Lesbian Choices

Claudia Card is Professor of Philosophy with affiliations in Women's Studies and Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where she has taught since 1966. She is editor ofAdventures in Lesbian Philosophy (1994) andLesbian Ethics (1991).

Relying both on her academic training as a philosopher and her position in the academy (and the community) as an out lesbian, Card tackles topics ranging from the ban on gays and lesbians in the military to questions of battering, female on female incest, and sadomasochism in the lesbian community... This book should be in any collection supporting women's studies and/or lesbian and gay studies. Choice This exploration of the ethical and political dilemmas that challenge lesbians in a hostile society is wide-ranging and evenhanded... Card discusses the sometimes uneasy alliances between feminism and gay activism, ambiguous distinctions between friendship and lesbian desire, and the ethics of outing. She also devotes a chapter to lesbianism as a 'choice'and its implications for lesbians as a salient determiner of self-discovery. Card's analyses of battering and stalking of lesbians by other lesbians and lesbian sadomasochism are informed and tactful approaches to potentially volatile, under-explored topics. Publishers Weekly

• Introduction: Finding My Voice-Reminiscence of an Outlaw Part One: Constructing Ourselves 1. What Is Lesbian Culture? 2. Lesbian Attitudes and The Second Sex 3. Choosing Lesbianism 4. Lesbian Ethics Part Two: Lesbians in Relationship: Ups and Downs 5. Lesbian Friendship: Separations and Continua 6. Horizontal Violence: Partner Battering and Lesbian Stalking 7. Female Incest and Adult Lesbian Crises Part Three: Coming Out: Issues in a Wider Society 8. Homophobia and Lesbian/Gay Pride 9. The Military Ban and the ROTC: A Study in Closeting 10. Other People's Secrets: The Ethics of Outing 11. Sadomasochism: Charting the Issues Notes Selected Bibliography Index