The University of Essex conducted a study in 2015 showing that a majority of women display signs of arousal when exposed to nude pictures of both men and women, independent of their sexual identity. The study, which was conducted of nearly 400 women, showed 82 percent of all women tested were aroused to some degree by both sexes.
Since the study came to light, many people took the research and used it to shine light on the concept of “sexual fluidity,” the idea that no one is entirely gay or straight, but somewhere on a spectrum of sexuality.
Dr. Gerulf Rieger from the Department of Psychology at the University of Essex said, “Even though the majority of women identify as straight, our research clearly demonstrates that when it comes to what turns them on, they are either bisexual or gay, but never straight.”
Though the study appears to help prove the idea that gay women are truly gay, the idea of sexual fluidity appears to harm lesbians more than any other sexual orientation. People may love to watch straight women make out at parties or accuse straight men of being gay for acting feminine, but one of the most popular tropes in American culture is men trying to turn gay women straight.
A lot of men love to fantasize about getting together with a lesbian and, thanks to popular movies and TV shows, it does not seem like an out-of-reach goal. Entertainment has shown lesbian characters fall for straight guys, no matter how improbable the outcome. Even in shows centered around LGBT topics like “Queer as Folk” and “The L Word,” there are storylines where a lesbian character briefly hooks up with or dates a man.
Lesbians do not just need the “right man” to make them straight. However, despite the fact that most lesbians do not feel any genuine attraction toward men, compulsory heterosexuality makes many women feel as though they must seek relationships with men.
Compulsory heterosexuality is the idea that heterosexuality is assumed and enforced by a patriarchal society, therefore creating a system where men are seen as the most important part in a relationship. Since women are so often pressured to feel like their life revolves around men, the idea of sexual fluidity gives people the ability to undermine lesbian relationships.
Homophobes can easily take the “every woman is bisexual” argument and tell lesbians that since all women are somewhat attracted to other women, those feelings should not be prioritized. They argue that these are schoolgirl feelings, and every woman should grow up to perform her traditional duties of heterosexual marriage no matter how much she would prefer to be with another woman.
The root of the sexual fluidity argument comes from a good place, but it is too easy to turn it around and use it as an argument to make the right sexual “choices.” Even if it is a choice, many lesbians might still prefer same-sex relationships, and sometimes it’s because heterosexual relationships trigger unwanted memories.
In the Center for Disease Control’s “National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey,” it showed that 44 percent of lesbians experience rape, physical violence or stalking, compared to 35 percent of heterosexual women.
It’s important that gay women have the ability to feel safe within their identity without feeling like they must attempt relationships with men. If a lesbian experienced sexual abuse in the past, trying to be in relationships with men will likely add to the trauma. A gay woman may feel like she needs to confirm she is gay, but doing so will often make her feel less confident in sexuality and ashamed for not enjoying heterosexual encounters.
The idea of sexual fluidity may make lesbians feel insecure about their sexuality, but the concept also harms bisexual women. Though bisexual women are attracted to both sexes, sexual fluidity helps create the stereotype that bisexuality centers around promiscuity and sex.
Bisexual women face some of the most alarming rates of sexual violence within the LGBT community. Bisexual women often face sexual trauma beginning in their young life, and 61 percent of them experience rape, physical violence or stalking in comparison to 44 percent of lesbians and 35 percent of straight women.
For bisexual women, life is not a hippy pipe dream where everyone joins together to have some big love fest. Sexual fluidity may seem to be an open-minded and free-spirited way to live, but in reality, it can come with a price.
There is nothing wrong with identifying as sexually fluid or wanting to experience all sides of your sexual orientation. Sexuality should be talked about, enjoyed and explored as each individual person sees fit, but we must make sure that the conversation does not begin to exclude gay people for only being attracted to the same sex.
Labels are not everything, but to the people who fought to claim their own, they are worth a whole lot. Whether gay, straight or anything in between, every person should be able to label themselves how they see fit without judgement or questioning.
Lynne Bunch is an 18-year-old mass communication freshman from Terrytown, Louisiana.