Why are there so few high profile lesbian couples?

[VeronicaSawyer89]

I've just been watching a MsMojo youtube video - Top 20 celebrity couple splits of 2023. And it struck me that there were a good mix of straight and gay (male) couples in the chart. Obviously good that no lesbian couples split up, but why are there so few celebrity lesbian couples compared to celebrity gay male couples?

I can only think of 3 - Ellen DeGeneres and Portia DeRossi, Jodie Foster and Alexandra Hedison, and Kristen Stewart and Dylan Meyer. Is this just old-fashioned sexism here? Where men are prioritised over women? Or is it that fewer lesbians feel comfortable coming out because of the abuse they will inevitably get?

This is really interesting. I barely recognise any of the names mentioned and often feel sad our lesbian icons aren’t even gay - see pink and tilda swinton.

I’d love to see some data about what professions lesbians are attracted to - I know a notable amount working as barristers in family law. My group of lesbian friends work in public sector/creative/IT-data sort of roles but there’s a wide spread.

Perhaps there’s something about celebrity itself that feels unappealing to lesbians…?

Just musing really.

Julie Bindel and Harriet Wistrich. Possibly not household names but both brilliant campaigners.

Yes absolutely tons in the cricketing world.

maybe women are more likely to keep their lives private and media are less interested in private lives of women who don't date famous men

for example, Cassandra Peterson, the actress who plays Elvira character and is reasonably well known, has been in a relationship with a woman for something like 20 years and nobody knew about it until recently

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/sexuality/bulletins/sexualidentityuk/2019#

"Men (2.1%) were almost twice as likely than women (1.1%) to identify as gay or lesbian."

So nearly double the amount of gay men than lesbians, plus there has always just been more famous males than females (we are beginning to see some reversal on the latter with women's sports getting more attention..Mary Earps winning SPOTY for example, that wouldn't have happened five years ago).

I am part of a low-profile lesbian couple and we are great and in no current danger of splitting up. 😊

Julia is on the Real Housewives of Miami!

What professions are lesbians into? Well, not a profession exactly but I worked as a roadsweeper in a previous existence and it was Lesbian Central at our depot

I can't even think of many highprofile gay couples either though...

Elton John and David F
Tom Daley and Lance
Stephen Fry and Elliot (he admittedly is less well known)
Neil Patrick Harris and husband
Jim Parsons and husband

Actresses Erin Doherty and Sophie Melville

USA gymnasts Laurie Hernandez and Charlotte Drury

Nate and Jeremiah -HGTV design couple.

Frederick and his British man -million dollar listing plus a few others on the LA franchise.

but yes, not a huge number of them either.

(And quite a few listed I only know one if theirs work and the other is just known as their partner -it Stephen fry's partner or Frederick's partner or Neil Patrick Harris partner or Tom Daley's.)