Lesbians: Where Are We Now?

I love this review, by @JoanMBurda, for the New York Journal of Books. Sadly, the day after this was published, the publication folded. I take zero responsibility. Anyway, here it is:

During the past few years there has been a concerted effort by many who want to erase the words “women,” “woman,” “mother,” “girl,” “lesbian,” and similar terms, because those words upset trans-identified men. It seems unlikely those folks will read this book, Lesbians Where Are We Now? . . . but they should. This is a well-researched and documented journey through the lesbian experience over the past 40 plus years and Bindel’s personal experience adds to the immediacy of the book. It is not an academic tome but one that is written by someone with a unique perspective.

This isn’t a lecture intended to convince anyone of anything—other than that lesbians in particular, and women in general, need to be listened to, considered, and even envied. Bindel combines a journalist’s eye for detail with an exposition of the author’s personal experiences as a feminist and lesbian living in the United Kingdom and traveling around the world. She provides a guided tour of a world of lesbians through the ‘80s, ‘90s and into the 21st century, with a brief detour into the 1970s and the violence directed at them, as well as the legal challenges faced, conquered, yet still recurring today.

The author’s staccato prose style gives an immediacy to her ideas and observations that predisposes the reader to keep up or be left behind. This is not an objective book claiming to offer a “both sides” perspective. Bindel writes as a lesbian and a feminist and makes no bones about it. Sometimes it comes across like a baseball bat to the side of the head, but without the resulting concussion.

The book makes one think about why many young lesbians prefer to replace the word with “queer” and why that word defies a logical definition. Bindel address the many efforts to erase, minimize, and demonize women, girls, and lesbians. “Sex” and “gender” have been conflated with some demanding that the latter dominate. Bindel writes, “the concept of gender was central to feminist thinking. Defined as distinct from biology, it was viewed as a social construct that equates masculine with male and feminine with female. Feminists understood the concept as leading directly to oppression, an obstacle to women’s equality . . . [i]t was a fundamental tenet of our politics that all things concerning gender were socially constructed.” That sentence for those who find Bindel’s very existence to be anathema, will set their teeth on edge. But it reflects the confidence the author has in the legitimacy of her position, and it further establishes her as one who is able to give a historical perspective to a current issue.

Too many of those writing today about the alphabet issues of LGBTQAA+ rights are the “Johnny come latelys” and their ignorance undermines whatever position they are trying to take. And when challenged they often resort to personal attacks and threats of violence. Bindel is light years ahead of her critics and speaks from knowledge and experience, which categorically rebuts the criticism by those who seek to undermine her. Here’s a caveat: at no time does the author belittle the legal rights of anyone; however, she is adamant in her defence of the rights of lesbians, women, and girls and her refusal to accede to the demands of those attacking them in general or her in particular. Bindel’s anger is palpable as she writes, “The onslaught on feminism has had a terrible, material effect on women in general and lesbians in particular. One of the most insidious and poisonous developments is that women who are same-sex-attracted, and especially those who present as butch, are today offered not the support they need to withstand the bullying, self-doubt and hatred that so many experience, but the option of social and medical transition so that they can ‘live as’ trans men.”

The recent U.K. Supreme Court decision, which, without equivocation, states that sex is biological, has proved that a man cannot become a woman or a lesbian and can be excluded from single-sex spaces and lesbian-only gatherings. The howling and gnashing of teeth that ensued upon the release of that decision has been deafening . . . the poor dears. For centuries women who take a public stance, voice an opinion, or raise any type of objection, have been subjected to a barrage of vituperative attacks by people seeking to silence them. Julie Bindel has been subjected to years of concerted efforts to destroy her—yet she persists. Her own painful, infuriating, and potentially demoralizing experiences included in the book propel her to stand against the attacks against lesbians and women and their right to exist. In fact, Bindel’s book is a perfect example of a woman who is fearless in her determination to enter the fray and by doing so encourages others to do the same. She gives better than she gets and there is no question that she will not be silenced by those who fear and loathe her. This book may seem to be geared toward a particular demographic but one must not be deterred. Readers do not need to be a lesbian—or even know any—to be entranced by this book.