The Lesbian Bill of Rights (LBOR) provides in pertinent parts as follows:

Whereas lesbians have historically been specifically targeted, on the basis of sex and sexual orientation, for rape and other sexual violence by men and institutions; 

‘Lesbian’ means a human female homosexual; or, a woman or girl who is only attracted to her own sex;

‘Compulsory heterosexuality’ means the patriarchal pressure, indoctrination, and coercion exercised on all women and girls to partner sexually with men and to serve men as sexual and domestic servants; 

But lesbians have been specifically targeted because we are only sexually and romantically attracted to our own sex and because we prioritise women over men.

Men have enforced heterosexuality through what has been called ‘corrective rape’ as well as through threats of physical violence and intimidation. Such male behaviour usually takes place in public spaces, in the workplace, schools, and colleges. Some of these men are so-called incels who feel entitled to sex with women, and who consequently hate lesbians because they refuse to have sexual relationships with them. Others are men like Andrew Tate who promote misogynistic attitudes towards women and girls in general. He claims that females only exist to obey men, and that “rape is women’s own responsibility.”

Tate is a social media influencer and a role model for young men. His brand includes the slapping and choking of young women and exploiting their bodies through sex trafficking and the creation of pornography. [1]

The other group of heterosexual men who insist they should have sexual access to lesbian bodies are males who are activists for ‘trans rights’ and who call themselves lesbians. The vast majority of these men do not have their male genitalia removed or take female cross sex hormones. [2] They and their supporters state that their penises should be accepted by lesbians as female sex organs, known as ‘lady sticks’. This justification by male trans activists was supported by a trans male porn star, and was called ‘breaking the cotton ceiling’ in 2012, in a workshop held in Canada. [3]

Lesbians of all ages have refused to accept this. Social media contains numerous accounts by lesbians who use online dating services, meet up with their date, only to discover he is a man. As a consequence, some of these lesbians have been raped. Others, who have been indoctrinated into ‘queer ideology’, have felt coerced and intimidated into accepting sex with these men for fear of being seen as ‘transphobic’ and ostracised by friends in the LGBTQ+ community. This coercion and intimidation still affects some lesbians, who feel that they have to accept sex with these men. However, more recently it is rare for any lesbian to agree to have sex with these men, despite receiving death threats.

One young lesbian said she was told “they would rather kill me than Hitler. They said they would strangle me with a belt if they were in a room with me and Hitler. This seemed so bizarrely violent because I won’t have sex with trans women”.

In the UK the former Chief Executive of Stonewall, Nancy Kelley, who is herself a lesbian, stated that not wanting to date ‘trans women’ is the same as not wanting “to date people of colour, fat people, or disabled people”. She, herself, however, showed no inclination to agree to such dates.

Sexual and physical violence against lesbians takes place because of our refusal to recognise the reinterpretation of ‘same-sex attraction’ as ‘same-gender attraction.’ This reinterpretation is supported by international lobbyists named SOGIES (sexual orientation and gender identities) as well as national groups. It has been recognised as violence against women and lesbians by the UN Special Rapporteur, Reem Alsalem, who has said,

‘discrimination based on sex and sexual orientation is prohibited in international and regional human rights law.’ [4]

She has raised her concerns about the failure of law enforcement in some northern regions (including the EU countries and other states) to provide the necessary protection when women and lesbians hold lawful gatherings under their freedom of assembly and speech rights. She states:

‘We have witnessed incidents of verbal and physical abuse, harassment and intimidation, with the purpose of sabotaging and derailing such events as well as silencing the women who wish to speak at them.’

Advocates for so-called ‘transgender rights’ in some regions have particularly targeted lesbian events and safe spaces.  UK law recognizes the legal exclusion of men claiming to be women in its Equality Act 2010 (Schedule 3, para 28), but this is not acknowledged by these men. They have, for example, specifically targeted lesbian-only bar nights by invading the single-sex toilets, smearing their semen on the toilet paper in the cubicles, upturning the sanitary bins, exposing their penises, and attempting to sexually assault lesbians using the single-sex toilet facilities. [5]

Research shows that 75% of these men have a sexual fetish (known as auto-gynephilia) whereby they get a sexual kick from posing as women, invading women and lesbian only spaces and sexually assaulting them. [6]

Conclusions

Male sexual and physical violence against lesbians occurs because lesbians refuse to be erased. They refuse to allow men sexual access to their bodies, even though they may risk male sexual and physical violence. The clear intention of the male dominated ‘trans rights’ lobby is to rule through fear as has been highlighted by Reem Alsalem, the UN special rapporteur on the violence and intimidation towards women and girls.

The suppression of lesbian visibility and lesbian role models has also contributed to this situation. But, in the UK as well as in some other European countries, this is changing and there is increasing resistance from younger lesbians who are rejecting transgender ideology and creating their own lesbian only safe spaces and networks.

For example, two young lesbians recently organised a Lesbian Pride picnic on Hampstead Heath in the UK. In France a lesbian gathering was held recently in Paris and included mainly younger lesbians from France and Germany. No men posing as women were allowed at these gatherings.

In 2021 the Lesbian Rights Alliance raised money to fund and support the website PositivelyLesbian.org, created by younger lesbians in their early 20s. The website promotes lesbian visibility and personal stories from young lesbians.

See for example, https://www.positivelylesbian.org/add-your-story/ . It is initiatives like this that have provided more lesbian visibility and role models for younger lesbians.

Lynne Harne
Lesbian Rights Alliance (UK)

Endorsed by Lesbian Resistance NZ and WDI AUS/NZ Lesbian Caucus