Can an ideology alter your sexuality?

Question

Professor of Feminist and Health Studies at Loughborough University, Sue Wilkinson, thinks so:

“I was a happy heterosexual and had no doubts. Then I changed, through political activity and feminism, spending time with women’s organisations. It opened my mind to the possibility of a L*****n identity... She has now been with her female partner, [Professor] Celia Kitzinger for [17 years]” http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/relationships/article2002552.ece

My question (deleted earlier today): is this a one-off or can feminism have this affect on women in general?

Answer 1

Are you starting to like men?

There is your answer.

Answer 2

I knew someone who was a happy heterosexual until getting very involved in feminist campaigns, and then became a L*****n.

I think sexual orientation is less straightforward than most people suppose, and all kinds of life experiences and political beliefs can have an effect on it.

Answer 3

I suspect that what is happening here is that Professor Wilkinson experienced an awareness of her sexuality, which had previously been suppressed.  The current thinking with respect to sexuality is that it is largely biologically determined.  There have always been and continue to be certain prohibitions against expressing sexuality which is out of the "norm."  If Professor Wilkinson was more bisexual in nature, it would not be too surprising to learn that she functioned as a happy heterosexual until she felt safe to explore the other aspects.  Seems unlikely that feminism or any other "ism" is going to have that effect on women, or men, for that matter.

Answer 4

Absolutely.

The L*****n relationship is the least sexual of all possible intimate relationships, so it's often not about sexuality. If an emotionally fragile woman finds refuge in Women's Studies and victim-identity, she can easily form a relationship with women because it feels safe. As humans,we have emotional as well as physical needs. If needs are not met for one reason or another in the heterosexual way, people adjust. Are all the men in prison who engage in g*y s*x homosexuals? I doubt it. They become straight again when they leave. But if your prison is a conceptual identity like feminism, your prison is in your head and you've sentenced yourself for life.

Answer 5

Feminists are usually intent on sexually "altering" men.        As for women, Feminism is a miraculous doctrine which allows them to be and to do whatever they please--according to infallible sources such as the SCUM manifesto, NOW pamphlets, etc.

And so, children, once upon a time little girls were cruelly repressed by laws and nature...

Answer 6

I wouldn't think so, though I don't think that science speaks conclusively on whether sexual orientation can be altered in general at this point.

I would suspect that it would be more likely that ideology can alter what you consider acceptable for your sexuality, meaning that a closeted L*****n who became more involved in the women's movement might be motivated to come out of the closet, for instance.

(It seems like a spin-off of the old question: moving to San Fransisco doesn't cause you to become g*y, but rather moving to San Fransisco might give a closeted g*y man enough community and support to stop feeling like he has to hide it.)

Answer 7

I don't think my ideology has made me g*y, so there you go.

But then again, we must consider the fact that women are much less likely to root for the opposite s*x in a battle between the sexes (whose cause is unknown) than men are.

Men are far more likely to rescue the woman if a man and woman were both in danger. The woman normally wouldn't rescue the man unless she was related to him, and she wasn't related to the woman. There may be one-off exceptions, but I find this is the general scenario.

I don't think ideologies affect sexuality that much. But if they do, feminism would be far more likely to cause homosexuality than anti-feminism. You may find lesbianism prevalent among (hardened) radfems, but I doubt it is (as) prevalent otherwise. It is more a case of an ideology helping you realize your sexuality rather than affect.

Answer 8

Sexuality is innate, but it can be "awakened" later in life, for example a lot of people don't realise they are g*y/bisexual until they meet the right person. I'm guessing this woman didn't discover her own sexual ambiguity until later because she never thought it was possible that she could go that way. Once she considered the possibility she realised she quite liked it...but the potential was always there.

Answer 9

It can alter one's sexual behavior, but not one's sexual orientation.

I don't know if this is true for men,  but I have learned that female sexuality is quite fluid, and many women  are bisexual by orientation, whether they ever choose to act on it or not.

Answer 10

Its a one-off. Austin above said it best. Prolly she had it in her to be a L*****n but by the time she came out of the closet, she was also actively involved in politics.

Hey, "Kitzinger" sounds nice ! :-D

Answer 11

The only way feminism (or any ideology) will have this specific affect on a person's sexual orientation is if the curiosity for the same s*x was already there from the start. She more than likely was already interested in becoming engaged in a relationship with a woman prior to studying feminism.

For example,  you can hang around men who have the same views of all women as yourself 24/7, but it doesn't mean that you're going to start being sexually attracted to them and turned off by women based on the views that you and these men share (or, is this what happened to you?). Sharing the same political, religious, or economical beliefs as someone else doesn't mean that you will change who are you as a person, unless the change was something that you yourself was already hesitant in making. It just took the woman in her life now crossing her path and assisting her with a comfortable transition from straight to g*y. Not to mention she had a few bad experiences (like yourself with women) may have lead to a mental "shut down" towards the opposite s*x all together.

Answer 12

No. In the end, sexuality is purely biological. Maybe ideology can lead to the realization of one's true sexuality, but it isn't the cause.

Answer 13

Of course ideology is used to change the preference choice of an individual as in politics. Ideologies are the tool to change internal thought patterns into succumbing to the desired of the doctrines of ideology.