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Tess Catalano "Take Back the Night" and other academic essays, 1982
Catalano #12 Page 1
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Catalano #twelve Classification is really whatever the person classifying [ or the person hearing the classification you make?] wants it to be. For instance, say I come our to Person X. I say: "Person X, I am a lesbian." Person X, being slightly conservative, thinks : pervert, Jane Fonda, ERA. On the other hand, I could come out to Person Y saying : "Person Y, I am a lesbian." Person Y, who is liberal, thinks: carpenters, work boots, and oral sec. Then there's Person Z, who is also a lesbian. She may think: great. Which sets me to thinking. isn't classification a means to define via the synonym. That word "lesbian" brings up different synonyms for different reasons. In fact, it is the motive behind the listing, the categorizing and the classification that helps to determine what a particular list would include. For instance, imagine a list of words that are used to hide, suppress, or deny the existence of lesbians everywhere. Included in such a list might be: Independent Woman, Single Woman, Marriage Resistor, Berdache, Beguine, Spinster, Companion, not to mention: Marriage of Convenience, Had a Fondness for Men's Clothing and Lived Together as Man and Wife. This listing, however incomplete, seems to broaden the category of lesbian considerably. On the other hand we could list the words used to discourage, denigrate, or terrorize lesbians everywhere. Words such ad: Bulldyke, Bulldagger, Queer, Pervert. Spinster, Old Maid, Dyke, Manhater, Tongue Fucker, Separatist, Extremist, Deviant Homosexual, Ugly, Frigid, Liliths. This listing while perhaps still broadening the "category" of lesbian, also limits it to the more derogatory impressions of lesbianism. Thus, the third category. A listing of words that lesbians
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Catalano #twelve Classification is really whatever the person classifying [ or the person hearing the classification you make?] wants it to be. For instance, say I come our to Person X. I say: "Person X, I am a lesbian." Person X, being slightly conservative, thinks : pervert, Jane Fonda, ERA. On the other hand, I could come out to Person Y saying : "Person Y, I am a lesbian." Person Y, who is liberal, thinks: carpenters, work boots, and oral sec. Then there's Person Z, who is also a lesbian. She may think: great. Which sets me to thinking. isn't classification a means to define via the synonym. That word "lesbian" brings up different synonyms for different reasons. In fact, it is the motive behind the listing, the categorizing and the classification that helps to determine what a particular list would include. For instance, imagine a list of words that are used to hide, suppress, or deny the existence of lesbians everywhere. Included in such a list might be: Independent Woman, Single Woman, Marriage Resistor, Berdache, Beguine, Spinster, Companion, not to mention: Marriage of Convenience, Had a Fondness for Men's Clothing and Lived Together as Man and Wife. This listing, however incomplete, seems to broaden the category of lesbian considerably. On the other hand we could list the words used to discourage, denigrate, or terrorize lesbians everywhere. Words such ad: Bulldyke, Bulldagger, Queer, Pervert. Spinster, Old Maid, Dyke, Manhater, Tongue Fucker, Separatist, Extremist, Deviant Homosexual, Ugly, Frigid, Liliths. This listing while perhaps still broadening the "category" of lesbian, also limits it to the more derogatory impressions of lesbianism. Thus, the third category. A listing of words that lesbians
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