Lesbian until graduation
Encyclopedia
The LGBT slang terms lesbian until graduation (LUG), gay until graduation (GUG), and bisexual until graduation (BUG) are used to describe women primarily of high-school or college
age who are assumed to be experimenting with or adopting a temporary lesbian
or bisexual
identity. The term suggests that the woman to whom it is applied will ultimately adopt a strictly heterosexual identity. Some members of the lesbian community use this term to disparage bisexual women.
from parent
s or guardians
while attending same-sex high schools, colleges or universities. The terms suggested an individual was openly
lesbian or bisexual while on campus, but would ultimately conform to social and familial expectations of heterosexuality.
A similar usage typically described a form of situational sexual behavior
, suggesting a woman would ultimately revert to heterosexual behavior, either through interpersonal pressure or actual preference.
Another negative suggestion is that the behavior stems from a desire for attention, sometimes described with a new usage of the older term "bisexual chic
". This usage suggests the participants are:
and their allies state that these terms are evidence of biphobia
or bisexual erasure
, and that many women described as LUGs may actually identify as bisexual. They suggest that the appearance of the term is evidence that human sexuality is more flexible (as in the case of sexual preference) than it is fixed (as in the case of sexual orientation
).
They argue that the term is often used to disparage bi-curious
and questioning youth who are exploring their sexual identity
.
People suggest that of women who engage in same-sex activity for a limited time period, some may be lesbians who become fully closeted
due to societal disapprobation; some may be bisexuals who subsequently either go on to find other opposite gender partners or who, like closeted lesbians, suppress part of their identity again due to societal disapprobation; and some may be experimenting.
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
age who are assumed to be experimenting with or adopting a temporary lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
or bisexual
Bisexuality
Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...
identity. The term suggests that the woman to whom it is applied will ultimately adopt a strictly heterosexual identity. Some members of the lesbian community use this term to disparage bisexual women.
Closeted women
At one time, the terms LUG/BUG were associated with lesbian and bisexual women who were closetedCloseted
Closeted and in the closet are metaphors used to describe lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning and intersex people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof, including sexual identity and sexual behavior.-Background:In late 20th...
from parent
Parent
A parent is a caretaker of the offspring in their own species. In humans, a parent is of a child . Children can have one or more parents, but they must have two biological parents. Biological parents consist of the male who sired the child and the female who gave birth to the child...
s or guardians
Legal guardian
A legal guardian is a person who has the legal authority to care for the personal and property interests of another person, called a ward. Usually, a person has the status of guardian because the ward is incapable of caring for his or her own interests due to infancy, incapacity, or disability...
while attending same-sex high schools, colleges or universities. The terms suggested an individual was openly
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
lesbian or bisexual while on campus, but would ultimately conform to social and familial expectations of heterosexuality.
A similar usage typically described a form of situational sexual behavior
Situational sexual behavior
Situational sexual behavior is sexual behavior of a kind that is different from what is usual for that person due to a social environment that permits, encourages, or compels those acts....
, suggesting a woman would ultimately revert to heterosexual behavior, either through interpersonal pressure or actual preference.
Disparaging usage
In recent usage, the term is generally used pejoratively, suggesting that a woman's same-sex sexual activity is somehow inauthentic or illegitimate. One negative suggestion is that the relations are consciously elective or temporary, or that they are primarily based on convenience. This usage suggests the participants are:- Concentrating on studies without the distraction of "genuine" romantic relationships
- Avoiding unwanted male attention
- Avoiding the risk of unwanted pregnancy while remaining sexually active
Another negative suggestion is that the behavior stems from a desire for attention, sometimes described with a new usage of the older term "bisexual chic
Bisexual chic
Bisexual chic is a phrase used to describe the public acknowledgment of bisexuality among various segments of society. In some cases the phrase can be considered pejorative, when used to trivialize or dismiss genuine feelings of same-sex attraction, especially if those expressing these thoughts...
". This usage suggests the participants are:
- Trying to increase their sexual desirability among heterosexual men
- Surprising parents or relatives with news presumed to be undesirable
- Surprising friends and acquaintances with news presumed to be shocking
- Attempting to cultivate a progressive, radical, or countercultural image
- Developing or feigning solidarity with an oppressed community
- Resorting to women due to a lack of male attention
- Having trouble relating to the opposite sex romantically in a healthy manner
Other reactions
Members of the bisexual communityBisexual community
Bisexual community is a term used to describe members of the LGBT community who identify as bisexual, pansexual, "fluid", and queer-identified, as well as their allies...
and their allies state that these terms are evidence of biphobia
Biphobia
Biphobia is a term used to describe aversion felt toward bisexuality and bisexuals as a social group or as individuals. People of any sexual orientation can experience such feelings of aversion...
or bisexual erasure
Bisexual erasure
Bisexual erasure is the tendency to ignore, remove, falsify, or reexplain evidence of bisexuality in history, academia, the news media, and other primary sources...
, and that many women described as LUGs may actually identify as bisexual. They suggest that the appearance of the term is evidence that human sexuality is more flexible (as in the case of sexual preference) than it is fixed (as in the case of sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
).
They argue that the term is often used to disparage bi-curious
Bi-curious
Bi-curious is a term used to refer to people of a heterosexual or homosexual identity who, while showing some curiosity for a relationship or sexual activity with a person of the sex they do not favor, distinguish themselves from the bisexual label. The term is sometimes used to describe a broad...
and questioning youth who are exploring their sexual identity
Sexual identity
Sexual identity is a term that, like sex, has two distinctively different meanings. One describes an identity roughly based on sexual orientation, the other an identity based on sexual characteristics, which is not socially based but based on biology, a concept related to, but different from,...
.
People suggest that of women who engage in same-sex activity for a limited time period, some may be lesbians who become fully closeted
Closeted
Closeted and in the closet are metaphors used to describe lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning and intersex people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof, including sexual identity and sexual behavior.-Background:In late 20th...
due to societal disapprobation; some may be bisexuals who subsequently either go on to find other opposite gender partners or who, like closeted lesbians, suppress part of their identity again due to societal disapprobation; and some may be experimenting.
See also
- hasbian
- yestergay
- Klein Sexual Orientation GridKlein Sexual Orientation GridThe Klein Sexual Orientation Grid developed by Dr. Fritz Klein attempts to further measure sexual orientation by expanding upon the earlier Kinsey scale which categorizes sexual history from 0 to 6...
- Mixed-orientation marriageMixed-orientation marriageA mixed-orientation marriage is a marriage in which one of the partners is heterosexual and the other is bisexual or homosexual.- Motivations:Some cite spiritual reasons for getting married...
External links
- Study Undercuts View of College as a Place of Same-Sex Experimentation, New York Times March 17, 2011
- Nationwide Survey Includes Data on Teenage Sex Habits, New York Times
- More women experimenting with bisexuality, MSNBCMSNBCMSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
- Bisexual healing, Metrotimes, Detroit, MI
- The Vagina Dialogues, Phoenix New TimesPhoenix New TimesThe Phoenix New Times is a free, weekly Phoenix, Arizona newspaper, put out every Thursday. It is the founding publication of the New Times Media , but The Village Voice is now the flagship publication of that company....
- Lesbian After Marriage, by Jennifer BaumgardnerJennifer BaumgardnerJennifer Baumgardner is an author, filmmaker, and third-wave feminist activist.-Early and personal life:Baumgardner grew up in Fargo, North Dakota and attended Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, graduating in 1992...
The AdvocateThe AdvocateThe Advocate is an American LGBT-interest magazine, printed monthly and available by subscription. The Advocate brand also includes a web site. Both magazine and web site have an editorial focus on news, politics, opinion, and arts and entertainment of interest to LGBT people...
October 9, 2007 - Young Women Defy Labels in Intimacy With Both Sexes by Susan Donaldson James August 16, 2007 for ABC NewsABC NewsABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...