Sexual fluidity FTW! ( )

As in any anthology, some of the essays in this collection are better than others. Some are so full of hateful language toward other lesbians (one author referred to "creatures" with hairy upper lips and "rhombus-shaped bodies") that I was put off. You'd think that people seeking acceptance and understanding from the world would not be so shallow and dismissive of others. Some of these essays really reek of what I can only describe as "femme privilege." Unsettling. ( )

After grappling with my own sexuality, I found this book to be very insightful. At the heart of this book are stories from different women of all walks of life who describe their own experiences on discovering same-sex attraction.

Not all of the women are lesbians, and not all of the women fit into a single category, like "fence jumpers", etc. But the narratives do provide points of view that I would not have otherwise faced or encountered. While the narrators do mention a lot of stereotypes, this is because the stereotypes are still prevalent today and are still believed in general, not that the writers want to insult the GLBTQ population.
Lastly, the book itself brings to light many issues - some historical, like how we were told that's okay for men to be gay but not women or how gayness, lesbianism, etc. is something you can't talk about, to some that are still prevalent such as heterosexual privilege, where (for example) hetero couples can express actions of love, such as holding hands in public, but the GLBTQ community cannot because of potential abuse or backlash. I think this book brings a lot of material to the table for everyone to think about, straight or gay. ( )

I've read a lot of lesbian and queer literature before, but this collection really fills a niche that needed attention. Lots of books about queer people leave out sexual fluidity, and that sexual orientation might not be fixed for life - especially for women. I'm about as lesbian-y as they come, and I still enjoyed this book about women who ended up with women later in life. It gave me perspective on what some people have to go through in their lives that I previously hadn't thought of much.

The only thing I didn't like about this book was a lot of references to lesbian stereotypes. Maybe that's part of the coming out process for previously straight women ("I can't be a lesbian, I don't like softball and I'm not hideous.")?!? I found it pretty offensive. ( )

I'm not sure I was the right audience for this book. I thought the frequent references to stereotypical images of lesbians was damaging and unexpected. ( )