Part-Time Disabled Lesbian Passing on Roller Blades,or PMS,Prozac, and Essentializing Women's Ailments

Abstract

This paper discusses the role of the medical and psychiatric systems, as well as the pharmaceutical industry, in the social construction of women's hormonally-related ailments and their treatments. For some marginalised groups, passing as “normal” is a protection strategy against discrimination and maltreatment. Lesbians and invisibly disabled persons are examples of such groups. Given that the reproductive cycle and madness have been linked historically, women suffering from disabling cyclical conditions might also be stigmatised. In this context, the dilemma between seeking treatment versus being labelled psychologically ill is expounded.