Dell Richards’ book “Lesbian Lists,” published in 1990, contains “a look at lesbian culture, history, and personalities,” through various lists like “19 Lesbian Novelists” and “14 Cult Films With Lesbian Characters.” These lists are both entertaining and educational.

One of the lists is entitled “20 Turn-of-the-Century “Ways to Tell” if a Girl Would Become Gay or if a Woman Was a Lesbian — according to the Medical Journals of the Day.” The list offers an opportunity for us to look back on the silly assholes of Medical History who sought to quell the viral nature of young madiens’ ripe homosexuality by educating the public regarding how to spot lesbians and subsequently convert or destroy them. You never know when a lesbian is in your neighborhood, driving their car down your street, or shopping next to you at the grocery store.

We have selected 15 of the items from this list to share with you today and have illustrated these items with helpful photographs. As you can see, they were clearly completely right about everything and In parentheses you will find the year in which the cited medical journal was printed.

15 Turn-of-the-Century “Ways to Tell” if a Girl Would Become Gay or if a Woman Was a Lesbian — According to the Medical Journals of the Day

(via Lesbian Lists: a look at lesbian culture, history, and personalities by Dell Richards, 1990)

1. Smokes cigarettes in public. (1890)

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2. Has a capacity for athletics and an incapacity for needlework and other domestic occupations. (1890)

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3. “Tomboy Habits” (1895)

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4. Dresses in Boys’ Clothing (1895)

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5. Abandons Dolls and Girlfriends for Marbles and Masculine Games (1895)

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6. Prefers the Laboratory to the Nursery (1900)

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7. Goes to Bars (1900)

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8. Is Anti-Social (1900)

9. Has a firmness to her walk, a long step, and a rather heavy timbre to her voice. (1900)

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10. Talks loud and uses slang. (1900)

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11. Has no breasts to speak of (1900)

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12. Is square-shouldered and solid (1900)

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13. Has a strong, self-assured look in her eye (1910)

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14. Shows mental arrogance and is abnormally deficient in natural female shyness (1910)

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15. Has intellectual attributes usually associated with men – an acuteness of comprehension and lucid objectivity (1910)

In conclusion, it would seem that the doctors of the 19th century were 100% correct when they made these scientific determinations. I wish you all luck in identifying and executing lesbians in your neighborhood as you see fit.