Jacob Hale - Are Lesbians Women?

Lesbian or Woman?

As the social norm suggested during Jacob’ times, woman should only be in a heterosexual relationship with man, and the woman that are in relationship with woman are considered different. So some people then concluded that lesbian is not woman. In Jacob Hale’s article, she questioned about the idea that one is not a real woman because their sexual orientation, and challenged the general society opinions about being a woman. In this blog, I want to focus about her idea that why she believed that lesbian is still woman in general.

First, why do people question about lesbian being a woman? Most people believed that being a “real woman” needs to be play ones social role: in love with a male, doing house work, have female body parts like breasts and reproduction organs and so on. Lesbian, mostly because of their sexual orientation, confronted the idea of being a woman in the society. They can do men’s things, and make women no longer depends on men. Also, during that time, people usually considered that lesbians as a social class, and they are unsatisfied because the lesbian social class as a whole was treated badly, and not because of their gender as woman. Then we should ask, what is woman? By questioned Wittig’s argument, Jacob suggested that you don't have to a heterosexual to be a woman. In fact, I believed that you don't need anything to actually be a woman. What is a woman, human beings with boobs and butts? Or just the “other” compare to the man in our society?

In my opinion, woman without breast or sexual organs should also be considered as a woman if they want to. In fact, I don't think ones body or other features have anything to do with ones gender. Woman may not voluntarily loss their breasts or sexual organs, and they may have to give it up just because of illness like cancer, but all of these should not change her gender. Other characteristics like body languages also cannot be the standard to separate man and woman, and woman is way more complex than just couples of standards.

Just the same for sexual orientation, being straight or gay doesn't change ones gender, and woman should always be considered a woman whether she’s lesbian or not. Gender should not be “measure” by certain traits. Jacob gave her answer as by saying “There are many differences among lesbians as to which of the defining characteristics of woman they satisfy, which they do not satisfy, the extent to which they do satisfy those characteristics which they satisfy, and the extent to which they fail to satisfy those characteristics which they do not satisfy.” Some lesbians may be woman, but some may not, but it depends on their choice.