 “Lesbian" - derived from Lesbos, a Greek

island, home to a 6th-century BCE poet

Sappho
 1870 - "Lesbianism" was used to describe
erotic relationships between women
- Use of “lesbian" in medical literature
became prominent
 1925 - The term was recorded as a
noun to refer the female
equivalent of a sodomite
 Ancient Greece(776–480 BC): earliest known
written references to same-sex love between
women
 Sappho - long been considered bisexual because
she wrote love poems addressed to both women and
men
 Japan & Arabia
Prevalence
US
2.6% of the population
[National Opinion Research Center survey in 2000]
Australia
1.3% - 2.2% of the total population
UK
[National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (NATSAL) in
2000]

1.Ever had a sexual experience, not necessarily

including genital contact, with a partner of the same
sex? 9.7%
2.Ever had sex with a same sex partner, including
genital contact? 5.7%
3.Have you had a same sex partner in the last five
years? 2.6%
 PROBABLE CAUSES
(A) Genetic factor
• in a heritability study of homosexual in women,
- 48% for identical twins
- 16% for non-identical twins
- 6% for adoptive sisters

• study based on the number of ridges on the index finger and thumb of the
left hand :
 homosexuals ( 30% )
 heterosexuals ( 14% )
- fingerprints are fully determined in a fetus by the end of 4 th month of
pregnancy

• study based on the size of the index finger relative to the ring finger
- determined before birth
- lesbians have shorter index fingers
(B) Hormonal factor
• congenital adrenal hyperplasia
- adrenal glands secrete excess amount of
androgen
- masculinisation of genitals in women

• mother’s hormonal changes during

pregnancy

• ovaries or testes are developed starting

from the 6th week of pregnancy
- hormones might be produced off
schedule resulting the brain’s neural
networks to develop in a way that the
child will exhibit homosexual indicators
in early childhood
(C) Cognitive factor
 tendency to dress up like a male

- more interested in boy’s toys and clothes during childhood

 poor parenting style

- child tends to seek love from another adult of the same sex gender
when she cannot receive love from her parent of the same sex

 curiosity, experiment and addiction

 sexual molestation during childhood
 unhappy with previous marriage

(D) Environmental factor

 grown up in a family or surrounding which the members are lesbians
LIFE
 One partner will exhibit male characteristics
the other female characteristics.
 Living together seems to be more important
to lesbian than gays.
 Can adopt children or go to sperm bank.
 Face discrimination
 Prone to substance abuse and suicide.
SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR
• Oral sex
• Likes touching and caressing.
• Tribadism ( Rubbing genitals
against someone’s genital)
• Vaginal penetration with dildos
is rare.
• Prefer overall stimulation than
clitoris stimulation.
• Have less sex than normal
couples.
TRIBADISM
Vibrator
Dildo
 MYTHS AND FACTS

Myth: Lesbians are masculine and
physically strong.
Fact: Her style and body type
does not show her sexual
orientation.

 Myth: Lesbians really want to be a

man.
Fact: She is happy with her own
gender but wants to be with
someone of the same-sex.
Jane Addams was a Nobel Peace Prize winner and a
famous social worker from the US. She was also the
lover of women and lived in a Boston Marriage with
another woman.

Jamie Babbit is a television & film director of Itty

Bitty Titty Committee , But I’m a Cheerleader,
Gilmore Girls, Nip/Tuck, Ugly Betty. She is also the
board of the POWER UP, an organization to
promote lesbians presence in Hollywood.
-Jamie Babbit & Andrea Sperling
Tammy Baldwin is the first non-incumbent,
openly gay person to serve in Congress.
She is the first woman to serve in the US
House of Representatives from the State
of Wisconsin. She is also an advocate for
LGBT rights.

Ellen Degeneres &

Portia de Rossi
Lindsay Lohan & Samantha Ronson
 DISEASE
A higher number of female partners has been
associated with increased risk of :

 Genital herpes virus (HSV)

 Human Papilloma virus ( HPV )

 Bacterial vaginosis ( BV )
 GENITAL HERPES VIRUS

wo of the family of six herpes viruses that can infect humans.

he two herpes viruses

SV 1:

-
Usually causes cold sores, but can also infect the genital region

SV2:

- The
main cause of genital herpes, but it can also cause cold sores on

the
face
HERPES VIRUS
 HUMAN PAPILLOMA VIRUS
aused by the human papillomavirus, or HPV.

HPV has been linked to certain types of skin cancers as well as:
Recent data indicates that the UK-wide programme regarding
vaccination girls against the sexual transmitted human
papillomavirus (HPV) is giving positive results.HPV is the reason
behind most case of cervical cancer which takes life of more than
1,000 women in the UK each year.
 BACTERIAL VAGINOSIS (BV)
 In a healthy women
- lactobacilli.(useful bacteria)
- make lactic acid and peroxide
 Their byproducts help to keep the vagina at a slightly acidic pH 4
which protects against infection.
 When a woman has BV, the lactobacilli are replaced by a mix of other
bacteria.
 These bacteria do not produce lactic acid, and so the vaginal pH
increases to above 4.5.
Bacterial Vaginosis (BV)
 “HEALTH” is a holistic concept
including physical, mental, emotional
and social well-being
 DEXAMETHASONE
Steroids advertise off-label for
pregnant women
Prevent homosexuality &
“masculine behavior” in their
daughters [outward signs of CAH
in girls]
Endocrinology studied a
condition known as congenital
adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) –
overexposure to male hormones in
the womb, resulting in
developmental abnormalities
 Presence of large clitorises appearing penis-like,
although a perfectly ordinary vaginal opening and
wombs are seen

 Dexamethasone has a small amount of evidence in

preventing ambiguous genitals

 Not approved by FDA for treating CAH in utero

 This drug is also known as the “dangerous steroid”

 Prenatal dexamethasone therapy started long ago

since 1978

 SE for the baby are not significant

 Adverse effects on the mother’s health”:

◦ Excessive weight gain
◦ Severe stretch marks
◦ Mood swings
 Dr. Nicolosi, the president of National Association for
Research and Therapy of Homosexuality, NARTH
believes that:
 Parents can prevent homosexuality from developing
in their children by changing their parenting
methods, starting early in their children’s life
 Homosexuality is treatable in adulthood
 -reparative therapy
 -recovered memory therapy
 -multiple personality Disorder/Dissociative Identity
Disorder
 Generally proved disastrous; broken families, ruined
lives, suicides
 Reasons being in making a heterosexual couple
happy and satisfied in a relationship are the same
in lesbian relationship
 Satisfaction is greater when both partners feel
that they share in decision making (Kurdek &
Schmitt, 1986); Lesbian couples emphasized the
importance of equality in their relationships
 Perceiving rewards of the relationships are
greater than the perceived cost ( Kurdek, 1991)
 Engaging couples in productive and positive
methods of resolving conflicts and problems
 A lesbian is a woman who is romantically &
sexually attracted ONLY to other women.

 A lesbian relationship could be pleasurable,

secretive, boring, long-lasting, funny,
dramatic, short-termed, adventurous or
exciting; just like any other relationship
between lovers
 In all cultures and societies, heterosexuality is given
the rights to exist because it is deemed ‘normal’.
Society DOES NOT want to accept that a woman can
also fall in love with another woman. In fact, lesbian
relationships are as old as heterosexual relationships
 There are many stereotypes existing about lesbians
and gays. Lesbians are of no extraordinary. They are
not somebody with horns on their heads or with long
noses.
"I seem to have run in a great circle, and met
myself again on the starting line." 
- Jeanette Winterson (Oranges Are Not the
Only Fruit)

"You had to be willing to fight in

order for a love story to last a life
time." 
=Cristina Marrero
 Studies of the causes of homosexual orientation
http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_caus4.htm
 Homosexuality & other sexual orientations
Speculations into causes
http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_caus9.htm
 Deliberations on the cause of homosexuality
http://www.helium.com/items/1554923-causes-of-
homosexuality
 Pregnant Women Take Drug To Prevent Lesbian or
"Masculine" Daughters
http://www.care2.com/causes/health-policy/blog/
drug-taken-during-pregnancy-to-prevent-lesbian-
daughters