The Lesbian History Sourcebook

Oram, Alison; Turnbull, Annmarie

doi:10.4324/9781315004013

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…Whilst female homosexuality was also classified as a mental disorder (‘sexual deviation’), same-sex-attracted women were less likely to receive aversion therapy. Unlike male homosexuality, women's homosexual behaviour was not directly criminalised in England and therefore tended to be hidden, socially regulated, and pathologised in less visible and documented ways ( Oram and Turnbull, 2001 ). Therefore, these women were never faced with the Hobson's choice of being offered aversion theory instead of prison, and there is less known about their experiences.…”

Section: Aversion Therapy and Behaviourism In Britainmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… Davison, 2020a ; Dickinson, 2015 ), and lesbians' experience of psychiatry (e.g. Jennings, 2008 ; Oram and Turnbull, 2001 ), this article focuses specifically on the practice of aversion therapy to reorientate women's sexuality. Although there is some research documenting gay men's experiences of being subjected to this treatment, little is known about women's experiences.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Lesbian and bisexual women's experiences of aversion therapy in England

Spandler

Carr

2022

History of the Human Sciences

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This article presents the findings of a study about the history of aversion therapy as a treatment technique in the English mental health system to convert lesbians and bisexual women into heterosexual women. We explored published psychiatric and psychological literature, as well as lesbian, gay, and bisexual archives and anthologies. We identified 10 examples of young women receiving aversion therapy in England in the 1960s and 1970s. We situate our discussion within the context of post-war British and transnational medical history. As a contribution to a significantly under-researched area, this article adds to a broader transnational history of the psychological treatment of marginalised sexualities and genders. As a consequence, it also contributes to LGBTQIA+ history, the history of medicine, and psychiatric survivor history. We also reflect on the ethical implications of the research for current mental health practice.

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Section: Aversion Therapy and Behaviourism In Britainmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lesbian and bisexual women's experiences of aversion therapy in England

Spandler

Carr

2022

History of the Human Sciences

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“…Like Nestle’s ( 1993 ) oral history interview with Mabel Hampton, this article reflects on the narrative that Cynthia has decided to remember, and is able to tell, but unlike most of the aforementioned examples, contributes to a British history (following in the footsteps of Summerskill, 2013 ; Traies, 2018 ). This micro(oral)history not only contributes the unique oral history of Cynthia Reid, who is thought to be only surviving founding member of the Minorities Research Group, but also provides further resources to the growing range of literature that provides materials of oral history in such a way that allows others to utilize the same source data (eg, Lewis, 2016 ; Oram & Turnbull, 2001 ; and the book Inventing ourselves: Lesbian life stories ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lesbian Community and Activism in Britain 1940s–1970s: An Interview with Cynthia Reid

Hubbard

2021

Journal of Homosexuality

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In this article, I provide a micro(oral)history of Cynthia Reid, one of only five women who founded the Minorities Research group—the first known lesbian organization in Britain, in 1963. Such activism paved the way for further lesbian liberatory action and the group did a great deal to combat the isolation experienced by many queer women across the country. They provided social opportunities as well as advice, and made more public calls for greater social acceptance. The group has been central to the interests of 20th-century queer historians, especially as the Minorities Research Group also produced the first lesbian magazine in Britain Arena Three . As a microhistory Cynthia’s story informs many threads within queer history, including conceptualizations of masculinities, community, and change; while also challenging dominant notions that families and medical professionals were consistently unsupportive of queer people in the 1940s–1970s. In doing so, this article amplifies Cynthia’s story in a way that means not only does it contribute nuance as a micro(oral)history to the broader field of queer scholarship but it also acts as a resource to stimulate further research.

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“…Historiography in this field has typically focused on white, cisgender, gay male actors in US context ( Hegarty & Rutherford, 2019 ). Notable exceptions include: Rebecca Jennings’ (2008) detailed account of lesbians and psychiatry in the Journal of British Studies ; Alison Oram’s (2007) chapter in The Permissive Society and Its Enemies ; Oram and Turnbull’s (2001) commentaries in their Lesbian History Sourcebook ; and Katherine Hubbard’s (2019) history of how psychologists used the Rorschach ink blot test to contest the pathologisation of lesbians.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A history of lesbian politics and the psy professions

Spandler

Carr

2020

Feminism & Psychology

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This article explores the relationship between lesbian activists and the “psy professions” (especially psychology and psychiatry) in England from the 1960s to the 1980s. We draw on UK-based LGBTQIA+ archive sources and specifically magazines produced by, and for, lesbians. We use this material to identify three key strategies used within the lesbian movement to contest psycho-pathologisation during this 30-year period: from respectable collaborationist forms of activism during the 1960s; to more liberationist oppositional politics during the early 1970s; to radical feminist separatist activism in the 1980s. Whilst these strategies broadly map onto activist strategies deployed within the wider lesbian and gay movement during this time, this article explores how these politics manifested in particular ways, specifically in relation to the psy disciplines in the UK. We describe these strategies, illustrating them with examples of activism from the archives. We then use this history to problematise a linear, overly reductionist or binary history of liberation from psycho-pathologisation. Finally, we explore some complexities in the relationship between sexuality, activism and the psy professions.

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The Lesbian History Sourcebook

Cited by 3 publications

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Lesbian and bisexual women's experiences of aversion therapy in England

Lesbian and bisexual women's experiences of aversion therapy in England

Lesbian Community and Activism in Britain 1940s–1970s: An Interview with Cynthia Reid

A history of lesbian politics and the psy professions

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