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SUMMARY
The lesbian and bisexual women'S electronic mailing lists of the Internet have created electronic lesbian and bisexual spaces which simultaneously reflect and yet differ from real-time lesbian spaces. This paper summarizes data collected in a 1995-96 survey in which over 100 subscribers of the lesbian and bisexual women'S mailing lists answered both qualitative and quantitative questions about the interface between their on-line and real-time lives. As is reported in this paper, many of the survey respondents sought lesbian and bisexual online spaces where they could avoid men and heterosexuals but, in order to do so, had to negotiate the sometimes-difficult terrain of electronic co-existence with a diverse group of lesbians and/or bisexuals. This diversity caused difficulties for some survey respondents which mirrored many of the difficulties of their real-time lives. Yet, the impetus was also planted for the development of identity-specific electronic mailing lists where like-minded lesbians and/or bisexuals could enjoy affirming communication and interaction.
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Celeste Wincapaw
Celeste Wincapaw completed the research for this article as part of her Master'S thesis for the ever-patient and queer-friendly Department of Geography, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. Celeste is currently employed by a Vancouver-based feminist organization. Her passionate debates include comic book heroes, IRC (Internet Relay Chat) addictions, garbage-picking, and on-line flirts with her real-time partner, Mary Henderson.
