Intergenerational Lesbianism - Revision history

Jim Burton: better format

2026-07-03T00:20:31Z

better format

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:20, 3 July 2026
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	==Etymology and History==		==Etymology and History==

	The word ''korephilia'' comes from the Greek words κόρη kórē meaning "girl" and φιλία philíā meaning "love". The word ''lesbian'' itself is an allusion to Sappho, originating from the name of the island of ''Lesbos'', where she was born. Sappho was a teacher and priestess of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and sexual passion, and was said to have had consensual sexual contact with her female adolescent students.<ref name="frankel">[https://www.nambla.org/sappho.htm Linda Frankel, Sappho Was a Right-On Girl-Lover!] ''NAMBLA Bulletin'', Vol. 4, No. 3, Pg. 9, 1983. Also reprinted in ''Not Fade Away: Selections from the NAMBLA Bulletin''. For further discussion, see [https://forum.map-union.org/viewtopic.php?p=4689#p4689 ''Sappho: The Tenth Muse''] (author unknown).</ref> Writing for [[NAMBLA]], Linda Frankel explained~~, "How do we know how the girls felt about it? Sappho quotes her student Atthis as saying~~:		The word ''korephilia'' comes from the Greek words κόρη kórē meaning "girl" and φιλία philíā meaning "love". The word ''lesbian'' itself is an allusion to Sappho, originating from the name of the island of ''Lesbos'', where she was born. Sappho was a teacher and priestess of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and sexual passion, and was said to have had consensual sexual contact with her female adolescent students.<ref name="frankel">[https://www.nambla.org/sappho.htm Linda Frankel, Sappho Was a Right-On Girl-Lover!] ''NAMBLA Bulletin'', Vol. 4, No. 3, Pg. 9, 1983. Also reprinted in ''Not Fade Away: Selections from the NAMBLA Bulletin''. For further discussion, see [https://forum.map-union.org/viewtopic.php?p=4689#p4689 ''Sappho: The Tenth Muse''] (author unknown).</ref> Writing for [[NAMBLA]], Linda Frankel explained:

	<blockquote>		<blockquote>
	''Sappho~~, if you will not get up~~''		''How do we know how the girls felt about it? Sappho quotes her student Atthis as saying:''

	''~~and let us look at~~ you''		::''Sappho, if you will not get up''

	''~~I shall never love~~ you ~~again~~''		::''and let us look at you''

	''~~Get up, unleash your suppleness~~''		::''I shall never love you again''

	''lift off your Chian nightdress''<ref>(Fragment 43 in SAPPHO: A NEW TRANSLATION by Mary Barnard, University of California Press 1958).</ref>		::''Get up, unleash your suppleness''

			::''lift off your Chian nightdress''<ref>(Fragment 43 in SAPPHO: A NEW TRANSLATION by Mary Barnard, University of California Press 1958).</ref>
	</blockquote>		</blockquote>

Jim Burton: standardise and clarify

2026-07-02T21:53:46Z

standardise and clarify

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:53, 2 July 2026
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	==Etymology and History==		==Etymology and History==

	The word ''korephilia'' comes from the Greek words κόρη kórē meaning "girl" and φιλία philíā meaning "love". The word ''lesbian'' itself is an allusion to Sappho, originating from the name of the island of ''Lesbos'', where she was born. Sappho was a teacher and priestess of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and sexual passion, and was said to have had consensual sexual contact with her female adolescent students.<ref>[https://www.nambla.org/sappho.htm Linda Frankel, Sappho Was a Right-On Girl-Lover!] ''NAMBLA Bulletin'', Vol. 4, No. 3, Pg. 9, 1983. Also reprinted in ''Not Fade Away: Selections from the NAMBLA Bulletin''. For further discussion, see [https://forum.map-union.org/viewtopic.php?p=4689#p4689 ''Sappho: The Tenth Muse''] (author unknown).</ref> Writing for [[NAMBLA]], Linda Frankel explained, "How do we know how the girls felt about it? Sappho quotes her student Atthis as saying:		The word ''korephilia'' comes from the Greek words κόρη kórē meaning "girl" and φιλία philíā meaning "love". The word ''lesbian'' itself is an allusion to Sappho, originating from the name of the island of ''Lesbos'', where she was born. Sappho was a teacher and priestess of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and sexual passion, and was said to have had consensual sexual contact with her female adolescent students.<ref name="frankel">[https://www.nambla.org/sappho.htm Linda Frankel, Sappho Was a Right-On Girl-Lover!] ''NAMBLA Bulletin'', Vol. 4, No. 3, Pg. 9, 1983. Also reprinted in ''Not Fade Away: Selections from the NAMBLA Bulletin''. For further discussion, see [https://forum.map-union.org/viewtopic.php?p=4689#p4689 ''Sappho: The Tenth Muse''] (author unknown).</ref> Writing for [[NAMBLA]], Linda Frankel explained, "How do we know how the girls felt about it? Sappho quotes her student Atthis as saying:

	<blockquote>		<blockquote>
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	</blockquote>		</blockquote>

	~~[...] One~~ does not berate one's teacher for refusing to get undressed unless one happens to like looking at her naked."<ref~~>Frankel, Op. cit.<~~/~~ref~~>		Frankel argued that "one does not berate one's teacher for refusing to get undressed unless one happens to like looking at her naked."<ref name="frankel"/>

	Frankel argued that "Sexual relationships between student and teacher that involved mutual consent were actually considered in a positive light. Learning intimacy from an experienced adult was considered beneficial for the young and a significant part of their education. [...] If the lesbian community of today were aware that their foremother, Sappho, was a lover of girls, they might not be so quick to condemn [[NAMBLA]]". She ends with Sappho's blessing:		Frankel also argued that "Sexual relationships between student and teacher that involved mutual consent were actually considered in a positive light. Learning intimacy from an experienced adult was considered beneficial for the young and a significant part of their education. [...] If the lesbian community of today were aware that their foremother, Sappho, was a lover of girls, they might not be so quick to condemn [[NAMBLA]]". She ends with Sappho's blessing:

	<blockquote>		<blockquote>
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	*Lauren Jae Gutterman. (2026). Intergenerational Sex in One Teenager in Ten. ''Journal of the History of Sexuality'', 35(1), 144-151. - An analysis of ''One Teenager in Ten: Writings by Gay and Lesbian Youth'' (ed. by Ann Heron; Alyson books: Boston, 1983), which included several testimonies of relationships between legally defined minors and adults.<ref>Gutterman, L.J. (2026). [https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/sex.00058 Intergenerational Sex in One Teenager in Ten]. ''Journal of the History of Sexuality'', 35(1), 144-151.</ref>		*Lauren Jae Gutterman. (2026). Intergenerational Sex in One Teenager in Ten. ''Journal of the History of Sexuality'', 35(1), 144-151. - An analysis of ''One Teenager in Ten: Writings by Gay and Lesbian Youth'' (ed. by Ann Heron; Alyson books: Boston, 1983), which included several testimonies of relationships between legally defined minors and adults.<ref>Gutterman, L.J. (2026). [https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/sex.00058 Intergenerational Sex in One Teenager in Ten]. ''Journal of the History of Sexuality'', 35(1), 144-151.</ref>

	*::"Amy, a sixteen-year-old girl from a conservative Baptist family in Texas, recounts how she developed a crush on her dance teacher when she was only nine years old. After three years, at age twelve, Amy's twenty-three-year-old dance teacher “brought her out” sexually when they shared a hotel room on a trip for an out-of-town dance performance. Amy's relationship with her dance teacher continued secretly for several years until Amy and her family eventually moved away. The dance teacher validated Amy’s sexual identity and introduced Amy to books and other resources about lesbian life. In fact, Amy’s teacher was the first to introduce her to the word “lesbian” itself. Writing for ''One Teenager in Ten'' several years later while in the midst of a lesbian relationship with a similarly aged peer, Amy continued to have positive feelings about her sexual relationship with her teacher and remained in contact with her." (Gutterman, pp. 146-147). [Note: this testimony is quoted directly from the 1983 book in our [[Testimony:_Adult_Female_with_Minor\|'adult female with minor' lived experiences]] page].		<blockquote>''Amy, a sixteen-year-old girl from a conservative Baptist family in Texas, recounts how she developed a crush on her dance teacher when she was only nine years old. After three years, at age twelve, Amy's twenty-three-year-old dance teacher “brought her out” sexually when they shared a hotel room on a trip for an out-of-town dance performance. Amy's relationship with her dance teacher continued secretly for several years until Amy and her family eventually moved away. The dance teacher validated Amy’s sexual identity and introduced Amy to books and other resources about lesbian life. In fact, Amy’s teacher was the first to introduce her to the word “lesbian” itself. Writing for ''One Teenager in Ten'' several years later while in the midst of a lesbian relationship with a similarly aged peer, Amy continued to have positive feelings about her sexual relationship with her teacher and remained in contact with her.'' (Gutterman, pp. 146-147). [Note: this testimony is quoted directly from the 1983 book in our [[Testimony:_Adult_Female_with_Minor\|'adult female with minor' lived experiences]] page].</blockquote>

	*Amanda H. Littauer, ''Queer Girls and Intergenerational Lesbian Sexuality in the 1970s'', in ''Historical Reflections'', 46:1 (2020), 95-108.<ref>[https://doi.org/10.3167/hrrh.2020.460107 Littauer - Queer Girls and Intergenerational Lesbian Sexuality in the 1970s]</ref>		*Amanda H. Littauer, ''Queer Girls and Intergenerational Lesbian Sexuality in the 1970s'', in ''Historical Reflections'', 46:1 (2020), 95-108.<ref>[https://doi.org/10.3167/hrrh.2020.460107 Littauer - Queer Girls and Intergenerational Lesbian Sexuality in the 1970s]</ref>

Prue: /* Research literature */

2026-07-02T20:47:38Z

Research literature

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	*Lauren Jae Gutterman. (2026). Intergenerational Sex in One Teenager in Ten. ''Journal of the History of Sexuality'', 35(1), 144-151. - An analysis of ''One Teenager in Ten: Writings by Gay and Lesbian Youth'' (ed. by Ann Heron; Alyson books: Boston, 1983), which included several testimonies of relationships between legally defined minors and adults.<ref>Gutterman, L.J. (2026). [https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/sex.00058 Intergenerational Sex in One Teenager in Ten]. ''Journal of the History of Sexuality'', 35(1), 144-151.</ref>		*Lauren Jae Gutterman. (2026). Intergenerational Sex in One Teenager in Ten. ''Journal of the History of Sexuality'', 35(1), 144-151. - An analysis of ''One Teenager in Ten: Writings by Gay and Lesbian Youth'' (ed. by Ann Heron; Alyson books: Boston, 1983), which included several testimonies of relationships between legally defined minors and adults.<ref>Gutterman, L.J. (2026). [https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/sex.00058 Intergenerational Sex in One Teenager in Ten]. ''Journal of the History of Sexuality'', 35(1), 144-151.</ref>

	*::"Amy, a sixteen-year-old girl from a conservative Baptist family in Texas, recounts how she developed a crush on her dance teacher when she was only nine years old. After three years, at age twelve, Amy's twenty-three-year-old dance teacher “brought her out” sexually when they shared a hotel room on a trip for an out-of-town dance performance. Amy's relationship with her dance teacher continued secretly for several years until Amy and her family eventually moved away. The dance teacher validated Amy’s sexual identity and introduced Amy to books and other resources about lesbian life. In fact, Amy’s teacher was the first to introduce her to the word “lesbian” itself. Writing for ''One Teenager in Ten'' several years later while in the midst of a lesbian relationship with a similarly aged peer, Amy continued to have positive feelings about her sexual relationship with her teacher and remained in contact with her." (Gutterman, pp. 146-147).		*::"Amy, a sixteen-year-old girl from a conservative Baptist family in Texas, recounts how she developed a crush on her dance teacher when she was only nine years old. After three years, at age twelve, Amy's twenty-three-year-old dance teacher “brought her out” sexually when they shared a hotel room on a trip for an out-of-town dance performance. Amy's relationship with her dance teacher continued secretly for several years until Amy and her family eventually moved away. The dance teacher validated Amy’s sexual identity and introduced Amy to books and other resources about lesbian life. In fact, Amy’s teacher was the first to introduce her to the word “lesbian” itself. Writing for ''One Teenager in Ten'' several years later while in the midst of a lesbian relationship with a similarly aged peer, Amy continued to have positive feelings about her sexual relationship with her teacher and remained in contact with her." (Gutterman, pp. 146-147). [Note: this testimony is quoted directly from the 1983 book in our [[Testimony:_Adult_Female_with_Minor\|'adult female with minor' lived experiences]] page].

	*Amanda H. Littauer, ''Queer Girls and Intergenerational Lesbian Sexuality in the 1970s'', in ''Historical Reflections'', 46:1 (2020), 95-108.<ref>[https://doi.org/10.3167/hrrh.2020.460107 Littauer - Queer Girls and Intergenerational Lesbian Sexuality in the 1970s]</ref>		*Amanda H. Littauer, ''Queer Girls and Intergenerational Lesbian Sexuality in the 1970s'', in ''Historical Reflections'', 46:1 (2020), 95-108.<ref>[https://doi.org/10.3167/hrrh.2020.460107 Littauer - Queer Girls and Intergenerational Lesbian Sexuality in the 1970s]</ref>

Prue: /* Research literature */

2026-07-02T20:45:03Z

Research literature

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	==Research literature==		==Research literature==

	*Gutterman~~, L.J~~. (2026). Intergenerational Sex in One Teenager in Ten. ''Journal of the History of Sexuality'', 35(1), 144-151. - An analysis of ''One Teenager in Ten: Writings by Gay and Lesbian Youth'' (ed. by Ann Heron; Alyson books: Boston, 1983), which included several testimonies of relationships between legally defined minors and adults.<ref>Gutterman, L.J. (2026). [https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/sex.00058 Intergenerational Sex in One Teenager in Ten]. ''Journal of the History of Sexuality'', 35(1), 144-151.</ref>		*Lauren Jae Gutterman. (2026). Intergenerational Sex in One Teenager in Ten. ''Journal of the History of Sexuality'', 35(1), 144-151. - An analysis of ''One Teenager in Ten: Writings by Gay and Lesbian Youth'' (ed. by Ann Heron; Alyson books: Boston, 1983), which included several testimonies of relationships between legally defined minors and adults.<ref>Gutterman, L.J. (2026). [https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/sex.00058 Intergenerational Sex in One Teenager in Ten]. ''Journal of the History of Sexuality'', 35(1), 144-151.</ref>

	*::"Amy, a sixteen-year-old girl from a conservative Baptist family in Texas, recounts how she developed a crush on her dance teacher when she was only nine years old. After three years, at age twelve, Amy's twenty-three-year-old dance teacher “brought her out” sexually when they shared a hotel room on a trip for an out-of-town dance performance. Amy's relationship with her dance teacher continued secretly for several years until Amy and her family eventually moved away. The dance teacher validated Amy’s sexual identity and introduced Amy to books and other resources about lesbian life. In fact, Amy’s teacher was the first to introduce her to the word “lesbian” itself. Writing for ''One Teenager in Ten'' several years later while in the midst of a lesbian relationship with a similarly aged peer, Amy continued to have positive feelings about her sexual relationship with her teacher and remained in contact with her." (~~Lauren~~ Gutterman, pp. 146-147).		*::"Amy, a sixteen-year-old girl from a conservative Baptist family in Texas, recounts how she developed a crush on her dance teacher when she was only nine years old. After three years, at age twelve, Amy's twenty-three-year-old dance teacher “brought her out” sexually when they shared a hotel room on a trip for an out-of-town dance performance. Amy's relationship with her dance teacher continued secretly for several years until Amy and her family eventually moved away. The dance teacher validated Amy’s sexual identity and introduced Amy to books and other resources about lesbian life. In fact, Amy’s teacher was the first to introduce her to the word “lesbian” itself. Writing for ''One Teenager in Ten'' several years later while in the midst of a lesbian relationship with a similarly aged peer, Amy continued to have positive feelings about her sexual relationship with her teacher and remained in contact with her." (Gutterman, pp. 146-147).

	*Amanda H. Littauer, ''Queer Girls and Intergenerational Lesbian Sexuality in the 1970s'', in ''Historical Reflections'', 46:1 (2020), 95-108.<ref>[https://doi.org/10.3167/hrrh.2020.460107 Littauer - Queer Girls and Intergenerational Lesbian Sexuality in the 1970s]</ref>		*Amanda H. Littauer, ''Queer Girls and Intergenerational Lesbian Sexuality in the 1970s'', in ''Historical Reflections'', 46:1 (2020), 95-108.<ref>[https://doi.org/10.3167/hrrh.2020.460107 Littauer - Queer Girls and Intergenerational Lesbian Sexuality in the 1970s]</ref>

Prue: /* Research literature */

2026-07-02T20:44:04Z

Research literature

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	==Research literature==		==Research literature==

			*Gutterman, L.J. (2026). Intergenerational Sex in One Teenager in Ten. ''Journal of the History of Sexuality'', 35(1), 144-151. - An analysis of ''One Teenager in Ten: Writings by Gay and Lesbian Youth'' (ed. by Ann Heron; Alyson books: Boston, 1983), which included several testimonies of relationships between legally defined minors and adults.<ref>Gutterman, L.J. (2026). [https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/sex.00058 Intergenerational Sex in One Teenager in Ten]. ''Journal of the History of Sexuality'', 35(1), 144-151.</ref>

			*::"Amy, a sixteen-year-old girl from a conservative Baptist family in Texas, recounts how she developed a crush on her dance teacher when she was only nine years old. After three years, at age twelve, Amy's twenty-three-year-old dance teacher “brought her out” sexually when they shared a hotel room on a trip for an out-of-town dance performance. Amy's relationship with her dance teacher continued secretly for several years until Amy and her family eventually moved away. The dance teacher validated Amy’s sexual identity and introduced Amy to books and other resources about lesbian life. In fact, Amy’s teacher was the first to introduce her to the word “lesbian” itself. Writing for ''One Teenager in Ten'' several years later while in the midst of a lesbian relationship with a similarly aged peer, Amy continued to have positive feelings about her sexual relationship with her teacher and remained in contact with her." (Lauren Gutterman, pp. 146-147).

	*Amanda H. Littauer, ''Queer Girls and Intergenerational Lesbian Sexuality in the 1970s'', in ''Historical Reflections'', 46:1 (2020), 95-108.<ref>[https://doi.org/10.3167/hrrh.2020.460107 Littauer - Queer Girls and Intergenerational Lesbian Sexuality in the 1970s]</ref>		*Amanda H. Littauer, ''Queer Girls and Intergenerational Lesbian Sexuality in the 1970s'', in ''Historical Reflections'', 46:1 (2020), 95-108.<ref>[https://doi.org/10.3167/hrrh.2020.460107 Littauer - Queer Girls and Intergenerational Lesbian Sexuality in the 1970s]</ref>

Jim Burton at 15:45, 1 July 2026

2026-07-01T15:45:17Z

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	Taken together, the evidence suggests that intergenerational lesbianism has been far more underground and secretive than its male homosexual counterpart. Nevertheless, despite a conspiracy of silence around Lesbianism until the sexual revolution, and the increasing stigmatization and criminalization of mutually willing sexual contacts involving age gaps as the sexual revolution declined and neoliberalism, sexual conservatism, and fear around sex took its place during the 1980s [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS_in_the_United_States AIDS Crisis] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanic_panic Satanic Panic] - we have documented many positive age-gap [[Testimony:_Adult_Female_with_Minor\|testimonies]]. In 2020, historian Amanda H. Littauer (cited below) published a seminal scholarly article - ''Queer Girls and Intergenerational Lesbian Sexuality in the 1970s'' - which provides testimonies from archival research. We hope more investigations like Littauer's will continue to uncover and publish evidence of this largely underground world. As pioneer queer activist, Pat [now Patrick] Califia, wrote:		Taken together, the evidence suggests that intergenerational lesbianism has been far more underground and secretive than its male homosexual counterpart. Nevertheless, despite a conspiracy of silence around Lesbianism until the sexual revolution, and the increasing stigmatization and criminalization of mutually willing sexual contacts involving age gaps as the sexual revolution declined and neoliberalism, sexual conservatism, and fear around sex took its place during the 1980s [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS_in_the_United_States AIDS Crisis] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanic_panic Satanic Panic] - we have documented many positive age-gap [[Testimony:_Adult_Female_with_Minor\|testimonies]]. In 2020, historian Amanda H. Littauer (cited below) published a seminal scholarly article - ''Queer Girls and Intergenerational Lesbian Sexuality in the 1970s'' - which provides testimonies from archival research. We hope more investigations like Littauer's will continue to uncover and publish evidence of this largely underground world. As pioneer queer activist, Pat [now Patrick] Califia, wrote:

	<blockquote>''I know very few lesbians, and even fewer gay men, who waited until they were eighteen to come out. Most of us were aware well before puberty that we wanted to be close to or sexual with members of our own sex. I've heard countless stories from women about their attempts to seduce their high school gym teachers or camp counselors. Not all of these attempts were unsuccessful. Our real-life experiences do not jibe with our politics on this issue."<ref>[https://www.ipce.info/ipceweb/Library/califa_feminism.htm Pat Califia - Ipce]</ref>''</blockquote>		<blockquote>''I know very few lesbians, and even fewer gay men, who waited until they were eighteen to come out. Most of us were aware well before puberty that we wanted to be close to or sexual with members of our own sex. I've heard countless stories from women about their attempts to seduce their high school gym teachers or camp counselors. Not all of these attempts were unsuccessful. Our real-life experiences do not jibe with our politics on this issue.<ref>[https://www.ipce.info/ipceweb/Library/califa_feminism.htm Pat Califia - Ipce]</ref>''</blockquote>

	Similarly, the feminist [[Joan Nestle]] wrote in her 1987 book ''A Restricted Country'' (winner of the Stonewall Book Award, 1988):		Similarly, the feminist [[Joan Nestle]] wrote in her 1987 book ''A Restricted Country'' (winner of the Stonewall Book Award, 1988):

Jim Burton at 15:44, 1 July 2026

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	''In these painful and challenging times, we must not run out on gay men and leave them holding the sexuality bag. It is tempting to some lesbians to see themselves as the clean sex deviant, to dissociate themselves from public sexual activity, multiple partners, and intergenerational sex.''		''In these painful and challenging times, we must not run out on gay men and leave them holding the sexuality bag. It is tempting to some lesbians to see themselves as the clean sex deviant, to dissociate themselves from public sexual activity, multiple partners, and intergenerational sex.''

	''While this may be the choice for some of us, it is not the reality of many others, not now and not in the past. Lesbian purity, a public image that drapes us in the cloak of monogamous long-term relationships, discreet at-home social gatherings, and a basic urge to recreate the family, helps no one. It does justice to neither the choices it supposedly venerates nor our sexual independence. Long-term couples are often struggling with huge issues of lust and changes in sexual patterns. Discreet social gatherings were and often are the way close-knit sexual communities found a safe place to play. Public bathrooms have been social bedrooms through the years for young lesbians who had no safe home to take their lovers back to, and we have long documented the lustful crushes of young lesbians on older women, many more of which have been consummated than we encourage to be discussed.''		''While this may be the choice for some of us, it is not the reality of many others, not now and not in the past. Lesbian purity, a public image that drapes us in the cloak of monogamous long-term relationships, discreet at-home social gatherings, and a basic urge to recreate the family, helps no one. It does justice to neither the choices it supposedly venerates nor our sexual independence. Long-term couples are often struggling with huge issues of lust and changes in sexual patterns. Discreet social gatherings were and often are the way close-knit sexual communities found a safe place to play. Public bathrooms have been social bedrooms through the years for young lesbians who had no safe home to take their lovers back to, and we have long documented the lustful crushes of young lesbians on older women, many more of which have been consummated than we encourage to be discussed.''<ref>See her 1980 talk titled “Some Understandings,” in Nestle, ''A Restricted Country'' (1987). Many editions available.</ref>
	~~</blockquote>~~<ref>See her 1980 talk titled “Some Understandings,” in Nestle, ''A Restricted Country'' (1987). Many editions available.</ref>		</blockquote>

	==Gallery==		==Gallery==

Prue at 02:18, 1 July 2026

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	<blockquote>		<blockquote>
	''In these painful and challenging times, we must not run out on gay men and leave them holding the sexuality bag. It is tempting to some lesbians to see themselves as the clean sex deviant, to dissociate themselves from public sexual activity, multiple partners, and intergenerational sex.		''In these painful and challenging times, we must not run out on gay men and leave them holding the sexuality bag. It is tempting to some lesbians to see themselves as the clean sex deviant, to dissociate themselves from public sexual activity, multiple partners, and intergenerational sex.''

	While this may be the choice for some of us, it is not the reality of many others, not now and not in the past. Lesbian purity, a public image that drapes us in the cloak of monogamous long-term relationships, discreet at-home social gatherings, and a basic urge to recreate the family, helps no one. It does justice to neither the choices it supposedly venerates nor our sexual independence. Long-term couples are often struggling with huge issues of lust and changes in sexual patterns. Discreet social gatherings were and often are the way close-knit sexual communities found a safe place to play. Public bathrooms have been social bedrooms through the years for young lesbians who had no safe home to take their lovers back to, and we have long documented the lustful crushes of young lesbians on older women, many more of which have been consummated than we encourage to be discussed.''		''While this may be the choice for some of us, it is not the reality of many others, not now and not in the past. Lesbian purity, a public image that drapes us in the cloak of monogamous long-term relationships, discreet at-home social gatherings, and a basic urge to recreate the family, helps no one. It does justice to neither the choices it supposedly venerates nor our sexual independence. Long-term couples are often struggling with huge issues of lust and changes in sexual patterns. Discreet social gatherings were and often are the way close-knit sexual communities found a safe place to play. Public bathrooms have been social bedrooms through the years for young lesbians who had no safe home to take their lovers back to, and we have long documented the lustful crushes of young lesbians on older women, many more of which have been consummated than we encourage to be discussed.''
	</blockquote><ref>See her 1980 talk titled “Some Understandings,” in Nestle, ''A Restricted Country'' (1987). Many editions available.</ref>		</blockquote><ref>See her 1980 talk titled “Some Understandings,” in Nestle, ''A Restricted Country'' (1987). Many editions available.</ref>

Prue at 02:18, 1 July 2026

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	<blockquote>		<blockquote>
	''In these painful and challenging times, we must not run out on gay men and leave them holding the sexuality bag. It is tempting to some lesbians to see themselves as the clean sex deviant, to dissociate themselves from public sexual activity, multiple partners, and intergenerational sex. While this may be the choice for some of us, it is not the reality of many others, not now and not in the past. Lesbian purity, a public image that drapes us in the cloak of monogamous long-term relationships, discreet at-home social gatherings, and a basic urge to recreate the family, helps no one. It does justice to neither the choices it supposedly venerates nor our sexual independence. Long-term couples are often struggling with huge issues of lust and changes in sexual patterns. Discreet social gatherings were and often are the way close-knit sexual communities found a safe place to play. Public bathrooms have been social bedrooms through the years for young lesbians who had no safe home to take their lovers back to, and we have long documented the lustful crushes of young lesbians on older women, many more of which have been consummated than we encourage to be discussed.''		''In these painful and challenging times, we must not run out on gay men and leave them holding the sexuality bag. It is tempting to some lesbians to see themselves as the clean sex deviant, to dissociate themselves from public sexual activity, multiple partners, and intergenerational sex.

	~~''Thus, by allowing ourselves to~~ be ~~portrayed as~~ the ~~good deviant~~, the ~~respectable deviant~~, ~~we lose more than we will ever gain~~. ~~We lose~~ the ~~complexity~~ of our ~~own lives~~, and we ~~lose what for me has~~ been ~~a lifelong lesson: you do not betray your comrades when the scapegoating begins~~.''		While this may be the choice for some of us, it is not the reality of many others, not now and not in the past. Lesbian purity, a public image that drapes us in the cloak of monogamous long-term relationships, discreet at-home social gatherings, and a basic urge to recreate the family, helps no one. It does justice to neither the choices it supposedly venerates nor our sexual independence. Long-term couples are often struggling with huge issues of lust and changes in sexual patterns. Discreet social gatherings were and often are the way close-knit sexual communities found a safe place to play. Public bathrooms have been social bedrooms through the years for young lesbians who had no safe home to take their lovers back to, and we have long documented the lustful crushes of young lesbians on older women, many more of which have been consummated than we encourage to be discussed.''
	</blockquote><ref>See her 1980 talk titled “Some Understandings,” in Nestle, ''A Restricted Country'' (1987). Many editions available.</ref>		</blockquote><ref>See her 1980 talk titled “Some Understandings,” in Nestle, ''A Restricted Country'' (1987). Many editions available.</ref>

Prue: /* Korephilia in Modern and Feminist literature */

2026-07-01T02:17:17Z

Korephilia in Modern and Feminist literature

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	There have been recent depictions of Intergenerational Lesbianism in [[Minor_attraction_in_popular_culture\|popular culture]]. "The Little Coochie Snorcher That Could" from "[[Wikipedia:The Vagina Monologues\|The Vagina Monologues]]," recounts the experience of a thirteen year old girl's relationship with an older woman. The 2013 film [[Wikipedia:Blue Is the Warmest Colour\|''Blue Is the Warmest Colour'']], depicts the friendship between a fifteen year old girl and an adult woman that becomes erotic.		There have been recent depictions of Intergenerational Lesbianism in [[Minor_attraction_in_popular_culture\|popular culture]]. "The Little Coochie Snorcher That Could" from "[[Wikipedia:The Vagina Monologues\|The Vagina Monologues]]," recounts the experience of a thirteen year old girl's relationship with an older woman. The 2013 film [[Wikipedia:Blue Is the Warmest Colour\|''Blue Is the Warmest Colour'']], depicts the friendship between a fifteen year old girl and an adult woman that becomes erotic.

	Well-known examples in English-speaking literature come from the gay world, including the influential Canadian gay liberation activist and ''Body Politic'' writer Chris Bearchell,<ref>Chris Bearchell, "I Was Fifteen, She Was Forty-Three..." A Feminist Look at the Place of Female Child-Adult Relations in the Politics of the Lesbian Movement. ''The Body Politic'', May 1978.</ref> lesbian [[Feminism\|feminist]] activist Prof. [[Wikipedia:Beth Kelly\|Beth Kelly]],<ref>[https://www.consentingjuveniles.com/Case_Narrative?case=Beth_Kelly Beth Kelly, Speaking Out on "Women/Girl Love" - Or, Lesbians Do "Do It". ''Gay Community News'', 3 March, 1979]. Also quoted in [http://www.ipce.info/host/radicase/chap04.htm O'Carroll, ''Paedophilia: The Radical Case'' (1980)].</ref> and nationally honored / decorated lesbian writer [[Wikipedia:Jane Rule\|Jane Rule CM OBC]].<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20130118064126/http://www.xtra.ca/public/viewstory.aspx?AFF_TYPE=1&STORY_ID=3979&PUB_TEMPLATE_ID=1 Jane Rule, "Teaching Sexuality". ''The Body Politic'', June 30 1979]. Also cited in our testimonies page and others.</ref> It should be noted, however, that these examples emerge from the 1970s spirit of sexual revolution. Before the sexual revolution, Lesbianism was often pathologized, outright denied, thought of as deviant or a 'phase'. Until very recently, Lesbianism was subject to a conspiracy of silence, to the extent that feminist icon [[Wikipedia:Betty Friedan\|Betty Freidan]] famously dubbed them the '[[Wikipedia:Lavender Menace\|lavender menace]]', and at-one-time believed lesbians to be part of a plot to bring the (heterosexual) feminist movement into disrepute.<ref>Many articles recount and discuss this event. A recent one at time of writing is: [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/09/18/the-women-of-now-how-feminists-built-an-organization-that-transformed-america-katherine-turk-book-review-betty-friedan-magnificent-disrupter-rachel-shteir Moira Donegan, The Catalyst: Betty Friedan and the movement that outgrew her. ''The New Yorker'', September 11, 2023].</ref> It is therefore difficult to find clear evidence of positive and consensual lesbian sexual contact before the sexual revolution, with sexual contact that transgresses [[age of consent]] laws / age-gap norms being especially sensitive and stigmatized after the late 1970s and early 80s, forced underground into secrecy.		Well-known examples in English-speaking literature come from the gay world, including the influential Canadian gay liberation activist and ''Body Politic'' writer Chris Bearchell,<ref>Chris Bearchell, "I Was Fifteen, She Was Forty-Three..." A Feminist Look at the Place of Female Child-Adult Relations in the Politics of the Lesbian Movement. ''The Body Politic'', May 1978.</ref> lesbian [[Feminism\|feminist]] activist Prof. [[Wikipedia:Beth Kelly\|Beth Kelly]],<ref>[https://www.consentingjuveniles.com/Case_Narrative?case=Beth_Kelly Beth Kelly, Speaking Out on "Women/Girl Love" - Or, Lesbians Do "Do It". ''Gay Community News'', 3 March, 1979]. Also quoted in [http://www.ipce.info/host/radicase/chap04.htm O'Carroll, ''Paedophilia: The Radical Case'' (1980)].</ref> and nationally honored / decorated lesbian writer [[Wikipedia:Jane Rule\|Jane Rule CM OBC]].<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20130118064126/http://www.xtra.ca/public/viewstory.aspx?AFF_TYPE=1&STORY_ID=3979&PUB_TEMPLATE_ID=1 Jane Rule, "Teaching Sexuality". ''The Body Politic'', June 30 1979]. Also cited in our testimonies page and others.</ref> It should be noted, however, that these examples emerge from the 1970s spirit of sexual revolution. Before the sexual revolution, as writers like [[Joan Nestle]] have discussed, Lesbianism was often pathologized, outright denied, thought of as deviant or a 'phase'. Until very recently, Lesbianism was subject to a conspiracy of silence, to the extent that feminist icon [[Wikipedia:Betty Friedan\|Betty Freidan]] famously dubbed them the '[[Wikipedia:Lavender Menace\|lavender menace]]', and at-one-time believed lesbians to be part of a plot to bring the (heterosexual) feminist movement into disrepute.<ref>Many articles recount and discuss this event. A recent one at time of writing is: [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/09/18/the-women-of-now-how-feminists-built-an-organization-that-transformed-america-katherine-turk-book-review-betty-friedan-magnificent-disrupter-rachel-shteir Moira Donegan, The Catalyst: Betty Friedan and the movement that outgrew her. ''The New Yorker'', September 11, 2023].</ref> It is therefore difficult to find clear evidence of positive and consensual lesbian sexual contact before the sexual revolution, with sexual contact that transgresses [[age of consent]] laws / age-gap norms being especially sensitive and stigmatized after the late 1970s and early 80s, forced underground into secrecy.

	In previous literature, writers such as feminist activist [[Feminism\|Kate Millett]] interpreted aversion to intergenerational eroticism as a product of women being subjects of historical patriarchy. Millett contrasted the more prevalent discussion and even defense of mutually willing intergenerational eroticism within the male-gay movement (see [[Historical_examples_of_LGBT-MAP_unity\|LGBT-MAP Unity]]), with the aversion many women and lesbians espoused. Millett wrote that women are "more sexually repressed than men, having been given a much more puritanical code of behavior than men ever have"<ref name="paidika 8">[https://www.brongersma.info/Paidika-08 Paidika vol 08, 1992, p. 84]</ref>. Unlike men who had the history of [[Pederasty\|pederasty]] to draw on, "It’s possible," Millett explained, "that the condition of lesbians has been so repressive that it prevents them from seeing people below the [[Age of Consent\|age of consent]] as sexual partners" (''Ibid'').		In previous literature, writers such as feminist activist [[Feminism\|Kate Millett]] interpreted aversion to intergenerational eroticism as a product of women being subjects of historical patriarchy. Millett contrasted the more prevalent discussion and even defense of mutually willing intergenerational eroticism within the male-gay movement (see [[Historical_examples_of_LGBT-MAP_unity\|LGBT-MAP Unity]]), with the aversion many women and lesbians espoused. Millett wrote that women are "more sexually repressed than men, having been given a much more puritanical code of behavior than men ever have"<ref name="paidika 8">[https://www.brongersma.info/Paidika-08 Paidika vol 08, 1992, p. 84]</ref>. Unlike men who had the history of [[Pederasty\|pederasty]] to draw on, "It’s possible," Millett explained, "that the condition of lesbians has been so repressive that it prevents them from seeing people below the [[Age of Consent\|age of consent]] as sexual partners" (''Ibid'').
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	<blockquote>''I know very few lesbians, and even fewer gay men, who waited until they were eighteen to come out. Most of us were aware well before puberty that we wanted to be close to or sexual with members of our own sex. I've heard countless stories from women about their attempts to seduce their high school gym teachers or camp counselors. Not all of these attempts were unsuccessful. Our real-life experiences do not jibe with our politics on this issue."<ref>[https://www.ipce.info/ipceweb/Library/califa_feminism.htm Pat Califia - Ipce]</ref>''</blockquote>		<blockquote>''I know very few lesbians, and even fewer gay men, who waited until they were eighteen to come out. Most of us were aware well before puberty that we wanted to be close to or sexual with members of our own sex. I've heard countless stories from women about their attempts to seduce their high school gym teachers or camp counselors. Not all of these attempts were unsuccessful. Our real-life experiences do not jibe with our politics on this issue."<ref>[https://www.ipce.info/ipceweb/Library/califa_feminism.htm Pat Califia - Ipce]</ref>''</blockquote>

			Similarly, the feminist [[Joan Nestle]] wrote in her 1987 book ''A Restricted Country'' (winner of the Stonewall Book Award, 1988):

			<blockquote>
			''In these painful and challenging times, we must not run out on gay men and leave them holding the sexuality bag. It is tempting to some lesbians to see themselves as the clean sex deviant, to dissociate themselves from public sexual activity, multiple partners, and intergenerational sex. While this may be the choice for some of us, it is not the reality of many others, not now and not in the past. Lesbian purity, a public image that drapes us in the cloak of monogamous long-term relationships, discreet at-home social gatherings, and a basic urge to recreate the family, helps no one. It does justice to neither the choices it supposedly venerates nor our sexual independence. Long-term couples are often struggling with huge issues of lust and changes in sexual patterns. Discreet social gatherings were and often are the way close-knit sexual communities found a safe place to play. Public bathrooms have been social bedrooms through the years for young lesbians who had no safe home to take their lovers back to, and we have long documented the lustful crushes of young lesbians on older women, many more of which have been consummated than we encourage to be discussed.''

			''Thus, by allowing ourselves to be portrayed as the good deviant, the respectable deviant, we lose more than we will ever gain. We lose the complexity of our own lives, and we lose what for me has been a lifelong lesson: you do not betray your comrades when the scapegoating begins.''
			</blockquote><ref>See her 1980 talk titled “Some Understandings,” in Nestle, ''A Restricted Country'' (1987). Many editions available.</ref>

	==Gallery==		==Gallery==