female sexuality just doesn't work that way!

[psocoptera]

"SOAP OPERAS OFFER STRAIGHT WOMEN A BETTER SHOW THAN SHOWTIME'S'QUEER AS FOLK'

Editor -- While Neva Chonin's comments in "Live! Rude! Girl" (Sept. 12) on the television series "Queer as Folk" were wickedly funny, I must take issue -- affectionately, of course -- with a point or two on women and gay sex. Even as a staunch supporter of parity between the sexes, I find it patently absurd to put straight women's interest in gay sex on a par with the obsession of straight men for girl-on-girl "action." Clearly the majority of women are not seriously aroused by scenes of sex between men. Female sexuality just doesn't work that way. Additionally, Chonin's high praise for the comeliness of the "QaF" cast has me wondering whether we're watching the same program. Judged by the pumped-up "looks-ist" standards of Hollywood, these guys are disappointing at best. In fact, it is the soap opera that fits the straight female libido. The soaps present an almost embarrassing abundance of male pulchritude, and they dish it up in the context of an indulgent kind of storytelling, swollen with intimate character development and "hetero-erotic" plotlines. How can "QaF" compete?

Paul Alley, San Francisco

What, do you think, was the goal of this letter? Does (Mr.) Paul Alley want to -- affectionately, of course -- enlighten the confused (Ms.) Chonin with his superior grasp of female sexuality, or does he seek to guide the female viewing audience, who may be misled by Chonin's review, on where their viewing (and other) interests really lie?

"As a straight man, I think soap opera guys are way hotter than those guys on QAF - but only 'cause I'm thinkin' about what chicks would like! Really! That's all!"

Comments

[myalexandria.livejournal.com]

what. an. asshole.

this guy has pissed me off as much in one minute as many republicans have done in 25 years! That's quite an accomplishment!

grr.

[kelilah.livejournal.com]

And it's also...how does he *know*? What are his qualifications? Has he polled anyone? He's just saying "this woman who wrote these things is wrong."

[elysdir.livejournal.com]

Maybe Paul Alley is actually a girl? There was that song, "A Girl Named Paul"....

[kelilah.livejournal.com]

Um. Maybe; but I think that if Paul were a girl, the letter would have included "I" statements: "I don't find these men very attractive," "I and my female friends prefer soap operas," "we women don't like any depiction of sex that doesn't include at least one woman." I think if women were to use the sentence "Judged by the pumped-up "looks-ist" standards of Hollywood, these guys are disappointing at best," they would include something about "but I think they're hot, so yay Hollywood for breaking the mold!" ;^)

[elysdir.livejournal.com]

Oops, sorry, I meant to include a smiley at the end of my comment; I was joking.

I do see both men and women make generalizations about members of their own gender without explicitly including themselves. But usually in those cases their names make their genders clear. And I agree that it's not very likely that Paul Alley is female.

[miraling.livejournal.com]

"Clearly the majority of women are not seriously aroused by scenes of sex between men. Female sexuality just doesn't work that way."

Well, that's news to me, and, I suspect, the other girls whose heads turned the last time there were local making out guys. (Uh, yesterday...) (: