To Believe in Women

By Lillian Faderman

This is a book about how millions of American women became what they are now: full citizens, educated, and capable of earning a decent living for themselves.

This landmark work of lesbian history focuses on how certain late-nineteenth-century and twentieth-century women whose lives can be described as lesbian were in the forefront of the battle to secure the rights and privileges that large numbers of Americans enjoy today.

Lillian Faderman persuasively argues that their lesbianism may in fact have facilitated their accomplishments. Even before a “lesbian identity” was defined, many early female leaders had what would now be called lesbian relationships, free from the constraints of traditional heterosexual arrangements that might otherwise have impeded their pursuits in education, politics, and culture.

A book of impeccable research and compelling readability, To Believe in Women will be a source of enlightenment for all, and for many a singular source of pride.