Johns Hopkins Accused of Trying to 'Erase' Women With Its Lesbian Term

A small subset of conservatives online has expressed outrage at Johns Hopkins University over its non-binary-inclusive definition of "lesbian" in its glossary of LGBTQ+ terms.

The Baltimore-based university, a major hub of medical research in the U.S., maintains an extensive glossary of definitions for terms relevant to the broad LGBTQ+ community. The definitions are often updated with greater inclusivity in mind, and as the medical establishment's understanding of gender and sexual identity evolves.

On Monday, the glossary's current definition of "lesbian" came under attack from right-wing users on social media. As the university defines the term as "a non-man attracted to non-men," the users accused it of attempting to "erase" women. They also pointed to the glossary's listing for "gay man," which does not use similarly non-binary-inclusive language.

The flare-up comes amid a broader backlash among conservatives to LGBTQ+ rights and the embrace of queer communities by society. Numerous state legislatures across the U.S. have begun passing laws that target transgender communities, taking particular aim at the ability of parents to get gender-affirming care for their trans children. Spurred by a small number of far-right influencers, there has also been a vocal, if not definitively widespread, lashing out against companies and brands that market to LGBTQ+ communities or hold Pride Month events.

Based on the definitions presented in the Johns Hopkins glossary, it is possible that the discrepancy comes down to the fact that "gay" has historically been used specifically for men and more broadly for all homosexual or bisexual individuals, while lesbian has always been a specifically gender term. The glossary's current definition of lesbian addresses this change from the past definitions head-on, explaining that the new definition is meant to be inclusive of non-binary individuals who might still identify as lesbian specifically.

Newsweek has reached out to Johns Hopkins via email for more insight.

The definition provided by Johns Hopkins is notably distinct from those provided in similar LGBTQ+ glossaries maintained by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), casting doubt on the alleged conspiracy to "erase" women.

The HRC's first sentence in the definition of lesbian reads, "a woman who is emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to other women," with the second sentence referencing non-binary lesbians. The organization's glossary has no entry for "gay," opting to include the identity of gay men under the umbrella definition of "queer."

The ADL's glossary defines lesbian as a "woman who is emotionally, physically and/or romantically attracted to some other women," with no additional sentences. Its definition of "gay" primarily notes that the term can apply to all gender identities, noting further along that it is more commonly associated with men.