SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS AMONG OLDER WOMEN - CULTURAL AND PERSONAL CONSTRUCTIONS OF LESBIANISM

This paper focuses on the interactive nature of the relationship betwe en personal and public constructions of lesbianism in the lives of old er women. The cultural construction of lesbianism involves the histori cal and environmental context of the meaning of lesbianism framed with in a societal level. Our discussion evolves around a case study of a l esbian in her eighties, living with a partner in rural Minnesota. We s how that when public definitions are unavailable, older lesbians may n ot define certain aspects of their experience.