Intim Und Respektabel: Aushandlungen Von Homosexualitat Und Freundinnenschaft in Der Deutschen Frauenbewegung Um 1900

The women's movement was not only a place of political debate. A large number of activists spent most of their time among women - at women's clubs, as female couples or in so-called ladies' apartments. Respectability played a significant role in these circles. Whether or not a relationship or behavior was considered respectable was much more important than whether someone entered into homo- or heterosexual relationships. This gradually growing distinction - popularized by sexology since the second half of the 19th century - placed the intimate relationships within the women's movement into new normative contexts. Elisa Heinrich both examines the discursive negotiation of female homosexuality by women's activists and sheds light on the conditions and consequences of this significant transition.