Editing Lesbian (section)

===Asia===
[[File:Two Japanese women make love.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|A historic [[Shunga (art)|shunga]] woodblock printing from Japan depicting two women having sex|alt=]]

China before westernization was another society that segregated men from women. Historical Chinese culture has not recognized a concept of sexual orientation, or a framework to divide people based on their same-sex or opposite-sex attractions.<ref name="SullivanJackson2001">{{cite book |editor1-last=Sullivan |editor1-first=Gerard |editor2-last=Jackson |editor2-first=Peter |date=2001 |title=Gay and Lesbian Asia: Culture, Identity, Community |publisher=Harrington Park Press |isbn=1-56023-146-7}}</ref>{{rp|p=29}} Although there was a significant culture surrounding homosexual men, there was none for women. Outside their duties to bear sons to their husbands, women were perceived as having no sexuality at all.<ref name="Aldrich2006"/>{{rp|p=311}}

This did not mean that women could not pursue sexual relationships with other women, but that such associations could not impose upon women's relationships to men. Rare references to lesbianism were written by [[Ying Shao]], who identified same-sex relationships between women in imperial courts who behaved as husband and wife as ''dui shi'' (paired eating). "Golden Orchid Associations" in Southern China existed into the 20th century and promoted formal marriages between women, who were then allowed to adopt children.<ref name="Norton1997"/>{{rp|p=187}} Westernization brought new ideas that all sexual behavior not resulting in reproduction was aberrant.<ref name="SullivanJackson2001"/>{{rp|pp=30–31}}

The liberty of being employed in silk factories starting in 1865 allowed some women to style themselves ''tzu-shu nii'' (never to marry) and live in communes with other women. Other Chinese called them ''sou-hei'' (self-combers) for adopting hairstyles of married women. These communes passed because of the Great Depression and were subsequently discouraged by the communist government for being a relic of feudal China.<ref name="Norton1997"/>{{rp|p=195}} In contemporary Chinese society, ''tongzhi'' (same goal or spirit) is the term used to refer to homosexuals; most Chinese are reluctant to divide this classification further to identify lesbians.<ref name="SullivanJackson2001"/>{{rp|p=28}}

In Japan, the term {{lang|ja-latn|rezubian}}, a Japanese pronunciation of "lesbian", was used during the 1920s. Westernization brought more independence for women and allowed some Japanese women to wear pants.<ref name="Aldrich2006"/>{{rp|p=246}} The cognate [[tomboy]] is used in the [[Philippines]], and particularly in [[Manila]], to denote women who are more masculine.<ref name="SullivanJackson2001"/>{{rp|p=122}} Virtuous women in Korea prioritize motherhood, chastity, and virginity; outside this scope, very few women are free to express themselves through sexuality, although there is a growing organization for lesbians named {{lang|ko-latn|Kkirikkiri}}.<ref name="SullivanJackson2001"/>{{rp|p=75}} The term ''pondan'' is used in [[Malaysia]] to refer to gay men, but since there is no historical context to reference lesbians, the term is used for female homosexuals as well.<ref name="SullivanJackson2001"/>{{rp|p=145}} As in many Asian countries, open homosexuality is discouraged in many social levels, so many Malaysians lead double lives.<ref name="SullivanJackson2001"/>{{rp|pp=148–150}}

In India, a 14th-century Indian text mentioning a lesbian couple who had a child as a result of their lovemaking is an exception to the general silence about female homosexuality. According to [[Ruth Vanita]], this invisibility disappeared with the release of a film titled ''[[Fire (1996 film)|Fire]]'' in 1996, prompting some theaters in India to be attacked by religious extremists. Terms used to label homosexuals are often rejected by Indian activists for being the result of imperialist influence, but most discourse on homosexuality centers on men. Women's rights groups in India continue to debate the legitimacy of including lesbian issues in their platforms, as lesbians and material focusing on female homosexuality are frequently suppressed.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Vanita |first1=Ruth |title=Lesbian Studies and Activism in India |journal=[[Journal of Lesbian Studies]] |date=2007 |volume=11 |issue=3–4 |pages=244–253 |doi=10.1300/J155v11n03_07|pmid=17954460 |s2cid=8782756}}</ref>