Stuff Lesbians Like #6: Blogs about Stuff Lesbians Like

Or maybe not.

It looks like I may have ruffled a few bloggers over at the original Stuff Lesbians Like blog.

My apologies.

The copy-cat site (from Stuff White People Like) was too attractive to me to ignore as I so enjoy making fun of my own and I didn't do a Google search for other sites before my first post. Alas.

To all those readers out there (all 5 of you!) know that I defer to Grace on the Spot as the Purveyor of Knowledge of All Things Lesbian and that my contributions here are simply in the spirit of having fun.

Stuff Lesbians Like #5: Keens

Then there's that joke about only wearing comfortable shoes. . . . Keens offer comfort AND style and are a necessary element of any good lesbian's wardrobe.

My own story about wearing comfortable shoes is from a colleague and friend of mine. At the interview for my current job I practically harassed an African man in the group of interviewers about how he perceived life in the small Midwest town in which the university was located. I guess I was just trying to get a feel for how a minority dealt with the life that the city offered. The (now) colleague/friend of mine told me later that he recognized immediately what I was doing and brought this up to the department later during their discussion of the candidates. He worried that I wouldn't want to live in the small town as a lesbian. The rest of the department was appalled that he would make such an assumption. He replied something to the effect that he was certain of my sexuality/sexual-orientation because of my 'comfortable shoes' in the interview!

By the way, they were not, in fact, Keens.

Stuff Lesbians Like #4: Shopping for Sperm Online

Ever heard that saying "women need men like fish need bicycles"?

Well, now you're just a click away from having sperm delivered to your door (or your clinic's door), no mess, no fuss, no wetspots.

Despite the fact that national surveys like the General Social Survey (GSS) report that GLBT people are just as likely to have children as their heterosexual counterparts (mainly through dissolved marriages), the phenomenon coined the "Lesbian Baby Boom" is relatively new, perhaps only 15 or 20 years old(Arnup 1998, and later expanded upon by Tulchinsky, 1999 and Patterson, 1995).

As an aside the National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study is the only national data of which I am aware that covers children of lesbian parents over a period of time.

Lesbian couples who wish to get pregnant and have a baby (i.e. not through adoption or a previous marriage) acquire sperm through various sources. These breakdown into two main categories: known and unknown donors. Some couples know the male donor and establish an arrangement (legal or otherwise) with him regarding both procurement as well as the potential offspring (for a great story turn to LesbianDad and her post on the "turkey baster"). Other couples who do not have access to a willing donor, or who do not want to use a known donor, can go to what is colloquially known as a "sperm bank" to purchase sperm (note that sperm banks are also frequented by heterosexual couples who have trouble conceiving).

We've come a long way from the turkey baster! With the advent of the Information Age, sperm banks have moved to Internet portals from which interested individuals can sort and select donors from a wide variety of ethnic and racial backgrounds. Furthermore, in addition to (some) physical details, information is provided about adult interests of the donor, family medical history, blood type, etc.

Arnup, K. 1999 "Does the word LESBIAN mean anything to you?" Lesbians raising daughters. In S. Abbey & A. O'Reilly (Eds.), Redefining Motherhood: Changing identities and patterns (pp. 59-68). Toronto: Second Story Press.

Patterson, C. J. 1995. Lesbian Mothers, gay fathers, and their children. In A. R. D'Augelli & C. J. Patterson (Eds.), Lesbian, gay, and bisexual identities over the lifespan (pp. 262-292). New York: Oxford University Press.

Tulchinsky, K. X. (1999, May 8). Two moms, better than one? Staking claim to Mother's Day: Once we decided which one of us would bear the child, our little family adventure was underway. Vancouver Sun, pp. E5.

Stuff Lesbians Like #3: The Michigan Womyns Music Festival

As in "See you in August!"

Each year in August somewhere between 3 to 10 THOUSAND women gather on (what some consider holy or sacred) 650 acres of woodland near Hart Michigan known as "The Land" for a week of festivities including workshops and lots and lots of music. There is not a moment that the beat of a drum does not register on one's eardrums while in attendance.


According to Wikipedia, the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival (MWMF) was created in 1976 by members of the We Want the Music Collective (Lisa Vogel, her sister Kristie and Mary Kindig).

: The festival is completely built, staffed, and run by women; indeed, women build all of the stages, run the light and sound systems, make the trash collection rounds, serve as electricians, mechanics, security, medical and psychological support, cook meals for 4,000 over open fire pits, provide childcare, and facilitate workshops covering various topics of interest to the attendees, who are referred to as "festies".

The Land provides "healing space" for various communities; Womyn of Color, girls and teens, women who have been sexually assaulted, etc. It also provides separate space for non-vegetarians and those engaging in 'alternative' sexual activities.

No males over the age of four are allowed on the land, although a satellite boys camp exists for boys through age 11. The official policy of the festival is that only "women-born-women" are allowed onto The Land.

This policy led to a controversy about the inclusion of transsexual and transgendered people's admittance into the festival and onto The Land.

Again, according to Wikipedia
In 1991 Nancy Burkholder, who had attended the festival the year before without incident, was expelled from MWMF when she disclosed her transsexual status to festival workers who, in turn, informed the festival office. Burkholder was asked to leave the festival and received a full refund of her ticket. Festival organizers continued to advocate their support of the women-born-women policy even as criticism from some segments of the queer community mounted in response to Burkholder's departure.

The festival has stated that it does not and will not perform "panty checks." Rather, it states that women must "self-monitor", and attend only if they can honestly state that they were born as a girl, lived as a girl, and presently identify as a woman.

The last time that I attended the festival, a small group stood outside the gates protesting the 'women-born-women only' policy. One sign said something to the effect of "Honk if you support transsexuals!"

We honked away!

Stuff Lesbians Like: #2 Getting Into Serious Relationships

The joke goes like this:
Q: What do lesbians bring on a second date?

A: A U-Haul.

According to the Wikipedia Entry:
In North American lesbian popular culture, the term U-Haul (named after the brand of rental "move yourself" trucks and equipment) is gay slang for a relationship that progresses very quickly, for example moving in together after only a short period of time -- a pattern stereotypically attributed to relationships between two women. The reference to a "U-Haul" in the gay community has been considered one of the touchstones of sexual identity. The expression may have originated in the early 1980s by comic Lea DeLaria [...] The joke has been repeated numerous times, mostly within the lesbian community, and is considered a staple in lesbian humor.

BioMom and I got serious fast, but we did wait to move in together for about a year and a half. I suppose we didn't want to screw up Eight (at the time 18 months) along the drama rollercoaster of a lesbian relationship.

Stuff Lesbians Like: #1: The L Word

The blog, Stuff White People Like has been promoted in various venues lately and because a) the venues are themselves Stuff that White People Like and because b) the blog basically describes me, I noticed it.

It is actually very funny and self-depricating. . . And has motivated me to start a new thread: Stuff Lesbians Like!

And, please let me welcome others to join in on the thread with their own missives about typical (read: STEREOtypical, Lesbian Life).

There is quite a bit of overlap between Stuff White People Like and Stuff Lesbians Like, however, I suspect that the things that the two groups both enjoy (to the extent that the two groups are in fact distinct), are enjoyed for different reasons.

For example, check out #88 Having Gay Friends or, #91: San Francisco

In this Thread, I'll focus on either distinct categories of Stuff Lesbians Like and/or the overlap between Stuff White People Like and Stuff Lesbians Like but for different reasons.

This entry focuses on #1: The L-Word.

Lesbos can't get enough of this Showtime drama, which just completed its fifth season.

The drama, created and produced by Ilene Chaiken (another thing Lesbians Like), is set in Los Angeles starring a gorgeous cast of mostly straight actors playing mainly wealthy femme characters (with a few notable exceptions including one very sexy, quite masculine-looking woman who is currently transitioning from "Moira" to "Max") with high-powered careers, and smokin' hot sex lives. Big-name cameos on the show (who have gone on to larger characters) have included Cybill Shepherd, Rosanna Arquette, and Marlee Matlin.

The irony about the popularity of this show is that it is, ultimately, not very good and the characters are fairly one-dimensional caricatures of somewhat self-destructive lesbians we've all known (and loved), if not been at one time, ourselves. I literally don't know a lesbian that doesn't wait with bated breath for a season to either a) start or b) come out on Netflix. And, alternatively, I don't know a straight person who has watched all five seasons.

The phenomenon of the L-Word may just be a function of not having enough television or movie options with lesbian themes from which to choose.

As a measure of how much lesbians like the L Word, check out its Wikipedia Page, the official Fan Site, a Fan Blog,