Beyond “Lesbian Bed Death”

Abstract

Myths about lesbian sexuality continue to exist but none have received such widespread discussion as “lesbian bed death”, a myth that has become a clinical entity even though it lacks definitional clarity and empirical validity. Its users, often relying on gender socialization theory, overgeneralize and essentialize lesbian women's sexual experiences, obscuring the diversity of lesbian sexual experience. This paper critiques the use of the term “lesbian bed death” and provides examples from sex research and lesbian literature of the panoply of lesbian passions and play.