Lesbians+in+the+Southern+United+States

=Lesbians in the Southern United States=

Spring 2016
=="Gospel Truths" about the South ==
 * ====Very strong Christian values pervade much of the South. These can result in:====
 * ====Anti-LGBTQ sentiments====
 * ====Disowning of LGBTQ family members and friends====
 * ====Political conservatism (meaning a strong bias against any LGBTQ rights or legislation)====
 * ====Hate crimes against members of the LGBTQ community====

Perceptions of Lesbians in the South - Media and Popular Culture
= = = =
 * ====Lesbians are caught in a binary in much of the U.S., and particularly in the South====
 * ====Lesbians must either be:====
 * ====Femme ("lipstick lesbian") - hyper-feminine, sexy, sexually promiscuous, willing to participate in threesomes (usually with men involved)====
 * ====Butch ("dyke") - hyper-masculine, not conventionally attractive, asexual or aggressively sexual in an unattractive way====
 * =[[image:https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/4ai_Atxi24zMhwiyykwovpUWqaozvoib3Dj8ukP5n7ozNzqs8hcSOqayil5jtTkEnGE9g5shJfnVEcna1PuYI5Kp902puGO-AFrhv_p5RXupB4hwKLF87eCXcX27BWqJZ-XW3qrVtGY width="248" height="230"]]= || =VS.= || [[image:https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/G05rfedV2Axu-cmdLnmEQfJuHag-ApHKkzEfRr8Js-syJlzSjVGj8UsgK-6pUTRrVoc92wkdjRFMo2nHaBT6Ye4n491tajOQ2ycJbOYTwidXBcM9lqEfFzBpR2uEec903lh4OIe8hww width="369" height="185"]] ||


 * Popular culture (including but not limited to pornography) reflects and enforces these harmful stereotypes that do not truly reflect the variety that exists in lesbian culture.
 * ====There is often media and political backlash for people or entities that support lesbian rights====
 * ====In 1999, several ABC affiliates refused to air the episode of the popular television show Ellen in which the titular character comes out as a lesbian.====

Perceptions of Lesbians in the South - Personal Experiences

 * ====Many Southern lesbians have negative personal experiences, influenced or caused by:====
 * ====Churches====
 * ====Family members====
 * ====Friends====
 * ====Schools====
 * ====Local politics====
 * ===="I asked [my queer friends] to choose five words to describe their experience, and every single person said 'sad.' They also said things like happy, special, secret, triumphant, but the fact that each of them included that particular word speaks volumes to me. Sad, isolated, and lonely were part of each of their descriptions. There's little to no queer community down here. The idea of going to a bar filled with people like us is simultaneously thrilling and terrifying, because it's so far removed from how we live our daily lives."====

Perceptions of Lesbians in the South - It's Not as Bad as It Looks?

 * ====Sears (1989) argues that "the difference between growing up lesbian or gay in the South and other regions of the country is one of degree-- not of kind."====
 * Perception and treatment of lesbians in the South is not much different from other regions, although it can vary in degree of active negativity and/or harm.
 * Census data shows that LGBTQ couples are more comfortable raising a family in the South than in other regions of the United States.

Top Cities for Lesbians in the South

 * ====Atlanta, GA====
 * ====St. Petersburg, FL====
 * ====Austin, TX====
 * ====Houston, TX====
 * ====Miami, FL====
 * ====These are all very metropolitan, highly populated areas, meaning statistically lesbians are more likely to find other people like them and are more likely to find spaces designed for them.====

LGBTQ Communities/Families
> ====
 * ====Found families consisting of LGBTQ individuals are common====
 * Photo/video journalist Christian Hendricks documented interviews and time spent with the one such group, known as the Perryon Family in Hattiesburg, MS in 2013.
 * [|__http://southoftheohio.tumblr.com/post/60303520282/voices-from-the-perryon-family-kenya__]