Lesbian by Choice
Lesbian by ChoiceThere are many labels, names and categories that
have been assigned or given to lesbians. What is
"lesbian"? Is it a certain type of woman? Does
one lesbian have an identical feature or character
as another lesbian? Does a lesbian have something
extra or something missing from heterosexual
women? This notion that we can classify a human
being by their sexual preference is absolutely
ludicrous and unsubstantiated! Women are just
that, women. Sexual attraction to humans, be it
the same sex or not, is not a concrete science
that can allow society to label women.
The choice of heterosexuality may not truly be a
choice. In a recent survey of women, 57% stated
that heterosexuality was not something that was
considered and then chosen. For these women,
there was no decision to be made regarding their
sexual preference (Marrow, 1997). This is an
interesting figure when you consider of those
above women, some admitted to having sexual
encounters with other women. I believe the choice
is heavily tied to our culture, family values, and
surroundings. If all of the fish are swimming
upstream, why would you want to go against your
group and swim downstream?
Within the lesbian community, Ponse (1978) makes
reference to two groups. There are many lesbians
that claim to have been "born" lesbian. To expand
on this subject, one would say these women never
questioned their sexual attraction. From day one,
they were attracted to other women. Although this
is referred to as a primary lesbian, I don�t
believe it alleviates any of the stigmas or gives
any more comfort or ease to the woman. The
elective lesbian is seen as having "elected" to be
lesbian. These are women who have experienced
heterosexual relations and have decided that they
prefer the same sex. This may appear as a choice,
but it is far from that. The environment or
family setting may have driven these women to...
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