Ein Streit um Worte?: Eine Lesbe macht Skandal im Deutschen Bundestag

In: Women in German yearbook: feminist studies in German literature & culture, Band 10, Heft 1, S. 239-266

Abstract

In 1988-89 the German Bundestag was the scene of a bizarre and illuminating case of language censorship: The leadership and majority parties attempted to prohibit the use of the words Lesben and Schwule in their official documents, and insisted that the Green Party use Lesbierinnen and Homosexuelle in their motions instead. The Greens argued for and finally won the right to use the terms preferred by Lesbians and Gay men themselves. This case provides the basis for my linguistic analysis of the social mechanisms by which words become "dirty" or acceptable and for reflections concerning homophobia and language, such as information management in homophobic societies and the act of coming out as a complex and widely misunderstood speech act. (LFP)