Dell Richards’ book "Lesbian Lists," “
published in 1990, contains “a look at lesbian culture, history, and
personalities,” through various lists like “19 Lesbian Novelists” and
“14 Cult Films With Lesbian Characters.” These lists are
both entertaining and educational.
One of the lists is entitled “20 Turn-of-the-Century “Ways to
Tell” if a Girl Would Become Gay or if a Woman Was a Lesbian —
according to the Medical Journals of the Day.” The list offers
an opportunity for us to look back on the silly assholes of Medical
History who sought to quell the viral nature of young madiens’ ripe
homosexuality by educating the public regarding how to spot lesbians and
subsequently convert or destroy them. You never know when a lesbian is
in your neighborhood, driving their car down your street, or shopping
next to you at the grocery store.
We have selected 15 of the items from this list to share with you
today and have illustrated these items with helpful photographs. As you
can see, they were clearly completely right about everything and In
parentheses you will find the year in which the cited medical journal
was printed.
15 Turn-of-the-Century “Ways to Tell” if a Girl Would Become Gay or if a Woman Was a Lesbian — According to the Medical Journals of the Day
1. Smokes cigarettes in public. (1890)
2. Has a capacity for athletics and an incapacity for needlework and other domestic occupations. (1890)
3. “Tomboy Habits” (1895)
4. Dresses in Boys’ Clothing (1895)
5. Abandons Dolls and Girlfriends for Marbles and Masculine Games (1895)
6. Prefers the Laboratory to the Nursery (1900)
7. Goes to Bars (1900)
8. Is Anti-Social (1900)
9. Has a firmness to her walk, a long step, and a rather heavy timbre to her voice. (1900)
++
10. Talks loud and uses slang. (1900)
11. Has no breasts to speak of (1900)
12. Is square-shouldered and solid (1900)
13. Has a strong, self-assured look in her eye (1910)
14. Shows mental arrogance and is abnormally deficient in natural female shyness (1910)
15. Has intellectual attributes usually associated with men – an acuteness of comprehension and lucid objectivity (1910)
In conclusion, it would seem that the doctors of the 19th century
were 100% correct when they made these scientific determinations. I wish
you all luck in identifying and executing lesbians in your neighborhood
as you see fit.
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