Lesbian until graduation
578077
225719845
2008-07-15T01:58:04Z
User0529
7280847
/* See also */ add
{{Bi}}The [[Sexual slang|slang]] terms '''lesbian until graduation''' (LUG)<ref name="NYT">See for instance [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE7DF1238F936A35755C0A965958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print "Campus Lesbians Step Into Unfamiliar Light"] [[New York Times]], June 5, 1993</ref>, '''gay until graduation''' (GUG), or '''bisexual until graduation''' (BUG), are terms used to describe women primarily of [[high-school]] or [[college]] age, who are assumed to be experimenting with or adopting a temporary [[lesbian]] or [[bisexuality|bisexual]] identity. The term suggests that the woman to whom it is applied will ultimately adopt a strictly [[heterosexual]] identity. Some members of the lesbian community use this term to disparage bisexual women.<ref name="ny-mag">[http://nymag.com/nymetro/nightlife/sex/columns/nakedcity/n_8301/ "Bi For Now"], by Amy Sohn, [[February 10]], [[2003]] issue of [[New York Magazine]], New York Metro section</ref>
== Usage ==
=== To describe closeted women ===
At one time, the terms ''LUG''/''BUG'' were associated with [[lesbian]] and [[bisexual]] women at same-sex [[high-school]]s, [[colleges]] or [[universities]], who were [[The closet|closeted]] from [[parents]] or [[Legal guardian|guardians]]. The term suggested that the individual was [[coming out|openly]] lesbian or [[bisexual]] while on campus, but that they would ultimately conform to social and familial expectations of [[heterosexuality]].
A similar usage typically described a form of [[situational sexual behavior]], suggesting that they would ultimately revert to [[heterosexual]] behavior, whether out of interpersonal pressure or actual preference.
=== Disparaging ===
In recent usage, the term is generally used to suggest that a woman's same-sex sexual activity is somehow illegitimate.<ref name="ny-mag"/> One negative suggestion is that the relations are consciously elective or temporary, or that they are primarily based on convenience. This usage suggests that the participants are:
:* concentrating on studies without the distraction of "genuine" romantic relationships
:* avoiding unwanted male attention
:* avoiding the risk of unwanted pregnancy while remaining sexually active
Another negative suggestion is that the behavior stems from a desire for attention, sometimes described with a new usage of the older term "[[bisexual chic]]". This usage suggests that the participants are:
:* trying to increase their sexual desirability among heterosexual men
:* surprising parents or relatives with news that is presumed to be undesirable
:* surprising friends and acquaintances with news that is presumed to be shocking
:* attempting to cultivate a progressive, radical, or countercultural image
:* developing solidarity with an oppressed community
:* resorting to women out of a lack of male attention
:* have trouble or have had trouble relating to the opposite sex romantically in a healthy manner
== Other reactions ==
Members of the [[bisexual community]] and their allies state that these terms are evidence of [[biphobia]] or [[bisexual erasure]], and that many women described as LUGs may actually identify as [[bisexual]].<ref name="ny-mag"/> They suggest that the appearance of the term is evidence that human sexuality is more flexible (as in the case of [[sexual preference]]) than it is fixed (as in the case of [[sexual orientation]]).
They argue that the term is often used to disparage [[bi-curious]] and [[Questioning (sexuality)|questioning]] youth who are exploring their [[sexual identity]].<ref name="seattleweekly">[http://www.seattleweekly.com/1999-09-15/news/confessions-of-a-college-lesbian.php "Confessions of a college lesbian"], [[September 15]], [[1999]] issue of the [[Seattle Weekly]]</ref>
People suggest that of women who engage in same-sex activity for a limited time period, some may be [[lesbians]] who become fully [[closeted]] due to societal disapprobation; some may be [[bisexual]] who subsequently either go on to find other partners who happen to be of the opposite gender or who like closeted lesbians suppress part of their identity again due to societal disapprobation and that some may actually just be experimenting<ref name="seattleweekly"/>.
It is argued that these distinctions are irrelevant, and that the label is harmful regardless of to whom it is applied. Societal acceptance and affirmation of same-sex attraction as legitimate would mitigate the pressure on women to abandon a [[lesbian]] or [[bisexual]] orientation for [[heterosexuality]] after graduation from college.
Advocates state further that such acceptance would create an atmosphere where questioning one's sexual identity would be a legitimate experience, where the pressure to choose a definitive label would be relieved, and where questioning individuals would not be ridiculed or vilified for exploring, regardless of the outcome.
== See also ==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
* [[Bisexual chic]]
* [[Bi-curious]]
* [[Klein Sexual Orientation Grid]]
* [[Mixed-orientation marriage]]
{{col-2}}
* [[Questioning (sexuality)|Questioning]]
* [[Sexual identity]]
* [[Sexual orientation]]
{{col-end}}
==References==
<!-- this 'empty' section displays references defined elsewhere -->
{{reflist}}
==External links==
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/16/national/16sex.html?ex=1284523200&en=a80eccce1c614aae&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss Nationwide Survey Includes Data on Teenage Sex Habits], [[New York Times]]
* [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9358339/ More women experimenting with bisexuality], [[MSNBC]]
* [http://www.metrotimes.com/editorial/story.asp?id=10570 Bisexual healing], Metrotimes, [[Detroit, MI]]
* [http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2005-09-15/news/the-vagina-dialogues/ The Vagina Dialogues], [[Phoenix New Times]]
* [http://www.advocate.com/issue_story.asp?id=49019&page=1 Lesbian After Marriage], by [[Jennifer Baumgardner]] [[The Advocate]] [[October 9]], [[2007]]
* [http://abcnews.go.com/US/LifeStages/Story?id=3484082&page=1 Young Women Defy Labels in Intimacy With Both Sexes] by Susan Donaldson James [[August 16]], [[2007]] for [[ABC News]]
{{LGBT-slang}}
{{LGBT-footer|history=yes|culture=yes|rights=yes}}
[[Category:Sexual orientation and identity]]
[[Category:LGBT terms]]
[[Category:Pejorative terms for people]]
[[Category:Bisexuality]]
<!-- Hidden categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since October 2007 -->
[[tr:Mezuniyete kadar lezbiyen]]