Spinsters and Lesbians: Independent Womanhood in the United States

Introduction: Spinsters and Lesbians

Introduction Spinsters and Lesbians Spinsters and lesbians—th e image s associated with thes e word s are seldo m positive . W e hav e n o simple , nonjudgmenta l term s for th e wome n wh o ar e thi s book' s focus—never-marrie d Pro gressive Er a wome n an d contemporar y lesbians . Introducin g these women an d titling this book ha s been a challenge becaus e our languag e offer s n o expression s tha t easil y positio n thes e women t o b e viewe d i n a positiv e light . Ther e ar e n o quic k phrases tha t captur e th e energ y o f thei r full , creative , ofte n amazing lives . Th e culture' s vocabular y fo r never-marrie d women force s u s t o star t fro m characterization s o f the m a s negative, inherently deficient, o r even perverted . The problem is not just with language. As I struggled to name these women, I found the y were also without a n adequate plac e in history. Even women's historian s wh o acknowledg e th e existence o f never-marrie d women—spinster s o r lesbian s (an d many continu e simpl y t o ignor e them)—ten d t o relegat e the m to th e margin s o f women' s experience . Noted , the y ar e the n compartmentalized a s anomalie s whos e live s hav e littl e t o d o 1 2 • Introductio n with th e mainstrea m o f women' s history. 1 Th e developin g les bian history that inspired an d grounds this study remains segregated fro m to o much of women's history . While this study canno t resolv e the problem o f namin g thes e women, i t doe s identif y th e battl e ove r labels , especiall y o f independent women—wome n wh o hav e rejecte d heterosexua l marriage and/o r chose n othe r wome n a s thei r intimat e part ners —as a persistent and important theme in the last century of U.S. women's history . Further, it disputes their current statu s in women's history , arguin g tha t th e problem s o f namin g an d placing never-marrie d wome n reflec t th e limitation s al l wome n faced an d are connected with many historical issues that need to be explored an d understood . Independent Women While th e titl e o f thi s volum e include s th e word s "spinsters, " "lesbians," an d "independent, " non e o f thes e term s alon e cap tures clearly the essence of this research. Among the "spinsters " in this study are women who were truly single as well as women who partnere d wit h othe r women . The "lesbians " i n this stud y are no t a clear-cu t categor y either . Thes e lesbian s ar e wome n who never married, while in the larger population many lesbian s are, o r hav e been , married . Bot h group s therefor e ar e never married independen t women , som e o f who m partnere d wit h other women while others remained single . These two groups of women themselve s claim , an d histor y ha s give n them , differen t labels. Nevertheless , I remai n consciou s tha t I define d thes e individuals a s independent wome n o n th e basi s o f thes e share d characteristics. While this study certainly grew out of issues raised in feminis t theory, women' s history , an d lesbia n history , it s immediate in spiration cam e fro m women' s ow n stories. 2 The cleares t singl e directive I had fo r th e questions I wanted to research came fro m Introduction • 3 a friend , on e o f th e wome n wh o cam e t o b e include d i n thi s research. "Whe n di d yo u kno w yo u wer e...