Intergenerational Lesbianism

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Intergenerational Lesbianism, sometimes called Korephilia is an age-gap relationship (similar to pederasty), but between a woman and a younger female / girl. Many women experience romance as a maternal feeling, and often express that love through nurturing and caring for the loved girl. From the outside looking in, you might just see them as a mother and daughter. But the maternal bond they share triggers romantic feelings in them. The woman is often romantically fulfilled by doing things (mundane, or sexually) for the pleasure and benefit of the loved girl.

There have been recent depictions of Intergenerational Lesbianism in popular culture. "The Little Coochie Snorcher That Could" from "The Vagina Monologues," recounts the experience of a thirteen year old girl's relationship with an older woman. The 2013 film Blue Is the Warmest Colour, depicts the friendship between a 15 year old girl and an adult woman that becomes erotic.

The word korephilia comes from the Greek words κόρη kórē meaning "girl" and φιλία philíā meaning "love". Most people use korephilia to describe a woman/girl relationship, while others use it to describe an adult/girl relationship.

Well-known examples in English-speaking literature come from the gay world, including the influential Canadian gay liberation activist and Body Politic writer Chris Bearchell, lesbian feminist activist Prof. Beth Kelly, and nationally honored / decorated lesbian writer Jane Rule CM OBC. It should be noted, however, that these examples emerge from the 1970s spirit of sexual revolution. Before the sexual revolution, Lesbianism was often pathologized, outright denied, thought of as deviant or a 'phase'. Until very recently, Lesbianism was subject to a conspiracy of silence, to the extent that feminist icon Betty Freidan famously dubbed them the 'lavender menace', and at-one-time believed lesbians to be part of a plot to bring the (heterosexual) feminist movement into disrepute. It is therefore difficult to find clear evidence of positive and consensual lesbian sexual contact before the sexual revolution, with sexual contact that transgresses age of consent laws / age-gap norms being especially sensitive and stigmatized after the late 1970s and early 80s, forced underground into secrecy.

In previous literature, writers such as feminist activist Kate Millett interpreted aversion to intergenerational eroticism as a product of women being subjects of historical patriarchy. Millett contrasted the more prevalent discussion and even defense of mutually willing intergenerational eroticism within the male-gay movement (see LGBT-MAP Unity), with the aversion many women and lesbians espoused. Millett wrote that women are "more sexually repressed than men, having been given a much more puritanical code of behavior than men ever have". Unlike men who had the history of pederasty to draw on, "It’s possible," Millett explained, "that the condition of lesbians has been so repressive that it prevents them from seeing people below the age of consent as sexual partners" (Ibid).

German Psychologist Marina Knopf (1994, cited below) attempted to solicit interviews from females who had experienced intergenerational lesbianism. Knopf received letters but all respondents except one refused to be interviewed. Knopf argued that the age taboo, or what she terms the "paedosexual taboo" might be "felt so strongly by women precisely because the opportunities for breaking it lie so close at hand. Because of their special closeness [to young people], for women the paedosexual attraction, as well as the taboo, could be greater than for men" (p. 19). Although Knopf detected a greater sense of guilt and fear of arrest among females than when males were erotically engaged with youth, the fact that a female intergenerational rights organization in existed in Berlin ("Kanalratten" meaning "Sewer Rats"), had published a manifesto, but were too inhibited to meet Knopf after agreeing to be interviewed by her, suggests that intergenerational lesbianism has been far more underground and secretive than its male homosexual counterpart. For example, in a 1980 text written at the age of 19 by German Politician Dagmar Döring, she explained that she had experienced a situation where, “no man and no woman, rather a child, in particular a girl,” could satisfy her needs. Döring said she was afraid of the law which punished the “love between adults and children”, and said she wanted “to do everything to change such laws.” She later distanced herself from these comments.

Despite a conspiracy of silence around Lesbianism until the sexual revolution, we have documented many positive age-gap testimonies. Lesbian sexual relations, including intergenerational relations, have until recently been largely undocumented activities. In 2020, however, historian Amanda H. Littauer (cited below) published a seminal scholarly article - Queer Girls and Intergenerational Lesbian Sexuality in the 1970s - provide testimonies from archival research. We hope more investigations like Littauer's will continue to uncover and publish evidence of this largely underground world. As pioneer queer activist, Pat [now Patrick] Califia, wrote:

I know very few lesbians, and even fewer gay men, who waited until they were eighteen to come out. Most of us were aware well before puberty that we wanted to be close to or sexual with members of our own sex. I've heard countless stories from women about their attempts to seduce their high school gym teachers or camp counselors. Not all of these attempts were unsuccessful. Our real-life experiences do not jibe with our politics on this issue."

Gallery

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  The K/Heart. A symbol proposed by Katie Cruz to represent Korephilia.

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  Lesbian MAP Flag (commonly cited but rarely used symbol)

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  The Kanalratten Manifesto - Via bk-girls.org, originally printed in 1989.

Research literature

• Amanda H. Littauer, Queer Girls and Intergenerational Lesbian Sexuality in the 1970s, in Historical Reflections, 46:1 (2020), 95-108.

• Martha Vicinus, "The Adolescent Boy: Fin De Siècle Femme Fatale?", in Journal of the History of Sexuality 5:1 (1994), 90–114.

• Marina Knopf, "Sexual Contacts Between Women and Children", in Paidika, Vol. 3, No.3 (1994).

• Paidika, Vol. 2, No. 4 (1992): Special Women's Issue.

• Martha Vicinus, Interview in Paidika, Vol. 2, No. 4 (1992): Special Women's Issue.

• Judith Gay, "Mummies and Babies" and Friends and Lovers in Lesotho’ (1986).

• Dr. Arne Frederiksen, 'Female Paedophilia', in Crime without victims: A book about paedophilia (1983, translated to English by Dr. Edward Brongersma in 1993, with an introduction by Dr. Preben Hertoft.

• Marion Zimmer-Bradley, "Feminine Equivalents of Greek Love in Modern Fiction", in International Journal of Greek Love, Vol.1 No.1, 1965, page 48.

See also

• Pederasty
• Testimony: Adult Female with Minor - Contains some examples.

• Testimony: Experiences of chronophilias - Contains some examples.

External Links

• She Said - Women, Lesbians, and Feminists Speak About Youthlove
• Korephilia - RationalWiki.

Personal perspectives

• A MAP In Love - A Blog by Katie Cruz
• A Strange and Terrible Unicorn - A low AoA lesbian pedophile.
• Beth Kelly's testimony
• Marion Zimmer Bradley, who was outed by her homophobic daughter might be an interesting point at which to begin some research.