Struggles of Lesbian Community at a Generational Low in Recent Decades

Article Rewrite:

Title: Julie Bindel's War: Lesbian Rights vs. Gender Ideology in the 21st Century

Image Credits: Getty

16th May 2025 *Image Credits: Getty. * topics: Feminism, Identity Politics, Politics, UK

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Can a man lay claim to the identity of a lesbian? The United Nations suggests that the lesbian community spans a wide array of gender expressions, physiques, and physical characteristics. Modern lesbian spaces, including bars, dating apps, and social events, face pressure to accommodate heterosexual men who perceive themselves as women. History may have seen these men allowed into large lesbian gatherings, had the UK Supreme Court's gender ruling taken a different turn.

Julie Bindel's latest book, Lesbians: Where Are We Now?, tackles this perplexing 21st-century battle for lesbian identity. She sat down with Brendan O'Neill on his podcast, The Brendan O'Neill Show, to discuss the meteoric rise of gender ideology and its impact on the lesbian rights movement. You can watch the entire conversation here.

Brendan O'Neill: Let's dive right in - where do lesbians fit in today's world?

Julie Bindel: Quite frankly, we're in a far worse state than we were at any point in the past few decades. I came out as a lesbian in the 1970s and, while we didn't have legal rights, discriminating against us was frowned upon. We began to gain legal rights and social acceptance when we, along with the women's liberation movement, fought for them.

We managed this by focusing on obtaining our own rights rather than advocating for the rights of others. This all changed with the rise of gender ideology at universities and the proliferation of "privileged beliefs." As the need for these ideas exceeded their relevance, lesbians and gay men found themselves buried under mountains of jargon. Narcissism took precedence over the very goals that our communities had initially set out to achieve.

A once focused gay rights movement expanded into the LGBTQ2S+ movement, leaving lesbians at the bottom of the pile. I've heard many people ask, "What about the lesbians?" That's why I wrote this book - to address the onslaught on lesbian identity in the form of gender ideology, a movement that welcomed us with open arms, if only to later throw us under the bus.

#### Podcast

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our website**O'Neill: How did women like you feel when the recent Supreme Court ruling was announced?

Bindel: My organization, The Lesbian Project, and colleagues Kathleen Stock and Scottish Lesbians, intervened in the case alongside the LGB Alliance. Our objective was to make it clear to the court that if a man with a gender recognition certificate were to claim the identity of a lesbian, it would effectively nullify our sexual orientation. In simple terms, such a ruling would mean that a lesbian gathering could no longer exclude men who identify as women.

I attended the initial arguments and recall the way that the Scottish government's lawyer struggled to convince the court that a man could claim lesbian identity if he chose to. I mean, imagine a man mentally convincing himself that he's a lesbian and demanding entrance to a lesbian gathering, while another man, with no paperwork, is denied entry. Strange times indeed!

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Joel Kotkin**By this point in the proceedings, I could see that the Scottish government's lawyer had been put through her paces, much like a star athlete at a marathon. She wasn't in the least bit convincing when using phrases such as 'transwoman' or 'acquired gender.' I couldn't help but feel a fleeting sense of pity for her, but only for a moment.

I knew at that very instant that we had won our case. I've been involved in too many legal battles where outcomes have not gone our way, but this time was different. The public mood had shifted, and the political climate had grown more accepting. Our voices had finally been heard.

Brendan O'Neill was talking to Julie Bindel. Catch the whole discussion right here:**

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Changes in Discourse:

Conflation of Issues: Support for LGBTQ+ rights, including lesbian rights, is often conflated with gender ideology in political and media discourse. This conflation can make it difficult to discuss specific lesbian concerns.
Intersectional Concerns: Advancements in understanding identity and discrimination have helped illuminate the intersectional nature of oppression. However, this intersectional approach can sometimes overshadow specific lesbian issues within broader discussions about gender fluidity and identity politics.

Polarization: There is widespread disagreement around transgender rights in the UK, with some accusing the advancement of transgender rights of undermining lesbian rights. This disagreement has led to tensions within the LGBTQ+ community and exacerbated by media coverage and political rhetoric.
Backlash: Proposals have been put forth to exclude transgender individuals from certain spaces and organizations, potentially contributing to intra-community conflict and hindering the progress of lesbian rights.

Advocacy & Activism:

Advocacy Efforts: Despite these hurdles, there are ongoing efforts to advance LGBTQ+ rights, including efforts that focus specifically on lesbian issues. Organizations such as Scottish Lesbians and the LGB Alliance continue to advocate for lesbian rights within a broader LGBTQ+ context.

In summary, while gender ideology and queer theory have contributed to a more complex understanding of identity and rights, they have also introduced challenges for lesbian advocacy in the UK. The political and social climate requires careful navigation to ensure that lesbian rights maintain momentum.

The rise of gender ideology and its effect on lesbian rights is a hotly debated issue in modern politics, with discussions often intertwining support for LGBTQ+ rights and questioning transgender identities.
Free speech is a key concern within this debate, as advocates for lesbian rights argue that cancel culture and opposition to dissenting viewpoints are limiting open discourse about identity politics.
Identity politics and culture play a significant role in determining the place of lesbians within current social and political contexts, with the expansion of the LGBTQ2S+ movement leaving lesbians at the bottom of the priority list for some advocates. This has prompted debates over the need for a revitalized focus on lesbian rights within the broader LGBTQ+ movement.

Struggles of Lesbian Community at a Generational Low in Recent Decades