Midlife Lesbian Relationships

What awaits lesbians at middle age? Midlife Lesbian Relationships explores the rich world of lesbian relationships at midlife, from dating through the loss of parents, and describes the central relationship between who we are as adults and our connections with friends, lovers, parents, and children. Midlife Lesbian Relationships will help lesbians and the professionals who counsel them navigate and understand the midlife transition. Offering both theoretical and descriptive material, this timely work discusses the difficulties of stigma and the strengths of female same-sex relationships, providing insight into the challenges lesbians find at middle age. Midlife Lesbian Relationships provides insight into the challenges and solutions of middle age for lesbians, discussing: friendships dating and courtship couple relationships and the key ingredients that strengthen and deepen them parenting young children and the influence of lesbian midlife maturation on confidence and satisfaction in mothering substance abuse and the road to recovery the evolution of the bonds between these women and their biological families what many lesbians in middle age go through when their parents pass away, including the easing of internalized homophobia Midlife Lesbian Relationships illustrates the commonalities and differences between lesbians and other women at midlife, and illuminates how the interplay between middle age and relationships can contribute to midlife development. Make this valuable volume part of your collection!

Explore the broad range of healthy lesbian attitudes and behaviors in love, friendship, self-image, and society! This pioneering book makes a revolutionary assumption: that lesbian and bisexual women are normal, if not average. Instead of focusing on which family or genetic quirks might produce lesbians, these studies turn attention to describing the healthy ways lesbians interact with each other, with heterosexual women, and with society. The result is a significant exploration of uncharted territory. Lesbian Love and Relationships examines the lives of lesbian and bisexual women from adolescence to old age, addressing issues of class and race as well as sexual orientation. It encompasses theory, empirical research, and memoir on such diverse topics as physical appearance, cross-generational friendships, butch-femme issues, and lesbian sexuality. It also looks at such difficult and painful issues as lesbian domestic violence and the impact of homophobia on lesbian couples. Lesbian Love and Relationships asks personal, political, and psychological questions, including: how do young lesbians find each other? what makes successful lesbian relationships last? how does social class affect African-American lesbian relationships? what was it like growing up lesbian in the South during World War II? does “lesbian bed death” exist? This compendium offers exciting original research in a neglected field. Lesbian Love and Relationships is an essential resource for anyone interested in women’s lives and sexuality as well as scholars in the field.

Explore the broad range of healthy lesbian attitudes and behaviors in love, friendship, self-image, and society!This pioneering book makes a revolutionary assumption: that lesbian and bisexual women are normal, if not average. Instead of focusing on which family or genetic quirks might produce lesbians, these studies turn attention to describing the healthy ways lesbians interact with each other, with heterosexual women, and with society. The result is a significant exploration of uncharted territory.Lesbian Love and Relationships examines the lives of lesbian and bisexual women from adolescence to old age, addressing issues of class and race as well as sexual orientation. It encompasses theory, empirical research, and memoir on such diverse topics as physical appearance, cross-generational friendships, butch-femme issues, and lesbian sexuality. It also looks at such difficult and painful issues as lesbian domestic violence and the impact of homophobia on lesbian couples.Lesbian Love and Relationships asks personal, political, and psychological questions, including: how do young lesbians find each other? what makes successful lesbian relationships last? how does social class affect African-American lesbian relationships? what was it like growing up lesbian in the South during World War II? does “lesbian bed death” exist? This compendium offers exciting original research in a neglected field. Lesbian Love and Relationships is an essential resource for anyone interested in women’s lives and sexuality as well as scholars in the field.

Written by two experienced lesbian therapists, Lesbian Couples covers a range of topics—commitment ceremonies and marriage, living arrangements, work, money, togetherness and separate identities, coming out to family and friends, resolving conflict and understanding each other—and uses a variety of helpful examples and problem-solving techniques, drawing from research done on lesbian couples over the past decade. The book pays special attention to differences of race, class, age and physical ability, and addresses the issues raised when one or both partners are recovering from alcohol, substance, or sexual abuse. The book also addresses differences that lesbians may encounter in their relationships regarding such issues as butch-femme, transgender identity, bisexuality, monogamy, and s/m. Thoroughly readable and extremely helpful, with an updated resource guide, Lesbian Couples is a book that every lesbian will want to own.

"Lesbians at Midlife: The Creative Transition is an anthology by and about lesbians from 40 to 60, with personal stories, poems, and insightful research. These pieces cover diverse topics from sex after menopase, changing body image, re-emerging creativity, dealing with a hysterectomy, being single at midlife, maintaining balance in relationships, to financial planning for retirement, legal issues, caring for an aging parent, redefining political commitmetns and more..."--Publisher's description.

Examines the special bonds and stresses, common to lesbian families and provides a five-stage working model for the development of lesbian couple relationships. It provides guidance for friends as well as members of lesbian families and is useful for therapists who wish to design more effective and informed therapies.

Over the last fifteen years, psychological research regarding sexual orientation has seen explosive growth. In this book, Anthony R. D'Augelli and Charlotte J. Patterson bring together top experts to offer a comprehensive overview of what we have discovered--and what we still need to learn--about lesbian, gay, and bisexual identities. Writing in clear, nontechnical language, the contributors cover a range of topics, including conceptions of sexual identity, development over the lifespan, family and other personal relationships, parenting, and bigotry and discrimination. Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Identities Over the Lifespan is essential reading for researchers, students, social scientists, mental health practitioners, and general readers who seek the most up-to-date and authoritative treatment of the subject available.

Love Matters: A Book of Lesbian Romance and Relationships is a collection of advice columns and personal reflections that will help lesbian couples validate and appreciate their unique relationships. With excerpts taken from the author’s “Love Matters” column in the lesbian newspaper New Phazes, this book explores real-life questions and issues that lesbians have about dating, sex, love, and relationship longevity. From Love Matters, you’ll receive honest, informative advice that can help you and your partner share a more open and fulfilling relationship. Offering support, care, and understanding for lesbian couples, Love Matters seeks to recognize the “new female role” for lesbian women. Using her 15-year long relationship as a basis for many of the responses, the author provides you with suggestions and insight into topics relating to lesbian relationships, such as: keeping sex alive in a long-term relationship handling finances fairly and successfully supporting your partner through the physical, emotional, and spiritual changes caused by menopause identifying the difficulties of dating and what lesbians look for on a date questioning the purpose of and emotions caused by a long-distance relationship realizing how homophobia affects love and relationships While focusing on the joys and experiences of couples, this book also addresses depression and loneliness felt by single lesbians, break-ups, and the death of a partner. You’ll find that Love Matters offers comfort, hope, and humor that will help you understand the difficulties and rewards of your lesbian relationship.