Final answer:
Betty Friedan referred to lesbians who were asserting their identity within the second-wave feminist movement as 'the Lavender Menace.' This term was initially a sign of disapproval, but it was reclaimed by lesbian activists, leading to significant strides forward for lesbian inclusion in the feminist movement and the formation of supportive spaces and communities. The Lavender Menace became symbolic of lesbian feminists' fight for recognition and equality.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term Lavender Menace was coined by Betty Friedan to express her antipathy toward lesbians within the early days of second-wave feminism. She used it to object to the idea of lesbians overtly identifying themselves within the women's movement, as she feared it would undermine the goals of the movement by associating it with 'lewd conduct,' which was a catch-all ordinance commonly used against LGBTQ people.
Despite this initial resistance, the tides began to change when in 1970, at the second Congress to Unite Women, forty lesbian women wearing Lavender Menace T-shirts made a significant move to ensure their voices were heard within the feminist movement.
These women, who would later be known as the Radicalesbians, together with other groups like the Lesbian Feminist Liberation, successfully pushed for acknowledgment and rights, which led to the National Organization for Women (NOW) approving a resolution in support of a woman's right to define her own sexuality in 1971.
The Lesbian Feminist Movement gained further momentum with the establishment of spaces and resources specifically for lesbians, like the opening of Amazon Bookstore and the Woman's Building. There was also a notable increase in lesbian publications, feminist book presses, music productions, and festivals that celebrated feminist and lesbian culture, such as Olivia Records and the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival.
It is also important to note the historical context of the Lavender Scare, which was a series of federal government purges against suspected homosexuals between 1947 and the early 1970s, reflecting the period's widespread fear and discrimination against LGBTQ people.