Fridae

A few weeks ago, my editor finally accepted a pitch I made months ago to write a feature story about pornography for lesbians. I thought that shouldn't be too difficult although I confess that I haven't really come across more than a handful of genuine (but not terribly impressive) pornography sites for lesbians. But then again, I don't really care for it - really.

Fast-forward to 72 hours before my deadline.

After using whatever pockets of free time available, I can now conclude that there is absolutely no porn equivalent of any kind for lesbians as compared to the glut of sites that feature well scrubbed Greek gods with "very large feet" aimed at my gay brothers.

Excluding websites and videos that feature "true lesbians" with silicone boobs, dildoes, red platform shoes (or stilettos) meant for straight men, pornography made by women for women are few and far between.

Is it simply about supply and demand? Like all things in this capitalistic world, there is assured supply only if there's demand - but surely the needs and desires of millions of lesbians online couldn't have gone unheard for the past decade or so. Yet judging from the lack of quality lesbian pornography sites, I'm not so sure.

Kay who is working in the health care industry says: "I've been actively surfing for lesbian pornography the past few years and I have to say that the selection is pathetic. Where are all the lesbian models, actresses, photographers and filmmakers? There are hardly any good quality home-made or commercial porn either."

Before we contemplate the reasons for the lack of supply, we should ask if there's any demand in the first place. Although 30 years has passed since feminist Germaine Greer first wrote about the right to sexual expression, lesbians are still too shy to say that they want pornography, by that I am referring to real pornography and not soft-core "romance stories" or "erotica".

Or do they really not want it? Jac, a twenty-something university student says, "I don't see a need for pornography for lesbians, and it's not like I'm hard up or anything. I've never surfed for pornography and I don't see myself buying a video online. I don't think a naked woman on my computer screen or TV is going to do anything for me."

Shan who is fresh out of teaching college and in a 2-year relationship admits to viewing pornography despite her partner's disapproval. "I've never bought any videos or magazines but I do surf the Net several times a month just to look at my regular lesbian magazines. It's not that big of a deal, nothing immoral about it although my sweetheart thinks otherwise. She thinks it's really wrong and we have had several fights about it so I don't do it while she's around and I never bring it up".

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Much like the 1970s anti-porn feminists who were very outspoken about their disapproval of pornography, Shan's girlfriend is of the view that pornography exploits and objectifies women - and it is double the sin for lesbian pornography since we would be "degrading and abusing our own sisters."

Shar Rednour and her partner, Jackie Strano, both produced, directed and starred in Hard Love/ How to Fuck in High Heels, which became a hit and premiered around the world at lesbian and gay film festivals. The double feature won the Best All-Girl Feature at the 2001 Adult Video News gala held in Las Vegas.

Shar admitted in an interview with syndicated lesbian columnist Tristan Taormino that she has feelings of guilt when she is directing another woman in her movies. "I really believe that I am doing important work in this world. And I still feel weird when I have to ask people to come. I mean I have this moment where feelings of guilt wash over me about what I am asking another woman to do."

However, Strano and Rednour, a butch-femme couple in real life who are known more for their pro-feminist, pro-sex politics than for pornography, might have won some lesbians over for featuring butch dykes having hot sex and baring their breasts (otherwise more likely found strapped beneath sports bras and ace bandages) in a pornography film for the first time ever.

"We really had an agenda of eroticising butch women, and part of that is not hiding the butches' chests," Strano says. "A lot of us don't like to talk about [our breasts] or deal with them. But we're women, and our femme girlfriends love our tits and don't want us to cut them off and turn into men."

Politics aside, money is obviously an obstacle for lesbians who do want to produce pornography especially given that potential financiers do not envisage healthy returns as women unlike men are not seen (by both the companies as well as the lesbians themselves) as consumers of pornography nor are they known for parting with their cash for carnal pleasures including commercial sex services.

And if you didn't already know, Strano and Rednour first catapulted into the world of pornography in 1998 with Bend Over Boyfriend (BOB), the first and only sex instruction video about women giving men anal pleasure using strap-ons, dildos and other toys.

With its success, Rednour has promised more pornography for the lesbian community: "We've got plenty of dyke movies that we're gonna make. We have pornography coming out our ears. We want to start the dyke Boogie Nights pornography empire."

Now that lesbians like Strano and Rednour are out there making real lesbian pornography and auditioning real lesbians for their films, the question is: are you ready to lap it up?