From various ancient writings, historians gathered that a group of young women were left in Sappho's charge for their instruction or cultural edification.
There is some speculation that similar relationships existed between women and girls- the poet used the term aitis, as the feminine form of aites—which was the official term for the younger participant in a relationship.
Custody issues in particular were of interest since often courts would not award custody to mothers who were openly homosexual, even though the general procedure acknowledged children were awarded to the biological mother.
Kohl: A Journal for Body and Gender Research.
However, with the advent of , lesbian grew to describe a social philosophy among women, often overshadowing sexual desire as a defining trait.
The Parisian artist employed the association between lesbianism and prostitution.
Female sexuality is often not adequately represented in texts and documents.
Foster cites and , and , and and as examples of female mythological figures who showed remarkable devotion to each other, or defied gender expectations.