Lesbianism

Beth Ditto is a singer who is a lesbian and an atheist.^[1] See: Lesbianism and obesity and Atheism and obesity

According to the Polish psychiatry journal Psychiatria Polska: Homosexual women are less concentrated on physical appearance and more satisfied with their bodies while being more tolerant to obesity. For lesbian women the ideal body image is more massive than for heterosexual women.^[2]

Lesbianism is sexual activity or attraction between women. Female homosexuals are often called lesbians (after the Greek island of Lesbos, home of Sappho, 610-580 B.C., the poetess of Lesbos). Women who are attracted to both women and men are called bisexuals.

The divorce rate among lesbian couples is almost three times higher than the already high divorce rate among homosexual men couples.^[3]

The first known written usage of the word "lesbian" in the sense meant here dates only from the 19th century. Earlier uses of the word from as far back as the 17th century, can be found but used in an entirely different sense. Lesbianism is also called sapphism or female homosexuality. In 1997, the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention Program included lesbians as a priority population.^[4]

In the United States, estimates of lifetime same-sex behavior among women are 8%–20%, and 1.4%–4.3% of all women may be sexually active with other women. An estimated 2.3 million women describe themselves as lesbian. In its 1999 report, Lesbian Health: Current Assessment and Directions for the Future, the Institute of Medicine emphasized that more data on sexually transmitted infections (STIs), Pap smear screening, and risk for cervical cancer in lesbians were needed.^[5]

Lesbianism and Health Issues[edit]

For more information please see: Lesbianism and Obesity

In April 2007, the American Journal of Public Health analyzed data from 2002 National Survey of Family Growth and the data suggested that American lesbian women were 2.69 times more likely to be overweight and 2.47 times more likely to be obese than all other female sexual orientation groups. ^[6] (photo obtained from Flickr, see license agreement)

In regards to lesbianism and obesity, in April 2007, the American Journal of Public Health analyzed data from 2002 National Survey of Family Growth and the data suggested that American lesbian women were 2.69 times more likely to be overweight and 2.47 times more likely to be obese than all other female sexual orientation groups. ^[6] The abstract for this study indicated that "lesbians are at greater risk for morbidity and mortality linked to overweight and obesity." ^[6]

In 2009, the PubMed article abstract for a Polish psychiatry journal Psychiatria Polska article declared:

In 2007, a purported lesbian wrote to Andrew Sullivan, the political commentator and administrator of The Daily Dish blog:

Lesbians have higher risk of HPV,^[9] despite of denying that by mainstream liberal health websites like Verywell,^[10] lesbians and bisexuals are more likely to get HPV vaccines due to their fear from HPV.^[11]

See also[edit]

• Homosexuality and health
• Gertrude Stein

External links[edit]

• Lesbianism Encyclopædia Britannica.

References[edit]