Lesbian utopia

Lesbian utopia refers to a conceptual community made up entirely of biological females who are not dependent on men for anything. [Usage example: Montreal Mirror, " [http://www.montrealmirror.com/2007/051007/news1.html A Condo of One's Own] ", Jane Shulman, May 2007] [Usage example: Off Our Backs, " [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3693/is_200110/ai_n8980189 Sexual violence within lesbian battering] ", Lori B Girshick, Oct 2001]

The concept of an all-female society is mentioned in Greek mythology through a legend of the Amazons, a nation of all-female warriors. In this legend, once each year the Amazons call upon the Gargareans and mate with them.

Reproduction

As with many species, human reproduction requires an egg (from the female), a sperm (from the male) and a womb as a suitable environment with an available source of nutrients in which an embryo can develop into a fetus and gestate until childbirth.

Scientists have created mouse pups from two female mice. [BBC News: [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3643847.stm Mice created without fathers] , 21 April 2004] There is a possibility that with further research the same or similar procedure could allow two human females to be the genetic parents of the same child. [BBC News: [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1769356.stm Lesbian couples 'could have own baby'] , 18 January 2002] Scientists have found a way to fertilise human eggs using genetic material from any cell in the body. [BBC News: [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1431489.stm Eggs fertilised without sperm] , 10 July 2001] This could eventually allow two or more females to conceive and bring a baby to term without male assistance. Meanwhile same-sex marriages or unions have gained legal support in many countries.

It is as yet unknown if this biotechnology could be applied to humans, regardless of any ethical issues which may arise. [About.com, " [http://lesbianlife.about.com/cs/families/a/Parthenogenesis.htm Parthenogenesis: Do We Need Men Anymore? Creating Children Without Men or Sperm] ", Kathy Belge, retrieved 14 September 2007]

Culture

A historical fictional example of this concept is Herland, a novel written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935). The full text is available online here: http://historyofideas.org/toc/modeng/public/GilHerl.html

ee also

* Separatist feminism

References