The Role Of Southern Lesbians In The 1940s And 1950s

Southern lesbians had unique experiences compared to gay men because of how ideas of Southern femininity were tied to the concept of the Southern belle, but of course these experiences and how their lesbianism could be expressed was also heavily tied to race, class, and social status. The 1940s and 1950s in particular represent an interesting time to study the intersection of these factors because of World War II and its role in granting women more freedom. With more women entering the workforce, more women could be independent outside the home, both financially and socially without damaging their reputations . Previously, lesbians were disadvantaged because women, queer or not, existing in the public sphere without the escort of a man “would

Middle- and upper-class lesbians benefitted from the invisibility their status granted them. Provided they remained respectable within the public sphere and displayed an attempt at conformity to Southern feminine ideals, then they could hide same-sex relationships beneath the guise of a socially acceptable friendship. In contrast, the 1940s and 1950s granted working-class women a higher degree of visibility in the public sphere as a result of their increased independence, which led to more opportunities for same-sex socialization. This still required lesbians to be cautious as the loss of secrecy surrounding these interactions could subject them to any number of consequences. However, these privileges granted to white lesbians typically did not extend to Black lesbians, as they not only experienced increased visibility, but also suffered from a lack of access to spaces utilized by white working-class lesbians for socialization. While white lesbians like Boyd would be welcomed into Black bars and clubs , the reverse was not true; Black lesbians were typically not welcomed into white spaces and so they had the added task of creating their own spaces for socialization. Thus, race, as well as class and social status, were crucial factors in dictating the ways in which Southern lesbians and women loving women interacted with their same-sex attraction. This emphasizes the importance of considering different people of different backgrounds in the study of the queer South, as a person’s background helps shape their queer identity and