Relationships Over Time

Abstract

Chapter 4 explored different social spaces for making sense of lesbianism. As discussed, Taiwanese lesbians establish supportive networks and friendships mainly through the Internet, at school and in LGBT communities. Most of my participants met their current partners at school or university, while four couples met in the workplace and four met on the Internet/in chat rooms. In the cases of schoolmates and colleagues, they often develop close friendships for quite a long time before getting into intimate relationships. However, mutual friendship networks did not seem to be an easy way to meet possible girlfriends. There was only one couple who became known to each other via a mutual lesbian friend and then developed their intimate relationship. Since my aim is to contextualise how Taiwanese lesbians commit themselves to a relationship without legislative support, this chapter begins with their stories of becoming a couple and their relationship histories. I then go on to explore the tensions and conflicts that occurred in their relationships, and to examine those factors that influenced a harmonious relationship. The final part of this chapter includes a discussion of the ways in which lesbian couples anticipate making a commitment (private, public and institutionalised), how this relates to their views on commitment ceremonies and whether or not legal recognition is bound up in lesbians’ notions of commitment.