Lesbian erotica

Depictions of lesbian sex have been relatively common in Western pornography and erotic art throughout history.

Typical contemporary lesbian (or girl-girl) pornography, features lesbian, bisexual, and/or heterosexual (so-called "gay-for-pay") actresses, and is typically aimed at male consumers, which is why it is usually grouped with "straight" porn. However, there is some pornography made by lesbians for lesbians. Most commonly this is in written erotica, but in a few cases (e.g. in the magazine On Our Backs or videos by Fatale Media or SIR Video) photographic or audiovisual pornography is also found.

File:Perversion-for-Profit-lesbian.jpg

Still from the 1965 anti-pornography propaganda film Perversion for Profit (purple rectangles present in the film)

Reactions to lesbianism in pornography

In many cases lesbian pornography can provide greater arousal compared to "straight" pornography for many men. (This contrasts sharply with a widespread aversion to sexually explicit images of male homosexuality.) It is said that lesbian pornography contains "twice as much fun" when compared to "straight" pornography. One example of this can be found in Thomas Pynchon's novel Mason & Dixon (1997), in which characters speculate on why this is true:

"Why...sure there may be Renderings more pleasant to look upon...the Western Country at Sunset, probably,— Scenes of Religious Life, Hunting-Dogs, a Table-ful of Food...yet if one of you, beheld intimately, be all but unbearably fair, you see, imagine the sentimental Delight into which a Man might be thrown, at the sight of two of you."

"More than twice as much, I'd guess, wouldn't you?"

"Oh, something exponential, I've no doubt."

Depictions of lesbianism in pornography has been a controversial issue within the lesbian community, in part because the majority of this pornographic content is produced by and targeted at heterosexual men. Some lesbians have argued that pornography in any form inevitably leads to the sexual objectification and stereotyping of lesbians and women in general. It has also been noted that depictions of women in lesbian pornography targeted at heterosexual men rarely show any depictions of lesbians that might be threatening or unattractive to heterosexual males -- e.g. butch lesbians.

Despite positive reactions to lesbian pornography, lesbians are often the victims of gay-bashing and sexual assault [1] [2] [3]. Some lesbians feel that interest in their sexuality encouraged by pornography might place them at greater risk of being sexually assaulted.

Others support pornography as a valid forum for personal expression and the assertion of women's individual rights, and hold that increased lesbian visibility in the media is a net positive for lesbians, even if prone to stereotyping and misinterpretation.

Some heterosexual women have an interest in gay pornography that is analogous to some heterosexual men's interest in lesbian pornography, such as yaoi and slash fiction. Some lesbian women are also fans of gay male pornography.

External links

• Lezlove Video Group
• "Kira Cochrane wishes Keira and Scarlett would stop it" by Kira Cochrane, New Statesman, February 27, 2006

References

• Bright, Susie. 1992. Men who love lesbians (who don't care for them too much). In: Susie Bright's Sexual Reality: A Virtual Sex World Reader. pp 93-98.