Scheherazade Was a Dyke

ABSTRACT

Deprived of mainstream recognition, lesbian partners must find alternative ways to imbue their partnerships with significance. In-depth interviews conducted with six lesbian couples over 10 years suggest that the telling of dramatic and collaborative relationship stories is a compensatory strategy for marginalization. Partners' story themes featured fateful first meetings and triumphs over adversity. The study suggests that the storytelling ability displayed in these interviews may be the hallmark of populations typically excluded from the dominant cultural narrative.

Key Words:

• Lesbian
• dyke
• lesbian partners
• lesbian relationships
• lesbian sex
• lesbian breakups
• lesbian identity
• intimate play
• relationship accounts
• couples' narratives
• sexual storytelling

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Marny Hall

Marny Hall, a San Francisco Bay Area psychotherapist for the last twenty-five years, has specialized in the treatment of lesbian couples. Editor of the anthology Sexualities, she is also the author of The Lavender Couch and The Lesbian Love Companion.