Sexual Fluidity  | Poll Results | Advocate.com

||   Sexual Fluidity   ||
Results for the following question: Is sexuality naturally more fluid for women than men?

Yes
 51.7%

No
 32.8%

Undecided
 15.6%

Total Votes: 693

Comments:
These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

Anonymous
Naturally more fluid? No. But years of societal pressure have made it more acceptable for women to express sexual fluidity.

Anonymous
It's difficult for me to answer because of my lack of experience with sexuality and women

Anonymous
The idea that female sexuality is more fluid than male is completely a product of our culture and our culture alone. Historically and cross-culturally, there are many examples of male sexuality being just as, if not more, fluid than female. We need to stop naturalizing contemporary American views of sexuality and see them for what they are: culturally-shaped ideas.

Chad Williams
More fluid? If that's a nice way of asking "Do bisexual men really exist, or are they too chicken to admit they are gay?" whereas bisexual women really do exist, then the answer is yes, yes, YES.

Anonymous
Sexuality is not inherently more fluid for either sex, it is just societally more acceptable for women.

bob
i think it is an 'urban myth' that women are more fluid in their sexuality...but then, i guess you would have to poll women, not gay men for that answer, or straight men.

Juli Hale
I think social norms and even expectations within the GLBT community color the expression of bisexuality. In other words, it is more acceptable to society for a woman to be bisexual than it is for a man. Kinsey's studies showed that most people fall within some range of bisexuality and a minority of people are exclusively homosexual or heterosexual. To some degree, women have "permission" from society to express their preference for either sex. Within the GLBT community bisexuals are suspect. There is still a widely held belief that bisexuality doesn't exist or that it's a "phase". This is doubly true for men. It is believed that bisexuals may have internalized homophobia ard are just not willing to "own up" to being completely gay...yet. I think, in fact, that fluidity in sexual preference is as common in men as with women, but repressed because of the discomfort it causes. As for me, I'm pretty thoroughly lesbian, but I do acknowledge the 10% or so of the time I am attracted to men.

Dave
I don't think that women are more naturally fluid. But men are socially less apt to experiment. They are taught from a young age to be less comfortable with such experimentation or "fluidity. I think that we are "natually" the same, but men live in different social constructs.

Anonymous
I just think it's easier for women to convince others (and themselves) that they are into their present relationship

Anonymous
In society it sees that women sexuality is allowed to be fluid. It is a men' world we live in, and to men seeing women get it on with each other is ok as long as there is not two men and one woman.

Tom Brown
I am not an expert on human sexuality, but I have known of many instances of women who considered themselves lesbian becoming involved in intimate relationships with men. It is the rare gay man who wants to sleep with his female friends.

Michael
I have read that it is more fluid for women, but since I have always been a male, there's really no way for me to know that for sure.

Anonymous
However, this does not mean that bisexual men do not exist, only that bisexuality and fluidity seem to be more widespread among women.

Marina
only because it is more of a stigma for men to engage in sex with another man than for a woman to with another woman

Anonymous
We have been receiving the Advocate magazine at OSU Internal Medicine, Suite 250, 2231 North High Street Columbus, Ohio 43201-4102 This is a Family medicine office and DO NOT want these magazines delivered here. Thank You Kaye Roush 614-293-7289

Anonymous
I don't think that biologically or physiologically speaking a woman's sexuality is any more or less fluid than a man's. However, I do think that it is more culturally acceptable for a woman to display greater sexual fluidity and that the psychological effects of that norm are often displayed in the social behavior of both sexes.

South Jersey Steve
I think men are "trained" as youth to behave and live a certain way, as well as some biological instincts due to the testerone levels. Men in general are just "butch" by nature and I love them that way! :-)

Anonymous
strange question! If you mean are women more likely to be more distributesd on the 1-10 scale than men, I don't think so. Are men just more in the news? Hmmm.

Anonymous
Women may tend to present more fluid sexuality than men. However, if that is the case, it surely has a lot more to do with social constructions about "proper" gender and sexual behavior of men and women, and less to do with nature and genetic drive.

Anonymous
o yea

Isobel
but i believe its mostly due to social stigma.

Yvonne Neis
A lot of the times it is because many straight men think that lesbians are sexy rather then gay men.

Justin
Sexuality is not naturally more fluid for women. The sexes are socially conditioned differently, leading to women being more sexually fluid than men because females are taught to be more open and in touch with their emotions. Men are not as likely to investigate their feelings. Males are conditioned more to be tough and aggressive to round out the characteristics provided by females. Although this does seem to be changing, I'd still like to see both sexes conditioned to be whole, instead of complements for another half. Perhaps then men would be just as sexually fluid as women and it would be just as acceptable.

Anonymous
Sexuality is fluid for everyone . . . it either or it isn't . . it can't be more or less fluid.

Anonymous
no men are after sex donot really care about sexualith women are after relationships/bearing

Rachel
Maybe the *inherent* fluidity of sexuality in women versus men is debatable, but I think that the measurable effects are that women flow into and out of various sexual orientations with relative ease as compared to men. For me, there has been a decided societal aspect to my flowing journey from heterosexuality to bisexuality to lesbianism. At a young age, I felt encouraged to fully explore my sexuality, and have found people who support me as a person regardless of who's in my bed. Many gay and straight men that I've met during my life have seemed quite rigid in their respective orientations. It could be natural for them, but I often get clues that it has a lot to do with their self-images and their reputations with others as opposed to their own biological drives.

Anonymous
THE ADVOCATE REFUSED MY POLL COMMENT BECAUSE I WAS DISPLEASED THEM!! ADAM A KARU

Anonymous
It has been harder for me "figure" myself out, I don't know if its because I'm a woman or because I am a devout Christian, or a little of both. I would think it would be easier to know yourself as a man with a built in "barometer" so to speak.

Preston P.
I think that sexual fluiduty is equally fluid in both sexesin nature and if it was tolerated and celebrated, but females have since modern times been less persecuted for their other than traditional expression of sexuality. So females are more willing to experiment.

Anonymous
I think men are socialized to prefer a more rigid sexuality and women tend to be socialized toward more comfort with ambiguity. If society allowed men to be more sexually fluid, I believe many would.

Matt - Nashville, TN
I thnk it's about the same with both sexes, women are just more willing to experiment sexually because they don't feel the need to live up to some macho factor.

Mike
I feel the more overpopulated the world becomes the more fluidity we will be handed done gentically in respects to sexuality. But between the sexes the "fluidity" of sexuality seems more perscribed by a society that doesn't understand a whole range of other experiences (i.e. bisexuality, transgender expression, same-sex polygamy, etc.)

Anonymous
The use of the word "naturally" in the question disturbs me. I thought we were over the idea that sexuality is determined by some immutable "Nature". Sexuality of any kind is the product of a complex interaction between our biological and our social selves.

Sean Medigo
The women I know always seem to be in better touch with their emotions than the men I know, gay or straight. That's an import part of being able to love a person regardless of gender.

Anonymous
Social norms encourage it.

Anonymous
I do not think so. My reasoning is that society is more accepting of a lesbian so it is a little easier for them to shift along the spectrum.

Chris in Orlando Florida
I find this question bizarre, and leads me that you have worded it trying to get the answer you want. You need to be more specific. This is the same reasoning special interest groups, those on the right or left, skew (sp.) polls to get the answers they want.

Anonymous
Nope. Men just don't admit it.

Thom
Being born a gay man, I find this question pretty ridiculous. How the hell am I supposed to know this?????

Rebecca
Not necessarily. Whereas boys are raised to be little soldiers, girls are raised to be little wives. It is understandable that desire for the male sex (in some women) is difficult to overcome as it is a learned habit. The desire for the female sex in lesbian and bisexual women is inborn. So it may be more "fluid" for women, but it's not necessarily natural.

Anonymous
I believe that women are more comfortable with our sexuality than men are--that would lend itself to our being more sexually fluid than men. There are probably several reasons, but the few I can think of as possibilities are: --hormonal fluctuation changes our level of desire and we're ok with that --women are more open about their feelings than men--men tend to repress which would inhibit fluidity --guys are so much more sexually insecure than women

Paul Giurlanda
If I had a nickle for every Lesbian friend who now dates men, I'd have--OK, less than a dollar, but that's still a lot of friends. I would be shocked if the experience of others is any different.

Anonymous
I've never understood why a woman can have several flings of lesbian sex and people don't declare her a lesbian but men have even one little cock sucking episode and they are gay forever and ever. I think sexuality is much more fluid than most people want to admit...even to themselves.

Qris J
Undecided. I think it has less to do with Nature than social conditioning. In a patriarchal society we aren't likely to fully understand the differences between women & men.

joseph chiffano
I beleive that women have just as many problems in their own sexuality as me . Comes to mind, that Gay vs. Straight in this instance may well have a part to play; Stereo type the male role and the femal role and we get a campaign of problems in dealing with and adjusting to each part.

Damon
What kind of sexist bs is that to ask, why dont you just ask "are lesbians and straight women superior to all men?" NO

Jeni
Yes, I think women are more in tune with their bodies and sexuality than men.

K
there is a fine line between close friendships and relationships with women so naturally the line gets blurred more often.

Richard Gallant
The key word here is "naturally." It's hard to know, hard to empirically establish with any degree of certainty, what lies beneath the layers of socio-sexual construction and indoctrination. It is, perhaps, more accurate to say that the subjugation of women throughout history has provided women (and the men who have listened) a foundation on which to deconstruct and see through these layers. I am not suggesting that gay men and gays, in general, have not been oppressed; women, as a generalized group, just seem to have had longer to articulate the intricacies and complexities of human sexuality. As a twenty-something gay man (the irony here is not lost on me) myself, I hope the relative fluidity of my sexuality is not merely a symptom of the one-or-the-other-for-life choice that is offered. Being open to the possible validity in this is certainly a good start.

Anonymous
Fluids are involved with both.

Anonymous
Male sexuality is black and white (gay or straight) but for many women it is gray. This is the 600 lb gorilla in the room that no one wants to acknowledge.

Terry
I've always believed that sex for women has to be easier for women than for me. Therfore, 'fluidity' is the key word for women. Men are the sex that has to work to keep an erection, to 'satisfy' or bring to orgasm the female, and has to last at keeping the sexual moment going longer for ultimate enjoyment.

D. Baker
How would we know unless we were able to experience both and who defines what is natural and how to measure that definition? Decades of activism and you ask a question like this? What a shame to see we are doing this within our own house. We have a nation, a world falling apart; a disease continue to evade us; inequalities persisting across this "free" nation and you choose to point out differences based on sex. Really?

Green Gay
No, women are just more open to admitting it.

Tom
It is not naturally fluid, per se. I would argue that it is more fluid for women because it is more socially acceptable. Though studies have shown that women have more fluid sexualities, I do not think that those studies point to biological reasons, rather to socialization issues.

Greg
It certainly seems that women can transition between Straight and Lesbian far more easily than men can. It seems that far fewer men practice bisexually, whether claiming it or not, then do women.

Anonymous
I know women who were avowed lesbians earlier in life, but have now married men they claim to be very deeply in love with. However, the only gay men I have ever heard of who later claimed to be straight are all associated with some religious cult or another. Even then, those guys usually get busted at a gay nightclub trying to sneak a quickie without anyone finding out. The ex-Lesbians I know have pretty much stayed that way, and they aren't mixed up with religious fundamentalists.

Jose
I believe all humans are bisexual to some extent. However women are more free to express their bisexuality than men, because of our society's macho culture.

Jack C.
No!! It depends on the person. I know some pretty sexually out there guys and know (of) some pretty sexually rigid women. Gender has nothing to do with it.

Laura H.
But, it depends on what group of women are being looked at at a given time. Many women may indeed be bisexual and therefore simply have times in their lives when they're with women and other times when they're with men. I would imagine a bisexual's sexuality is considered "more fluid" by the measurements of either/or anyway. I do take issue with the slant in Baumgardner's article that says that implies ALL women are attracted to both women and men and that ALL women's sexuality is fluid. As a self-identified lesbian, I have never been attracted to men at all, and I know many others who feel the same. Baumgardner's overgeneralizing was disappointing.

Anonymous
I think historically it is more fluid for women, but more difficult for men. This means men are now more accepted having overcome this with gusto.

Anonymous
women get off easy with regards to sexuality

Anonymous
I can't vote in your poll because of the stupid flash banner ad that controls all clicks in the area of your poll as well as using tab to navigate.

Michael Preston
I think sexuality is dynamic to the point where it's far more about the person than their gender. There are men who have a very fluid sexuality, and there are some who do not. Equally, there are women who have a very fluid sexuality, and there are some who do not. Fundamentally, everyone is different, and so is the precise nature of their sexuality.

Anonymous
no it is probably just the same, but women can express their physical attraction to another women more freely.

MK
My current GF is a previously "straight" woamn, going to prove the old adage - all women are straight until they're not.

Anthony S.
I think its more open and accepting for women, men just tend to have denial/closeted issues with it. Not even admiting it to the closest of friends.

Gene
Naturally? No. I think sexual fluidity is naturally equal in men and women ... however ... CULTURALLY, men have been trained to reject their own natural fluidness and to confine themselves to a single, strict sexual/gender identity

Anonymous
Although the research in this area is still somewhat inconclusive, early findings suggest that women have a more fluid sexual self-concept that men in many societies.

riffraf002
Men need it more often than woman.

Paul
2 things are at work here : #: 1 female homosexuality does not carry as much negative social stigma as male homosexuality and is in fact eroticized by many hetero men . #2 : Women sometimes choose to be gay for " political " reasons ; i.e. histories of bad hetero relationships, strong feelings about the world sexual power structure , etc .

Anonymous
I feel my sexual orientation is (and always has been) 99.9% homosexual... but a suspected high prevalence of fluidity or bisexuality across the population would explain a lot. If that's the case, I guess that it's much easier for women to be comfortable exploring their sexuality and not being afraid to admit it. So it may be more fluid, or it may just be that women in our society are just better adjusted to deal with it.

Anonymous
Societal restraints on men are more stringent than those placed on women. Female-Female interaction is more accepted than Male-Male.

Anonymous
Most women are bisexual, that is, we have the capability to be attracted to and to enjoy sex with certain persons of either sex. Too many women stifle their attractions to women, for the obvious reasons, and some lesbian-identifed women stifle attractions to men for fear of rejection by other lesbians. There are bisexual men too, of course, but I think not so many. It seems like men's sexuality may be more genitally focused, so the sex of the other person may be more of a determinant for more men.

Darrell
It is much easier for women to be sexually fluid. If a male has sex or a relationship with other males people see him a purely gay regardless of claimed sexuality. Women are often thought as being in a phase when they say they are a gay woman or want to sexually connect with a woman and are thus welcomed with open arms by both the homosexual and heterosexual communities.

Michael Jarboe
I've always had no problem having sex with "heterosexual" men. I think Kinsey had it right that most people probably land somewhere in the middle, to a greater or lesser degree, of bi-sexuality, with total heterosexuals and total homosexuals on the opposing ends. Society allows, very often even encourages (!!) women the chance to test out these waters, for a variety of reasons, where men face a much tougher social stigma. Get rid of these stigmas and men would be showing the the true range of their sexual desires.

Steve
Yes, but only because they don't feel they have so much to "prove" by flaunting one orientation or another.

Mary Gay
I think the desire to produce children often keeps women from experiencing their lesbian side and after trying to be heterosexual for a while they are more likely to explore other options.

Anonymous
I think it depends on the person rather than the gender. Thats my guess but who knows, I've never had sex with a woman so I dont know first hand.

spike
I'm a bi male and in my experience men are way more fluid sexually then most women I've been with; I wish it weren't true because I really enjoy sex with women.

spike
I'm a bi male and in my experience men are way more fluid sexually then most women I've been with; I wish it weren't true because I really enjoy sex with women.

Anonymous
It appears to be. In general, men are more focused on the physcial aspects of sexuality, while women, in general, are more focused on the emotional aspects of sexuality. As such, men are more focused on one gender or the other, while women can be a bit less rigid about such a distinction.

Anonymous
What the fuck kind of question is this? More fluid? What does that mean? Or is it just a bad pun? Get a grip already. Shit.

Jo
I am a lesbian who is not attracted to men at all, but I know many lesbians who say they could derive some sexual satisfaction with a man if there were no women around. This anecdotal evidence is backed up by all the research I've read to date, yet I don't know if I could call this research truly comprehensive. What would we do with the results of such a study, other than satisfy our curiosity?

Matthew
This antiquated notion is sexist, misogynist rubbish. Men and Women have equal range of possible sexual expression.

Anonymous
I don't know if they are more fluid or if our society is just more tolerent of women showing affection to either sex than they are to men.

Haley
being a bisexual woman myself it is hard for me not to think that most women search for love and not the package around it, but my first longterm boyfriend could'nt have cared less about someones gender. Maybe if you are really comfortable with your self everyone's Sexuality can be fluid.

magnus
Sexual orientation is an individual thing. Some are more attracted one way than another. But it can change through out life.

Giselle
As an out gay woman, I can not count the times straight and even married women have hit on me. I don't "look" stereotypically gay (which, trust men, most gay women don't), so they probably feel "safer" expressing their curiosity to me. I just think that, in general, women are more comfortable about "going to the other side" than men.

Anonymous
At least, it seems that way. Probably because women are more likely to express their fluidity...being somewhat free from the pressures of masculinity. If our society wasn't so strict on "what defines a man," I think we'd see more men expressing their fluidity.

Wharton Sinkler
I believe that the labels we use can be a real obstacle to watching ourselves and discerning what excites us and turns us on. If we paid more attention to our responses to others, we might find everyone's sexuality far more fluid than the conventional rigidities allow.

Anonymous
No, we are just socially constructed to be more tolerant of women-on-women interaction because it appeals to straight males.

wolf
We in the US and other Western societies are forced into a male or female gender descrimination. We fail to appriciate the spectrum of genders available in other cultures. India has at least three and some Native Americans traditions recognize up to six genders. Modern science is finally coming to it's senses and admitting the natural occurance of intersexed people and not forcing parents to decide male or female for such children. I think by giving merit to just male and female we are adding to the fundemental flaw in our society that we are only male OR female. I personally could add gay, lesbian, transgender to the list. Should not the question read are gay or lesbian identified people more fluid or the hetero counterparts. If we want equallity we need to change the language to include ourselves.

Cindy
My sexuality is deeply carved in stone. No men, not now and not ever.

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