4thWaveNow reviews the scientific case which shows that the result of transgender advocacy for gender reassignment is the extermination of homosexuality.
But there is another, equally important reason to question medical transition for adolescent girls. According to several peer-reviewed studies (which I will be discussing in detail in this post),
* 95-100% of girls who “persist” in gender dysphoria at adolescence are same-sex attracted; these girls are typically offered cross-sex hormones by age 16, and surgeries as young as 18.
* The typical age that a young lesbian has her first sexual experience and/or claims her sexual orientation is between the ages of 19 and the early 20s.
The Prime Directive 
The typical age that a young lesbian has her first sexual experience and/or claims her sexual orientation is between the ages of 19 and the early 20s.”
That would explain why I didn’t know any lesbians in highschool. It also suggests that I could still be one and not know, haha.
It’s never too late. :)
Just as a matter of curiosity, are you currently straight or bi. You don’t have to answer.
At the moment, I get aroused by imagining a particular pair of (fictional) males being in a sexual relationship. Previously I’ve imagined heterosexual encounters and found them arousing, but I don’t imagine myself in them. When I imagine two people who love each other expressing that love through sexual activities and experiencing arousal, their fictional feelings arouse me. I would never do this with a real life couple of course, because I would consider that exploitative and invasive of their privacy.
I think the abstract idea of sex and romance is what appeals to me, more than the thought of actually being with a person. Sex liberals, despite their limitless knowledge of all the supposedly sexy ways in which female bodies can be brutally abused don’t really have a term for that.
In my real life (which is way less interesting than my thoughts) I’ve only practiced heterosexuality, but that could easily be because I haven’t met many open lesbians (let alone open, non-liberal lesbians who are attracted to me).
If a radical feminist lesbian asked me out on a date, I would probably say yes and get accused of not being a “real lesbian” by liberals, because I wouldn’t be experiencing extreme sexual arousal simply by looking at her boobs, but would instead be interested in her as a person (how I dare I like women for their personalities!).
Funny thing is, women are encouraged to go out on date with men that they aren’t super attracted to and “give them a chance”. I would be totally fine with that idea if it were applied to men who were asked out by women they didn’t find attractive and if no one was expected to engage in unwanted sexual activities. People accept that women can develop romantic and sexual feelings towards people they didn’t originally have those feelings for. Women who previously dated only athletic men can come to like nerds (according to our culture), but for some reason it’s assumed that women who previously dated only men can’t become attracted to women? Is the gap really that much larger? I don’t think so. Especially when you consider that stimulating the clitoris is often more arousing for women than stimulating the vagina.
What do you think about the whole “political lesbian” argument taking place in radfem circles?
“I think the abstract idea of sex and romance is what appeals to me, more than the thought of actually being with a person.”
You’re a fictioromantic.
Just kidding. :) (it is a real term though)
My views on political lesbianism are shifting. I used to try to engage with the concept and point out the pros and cons. But over time I’ve noticed things that bother me about the way women engage with the arguments and I’ve grown to oppose it.
“You’re a fictioromantic.”
Seriously? Haha.
As for political lesbianism, I think it’s a decision some people can make that needs to be respected. Just because liberal lesbians didn’t choose to be lesbians doesn’t mean other people who are less liberal with regard to their sexualities can’t make that choice. Women who are physically attracted to men should be able to choose not to have sex with men, the same way that women who are turned on by sadomasochism should be able to choose not to practice it for ethical and political reasons.
Political lesbians also have the right to argue against heterosexuality, the same way radical feminists in general argue against sadomasochism. Heterosexual women freak out and think that political lesbians are trying to compel them to have sex with them or something, but this is like sadomasochists accusing anti-sadomasochists or trying to compel them into vanilla sex.
We don’t really care what you do, we’re just making a general argument against a dangerous behaviour and that’s what political lesbians are trying to do. I think they’re right to some extent, since conventional heterosexuality really is dangerous (it is soft sadomasochism, as Shelia Jeffreys would say). However, I think it is possible for a woman to be in a romantic relationship with a man and not conform to conventional heterosexuality. Likewise, it is unfortunately also possible for gays and lesbians to fall into the dominance and submission dynamics associated with heterosexual relationships (for example, butch femme role play scenarios and outright sadomasochism).
That why I advocate sexual attraction that is not based on gender conformity. I call it “political pansexuality”, since pansexual is the liberal term for someone whose attraction to people is not related to their sex or gender. Ideally, I’d like to live in a world where nobody conformed to masculinity or femininity and nobody found those traits attractive. Pansexuals can still be attracted to highly feminine and highly masculine people, they just aren’t attracted to them because of their masculinity and femininity. So really, I advocate a particular type of pansexuality which involves avoiding people who conform to gender norms and being attracted to people because of traits that aren’t part of those norms (or involve defying them).
So in summary, my approach to sex is pretty similar to that of political lesbians, I just advocate a somewhat different strategy, but the fact that I think sexual orientation can be a matter of political choice makes me similar enough to political lesbians for me to feel some solidarity towards them. I think they’re unfairly hated and deserve to have their choosen sexuality recognised, instead of having the labels “straight” and “bisexual” smacked onto them against their will (so long as they aren’t choosing to have sex with men which would make the labels true).
I know this is a long answer, but the issue is complicated. It deserves a proper discussion. Maybe I’ll write a blog post about it.
Yes, please do! I would love to read it. I think this is an interesting tack on it. I’d also like to know what Purple Sage thinks about what you wrote.