Claiming a Lesbian Identity as an Act of Empowerment

Claiming a lesbian identity in a heterosexist culture is an act of empowerment in the struggle against oppression. This article dis-cusses both the nature of the oppression that lesbians face and the strengths and skills that lesbians demonstrate in constructing the unique components of their lesbian identity. Empowerment may seem to be the antithesis of what being lesbian means in American society today Think about homo-sexuality, and oppression quickly comes to mind. Think about women, and oppression quickly becomes apparent. Think about women of color, and racism claims one’s attention. Les-bians must struggle and cope with heterosexism, sexism, and often racism and classism. It would appear that lesbians are women in need of empowerment. However, this article asserts that the act of claiming a lesbian identity is an act of empower-ment because it is a direct challenge to the nature of heterosexist oppression. In claiming their identity, lesbians are women whose lives model empowerment. This discussion develops five themes. These themes are (a) the need for clear and accurate information about lesbians and the political forces that influence their lives, (b) the rele-vance of empowerment practice for social work with lesbian clients, (c) the nature of lesbian oppression, (d) key component