Lesbian And Barbara Dibernard's Analysis Of Zami

Lesbian, a term originating in the late 19th century, used to describe homosexual women. In simpler words, a woman who is either sexually, or emotionally attracted to other women. Identifying as a lesbian means preparing yourself to be accepted by some of society, while looked down upon and ridiculed by others, it can mean different things for different individuals, but one thing remains the same, being lesbian comes with certain experiences, both good and bad that you otherwise would not experience. The whole lesbian discussion becomes more complex as we add in different intersections ranging from class, social status, to race. This brings up the whole concept of intersectionality which describes the nature of social categorizations that

It seems as if some of Lorde’s closet friendships were developed from within the lesbian community. In Barbara Dibernard’s analysis of Zami she points out that Gennie’s friendship helps Lorde sustain herself as a woman. I totally agree. The relationship between the two helped Lorde escape her everyday realities. She tells us “Gennie was the first person in my life that I was ever conscious of loving. She was my first true friend.” Although, Lorde never directly tells us that Gennie was gay, she does make hints at it. They seem to sort of explore and become comfortable with their sexuality together as they do things like laying in Gennie’s mom’s bed naked. Furthermore, when Gennie dies Lorde creates a poem, and within it she says, “Things I never did with Genevieve: Let our bodies touch and tell the passions that we felt” (Lorde 97). So, it is hinted at that Lorde not only grew a bond with Gennie through friendship, but they perhaps would have grown into more if it were not due to age and circumstances. Besides the naïve encounters with Gennie, Lorde develops bonds with many others through the Lesbian community. Among some of her lesbian relationships was Ginger, Bea, Eudora and Felicia. This is not all, and I’m sure that there are even more beyond what is mentioned in Zami. If Lorde was not part of the Lesbian community, there is a good chance that she

Lorde says “I remember how being young and black and gay and lonely felt. A lot of it was fine, feeling I had the truth and the light and the key, but a lot of it was purely hell” (Lorde 176). In this one sentence, she reflects upon how sometimes it truly is a good experience, but it is not always great. Being black during the mid-twentieth century presented her with a struggle of its own, having to deal with racism in society. Further adding the aspect of being gay made matters worse. I can only imagine that these two characteristics are ultimately what added to her loneliness. Being a double minority turns societies back towards an individual, ultimately creating the loneliness that Lorde felt. The elements that molded her as a person, also made it more difficult to have a striving social life. Describing her experience as sometimes being “purely hell,” caused me to want to further analyze the impacts of her