The Backlash! - February 1996

I NEVER Saw a Purple Cow

by Richard Kerkylas


I've got a few questions. Not many answers, but a few questions. And sure, these questions apply to some heterosexual women and men, and don't apply to some lesbians. Still, if the comfortable shoe fits....

What's the deal with lesbians?

Why do they seem to hate men so much? Gay men don't seem to have such contempt for women. Gay men seem to revere women. They even refer to themselves as "friends of Dorothy." And gay men, who often have many feminine qualities, seem to relate well to women. Why do lesbians, who carry many masculine traits, seem to hate men so much? Why do lesbians hate the people they so often emulate?

Is it possible that they are emulating men in this respect? After all, men are encouraged to hate men and masculinity. For that matter, women are often encouraged to hate men as well. Do lesbians get a double shot of this hate for men?

Why does it seem that so many radical feminists are lesbians? An article in the New York Times put the percentage of lesbians in the local N.O.W. at 40%. I suspect that that is a rather conservative estimate.

Why is it that the people who are the driving forces of feminism seem so often to be lesbians? Of course, it's impossible to unerringly identify a lesbian just by appearance. But many make it pretty obvious. Why do the movers and shakers of feminism seem to be so predominately of the lesbian leaning?

Is feminism a front for lesbianism? Has feminism been co-opted by lesbianism? Has feminism been taken over by lesbians to promote their own issues? Are lesbians using feminism to promote lesbian issues in the guise of fighting for women's concerns? Are lesbians using our concern for women to get legislation and government assistance for lesbians which would not occur on their own merits?

For example, why is the stated mission of the Seattle Office of Women's Rights "advocating for women and sexual minorities"? (I'd like to see a Venn Diagram of that mission statement.) Why is it that when I asked to be put on the mailing list for their newsletter, that I also received the newsletter for the Seattle Commission for Lesbians and Gays? And why is there so much overlap between the two newsletters? Could it be that Johnny Carson nailed it nearly 30 years ago during a Laugh-In show when he said, "Last year the women's liberation group and the gay liberation front tried to solve their differences, only to find out there were none"?

Is this why so few women will call themselves "feminists?" Is it because, deep down, they know that feminism is not about women's issues? Not really. Feminism is about a small subset of women.

Are women ambivalent about this? Do they, on the one hand, understand that "feminism" isn't really about promoting equality? But, on the other hand, do women to some degree buy the rhetoric (Sapphostry?) that feminism's purpose is to strive for equality? Is this ambivalence the reason that women do not eagerly adopt the feminist label, while, at the same time, women do not eagerly denounce feminism? Why else would women refuse to condemn a movement that seems to be striving for lesbian and anti-male goals? Why else would women refuse to denounce a movement that so hates their brothers, fathers, husbands, and sons? Why haven't the vast majority of women taken back their movement?

Are lesbians trying to destroy heterosexual relationships? Is that why some promote rape awareness week during the week of Valentine's Day? Is that why some proclaim all heterosexual sex is rape? Are lesbians trying to make more lesbians?

Am I a bigot for asking these questions? Or are the bigots the politically correct people who will condemn me for asking these questions? Are they bigots for trying to shame me into silence, so they can continue their bigotry against men?

What's the deal with purple? I understand that purple is a gay color because it is a mixture of blue and red---male and female colors. But the way lesbians wear purple (butch plum?), there seems to more to it than that. Is it political? Is it a gang color? Haven't these women heard of the Law of Chromatic Distribution? Purple is an accent, not a staple.

Do lesbians wear so much purple because they think they are royalty? Is that why lesbians think they can make the rules for everybody else?

And why is it that gay colors seem to have taken over as the most popular colors? Purple and green seem to be everywhere. And pink triangles seem to be sprouting up like weeds in the yard. Have lesbians conspired with their designer brothers for a little self-promotion?

And what's the deal with Title IX -- which demands gender equality in public schools? Why have lesbians used this as a jobs program for themselves? Why does it seem that the main function of Title IX is to get coaching and refereeing jobs for lesbians? And why have we let them get away with this? And why is it that striving for gender equality in schools only seems to appear where lesbians have a special interest---sports?

What about women's studies programs? Where are the activists for Title IX here? No men's studies programs and millions spent on women's studies. Why don't we have people fighting to obtain parity in this area? Come to think of it, considering all the lesbian instructors, is women's studies another jobs program for lesbians?

What's the deal? I am curious (but not yellow.)


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