Lesbian Pride Flag

Lesbian (also known as gay woman or homosexual woman) is defined as women, women-aligned (selenian), and/or feminine-aligned (artemian) individuals who experience gay attraction to women/lunarians and/or feminine individuals. This attraction is most commonly used as exclusively wlw/nblw attraction, as communities surrounding exclusive wlw/nblw have become the primary part of the lesbian community. However, there is no one perfect definition that encompasses all experiences of lesbianism. This term includes butch, femme, non-binary, anonbinary, cusper, and multigender individuals. Lesbians are the woman counterparts to gay men and fall under the homosexual/homoromantic and monosexual/monoromantic umbrellas. [1]

The majority of lesbians are exclusively wlw/nblw, including all NBLW, WLNB, and NBLNB attractions. However, despite this, for some lesbians, the attraction is not exclusive, as m-spec lesbianism (especially bi-lesbianism) is a historically seen identification. [1]

The modern idea that non-men are the only ones allowed to use the lesbian label excludes non-binary men who feel as though the term lesbian best fits their attraction. It also forces identifying as a man into a binary, which is simply not the case, as manhood does not have to be strictly binary in nature. In almost all scenarios (excluding individual trans men who identify with the label for personal reasons), binary men can't be lesbians, but non-binary manhood is different from binary manhood, and forcing it into a binary is harmful to non-binary men. [1]

If one is to exclude non-binary men from lesbianism, they are endorsing in exorsexist behaviour. Additionally, not all non-binary individuals feel comfortable being included under lesbian attraction, and that should be respected and validated. [1]

The term lesbian isn't about the form of attraction one experiences (sexual, romantic, etc.) but about being a woman or non-binary individual who is queerly attracted to women, whatever form of attraction that may be. That means that someone can experience lesbian attraction romantically, sexually, etc., but since the term is independent of relation to any specific form of attraction, it's not necessary for individuals to be lesbian in all forms of attraction to identify as lesbian, as their lesbian orientation is still lesbian and not negated by their other non-lesbian orientation(s). So, someone could be romantically a lesbian, but sexually pansexual, or any other combination. Many lesbians who use the split attraction model use this concept of lesbianism to define their orientation(s).  [1]