In The Ladies' Room: Where My Girls At?

This post submitted by TNG Events Planner Amelie.


Daphne Merkin's piece in last Sunday's T magazine (The New York Times fashion magazine) has gotten lots of attention all over the internets - granted, almost all negative. The article focuses on Rachel Maddow and the idea that she's brought lesbian attractiveness - and thus lesbianism - into the mainstream, so that we are no longer "wallflowers" at the gay dance.

I find the idea that lesbians are the "wallflowers" of gay culture particularly interesting. Not only does it seem relevant here in D.C., but also at The New Gay. It's a well known fact that in D.C., women's spaces are vastly outnumbered by men's spaces; but that continues here at The New Gay, where there are only three regular female contributors, and about 13 regular male contributors. And, to further the idea that lesbians are "wallflowers," our editorial staff, which does most of the behind-the-scenes editing of posts, consists of more women.

I've heard numerous explanations for why the lesbian community is often less visible than the gay male community. There's the stereotypes: that lesbians are nesters, and that we're not fun because we're too busy rallying or protesting. Merkin posits that the fact lesbains are overshadowed in gay culture relates directly to the fact that women are overshadowed by men in society at large. One of my favorite explanations comes from a friend's women's studies professor: the under-representation of lesbians in the gay scene is, in large part, economic. Women don't drink as much as men, thus women's bars and parties are less profitable.

While Rachel Maddow may have brought lesbianism out of the shadows in the media, that doesn't mean she's done the same when it actually comes to gay culture. While it's never bad for society at large to embrace beauty standards outside of our unrealistic societal norms, it's also not necessarily good to decide that lesbianism is "cool" because lesbians can be attractive, whether butch or femme. Not to mention the fact that society at large isn't necessarily bringing lesbianism out from the shadows of gay men. Making lesbians a bigger part of gay culture, especially in a place like D.C., is something that the gay community needs to work on together, not something Rachel Maddow's hotness is going to solve.

What do you think? Agree with Merkin, or disagree? Do you think Maddow's "glamorizing" of lesbianism will help bring queer women more to the forefront? Do you want to help The New Gay bring ladies onto the dance floor by writing a weekly column for us?