Female Homosexuality
Historically called "lesbian," the female homosexual often engages in sexual relationships with other women because of the inaccessibility of men. It is commonly found among female prisoners, but there is less coerciveness in the relationship than among male prisoners. Although the lesbian is characterized as wearing a plain felt hat, tweedy clothes, shirt ·and tie, and short-cropped hair, according to many studies nothing could be more erroneous. Most female homosexuals are indistinguishable from other women. Whereas mutual masturbation, or other physical practices, is expressed in male homosexuality, feminine homosexuality is often confined to the psychologicallevel. There may be no physical manifestation at all beyond tender embraees.
Homosexuality is not thought to be a biologically caused condition and heredity has been ruled out. Current theory holds that male homosexuality results from an excess secretion of estrogen, a female sex hormone, and that female homosexuality results from abnormally high androgen levels, the male sex hormone.
