This is a guest post by Dr Rupert Read, School of Philosophy, UEA.

In the wake of the affair that made world-wide news recently involving the exposure of a rather sad, vain and irresponsible Englishman who posed in a blog as a gay (Syrian) woman, the controversial feminist writer Julie Bindel wrote illuminatingly in the GUARDIAN about “What straight men don’t understand about lesbians“. Her amusing article, deservedly, attracted about eight hundred published comments. The only point, I think, at which she went wrong, was in her opening speculations about why so many straight men are fascinated by (their fantasy of) lesbians Â (She thinks it has to do with male indignation that lesbians “do not desire the male form”. But this explains none of the delirious quality of male-fascination with all thingsSapphic.).

Perhaps this failing on Bindel’s part is not surprising: for she is not a straight man…

The real reason why the idea of lesbianism so fascinates many straight men is one that is easier to understand if one is. Having some philosophical awareness also helps. For the real reason is closely connected with the phenomenology of sexual fantasy, which works via virtual identification. In other words: it is about imagining yourself into the position of one of the sexual partners. In the case of lesbianism, a straight man seeks to imagine himself into the position of one of the partners, desiring the other woman of the pair – and then can immediately switch into the second woman’s subject position, desiring the first. (This back and forth virtual-switching of identification is especially delicious because of course it tacitly involves the illicit thrill of Â being a woman, at the level of imagination, as well as desiring one.) Â It works especially for the male fantasist when both the women in question are ‘desirable’ (e.g. porn models, or ‘lipstick lesbians’) and/or when the limbs etc. of the participants are so entwined that it is slightly hard to tell who is who. A man may get very over-excited by rapidly – ‘deliriously’ – switching subject-positions in his imagination, and work himself up in a way that doesn’t have a direct parallel in situations of heterosexual desire.

Furthermore, this also explains male hetero disgust for male homosexuality. For, in this case, a male contemplating it cannot succeed overtly in imagining himself into the position of either male partner: for doing so would commit him to having to imagine himself desiring a man: which, for a hetero male, is unacceptable.

So thatâ€™s what lesbians donâ€™t understand about straight men: that their fantasy of lesbians essentially involves imagining themselves into the position of the lesbians in question. Sort-of the opposite of the explanation given by Bindel. And, moreover, a kind of hidden massive compliment to (and envy of) lesbians, rather than an expression of outrage at themâ€¦

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