I was forwarded an interesting article today by a friend. The article from CNN.com explores the new trend of women leaving men for other women. Now obviously lesbianism is nothing new, but in recent times, as the article mentions, it is more accepted within our society. I've always thought that the sexual lines between women are blurrier than the lines between men. It seems more fluid between women, in that they can move from one gender to another when seeking love. This is not true for everyone, but as a broad generalization I think it's true. When it comes to a male being attracted to the same sex, it's kind of like either you do or you don't. The cause of this I'm not completely clear on. Another friend offered her own theory that as a result of society saying it's more OK for women to be with other women and absolutely not OK for men to be with other men, that even if men may be aroused by certain aspects of the same gender, they can't act upon these feelings. I'm not sure whether I completely agree, but it's definitely a plausible theory. And the idea that "society" has always been driven by what men want or think is appropriate obviously supports the acceptability of woman-on-woman action.
One of the most interesting points in the article is a study that was conducted by Northwestern University. The study tested the arousal of both gay and straight women and men by viewing erotica targeted toward each group.
"During the experiment, the female subjects became sexually aroused when they viewed heterosexual as well as lesbian erotic films. This was true for both gay and straight women. Among the male subjects, however, the straight men were turned on only by erotic films with women, the gay ones by those with men.
"'We found that women's sexual desire is less rigidly directed toward a particular sex, as compared with men's, and it's more changeable over time,'" says the study's senior researcher, J. Michael Bailey, Ph.D. "'These findings likely represent a fundamental difference between men's and women's brains.'"
Near the end of the article it mentions that many of the women interviewed for the study explain that they are attracted to general traits in human beings regardless of gender. In speaking with people informally, I've found many times women tend to fall in love with people, not sexual organs. However, I must add that the people who have responded in this manner, do not generally accept societal restrictions. It's interesting to think that if "society" didn't demand that we think a certain way, how typical sexuality would change. The article suggests that perhaps the frequency of women leaving men for women has risen due to the increased "acceptance" of homosexuality, citing such high-profile examples as Lindsay Lohan and Cynthia Nixon. Nixon was in a solid relationship with English professor Danny Mozes for 15 years, then left him and fell in love with a woman. The question is: Was she always gay and didn't feel comfortable with it? Or did she just find what she needed in a person with the same sexual organs? The idea of changeable sexuality shoots significant holes in the theory that homosexuality is mostly nature and less nurture. But then again, is everyone born with a tendency to love whomever they find emotionally attractive regardless of gender and society stifles these desires from childhood? Or can one's sexual desires change after various life experiences?
