fathers to put their children
before their career, to make big changes in their lives to accommodate
a child, and to strengthen bonds with their extended families
after becoming fathers (Bergman, Rubio, Green, & Padrone,
2010).” ~ Martha Rosenthal, Human Sexuality: From Cells to Society, p.247.
“having gay parents will harm children”
I love that this is cited and sourced ahhhh. Actual researched support! So good.
So to all those bigots who say that we’re not as good at raising a child as straight parents are, congratulations you were right: We’re not “As good” as straight people at being parents
Lesbian On Main 