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Dorothy Brett and Lesbianism


John Simkin

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One of the reasons that young women turned to lesbianism was the fear of pregnancy. Dorothy Brett was an artist who in 1922 had an affair with John Middleton Murry. She thought she was pregnant and wrote to a friend: "I am afraid I have struggled through a terrible time of depression... The worry, the fear exhausts me... I feel, as I suppose every woman feels, that the burden is all left to me. Murry can turn from one woman to another while I have to face the beastliness of an illegal operation - or the long strain of carrying a child and perhaps death - not that I mind the last - it might be the best way out if I am not strong enough to stand alone." Murry arranged an abortion for Brett but she miscarried before she had the operation. After this she became a lesbian.

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARTbrett.htm

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One of the reasons that young women turned to lesbianism was the fear of pregnancy. Dorothy Brett was an artist who in 1922 had an affair with John Middleton Murry. She thought she was pregnant and wrote to a friend: "I am afraid I have struggled through a terrible time of depression... The worry, the fear exhausts me... I feel, as I suppose every woman feels, that the burden is all left to me. Murry can turn from one woman to another while I have to face the beastliness of an illegal operation - or the long strain of carrying a child and perhaps death - not that I mind the last - it might be the best way out if I am not strong enough to stand alone." Murry arranged an abortion for Brett but she miscarried before she had the operation. After this she became a lesbian.

http://www.spartacus...uk/ARTbrett.htm

Interesting. Seems to have some generalisationx.

the phrase 'became a lesbian' is interersting'

It seems to argue that

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One of the reasons that young women turned to lesbianism was the fear of pregnancy. Dorothy Brett was an artist who in 1922 had an affair with John Middleton Murry. She thought she was pregnant and wrote to a friend: "I am afraid I have struggled through a terrible time of depression... The worry, the fear exhausts me... I feel, as I suppose every woman feels, that the burden is all left to me. Murry can turn from one woman to another while I have to face the beastliness of an illegal operation - or the long strain of carrying a child and perhaps death - not that I mind the last - it might be the best way out if I am not strong enough to stand alone." Murry arranged an abortion for Brett but she miscarried before she had the operation. After this she became a lesbian.

http://www.spartacus...uk/ARTbrett.htm

Interesting. Seems to have some generalisations..

The phrase 'became a lesbian' is interesting.

It seems to conversely argue that queers can 'unbecome' as well, according to circumstance and choice, iow. to be queer is to be a kind of victim and when so undoes the work that is ongoing to remove stigmas in order to allow people of whatever persuation to feel a belomging and empowerment that is particularly pertinent to young queers that have an alarming suicide rate and isolation.

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