Invisible Affections and Socialization to the Sexuality of Lesbians. A Case Study in Italy

Abstract

The article focuses on the process of socialization and sexuality of homosexual people, examining the specific case of lesbians living in Salerno, a major city in southern Italy. The essay highlights the path that women go through in maturing their sexual identity, taking into account those relational contexts in which they find expression of their most intimate desires and support to deal with the burden of double stigma related to the condition of women and homosexuals. The analysis will highlight how “becoming sexual” means above all accessing a universe of symbolic references typical of the L world – in terms of practices, languages and representations – to which some women often adhere out of need of acceptance, to get out of invisibility, while others distance themselves from them for greater self-determination of their sexual conduct.