Cosmo breaking down barriers with sex guide for lesbians

Cosmopolitan now has a guide to sex positions for lesbians. Have celebrities like Michelle Rodriguez helped a new generation to ‘come out’? Paula Burns reports.

COSMOPOLITAN magazine now features sex positions for lesbians, bisexuals and queers, but not in the print version, only on the website, Cosmopoliton.com.

This can be forgiven after a wait of 50 years for Cosmopolitan to recognise that not everybody is heterosexual.

The younger generation appears more accepting of others’ sexual preferences, but in Hollywood, in the past, there were many rumours of stars being gay or bisexual. Despite playing tough-guy characters like Stanley Kowalski, in a Streetcar Named Desire, or Vito Corleone, in the Godfather, Marlon Brando was alleged to have had a relationship with the teen idol, James Dean.

The epitome of the golden-era heartthrob, Cary Grant, was alleged to have been bisexual, but Hollywood was clever at hyper-sexualising its male characters to cover up gayness.

The studios conjured up relationships, such as that of Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. Allegedly, Tracy was bisexual and Hepburn was a lesbian.

Present-day stars like Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Keanu Reeves and Oprah have been the target of the gossip columns, though all have ignored or denied accusations of being gay.

But the younger generation on the Hollywood boulevard seems to be all about expressing their sexuality. It’s refreshing to see them breaking down barriers. It was impossible to believe that so few people were gay in such a large industry.

The Fast and the Furious star, Michelle Rodriguez, is not apologising for her bisexuality. First, the sultry actress was allegedly linked with model Cara Delevienge, who was previously linked with popstar Harry Styles. Rodriguez was then spotted holidaying, and in a lip lock, with hunky actor Zac Efron.

Recent TV shows, such as Game of Thrones and Orange is the New Black, are a mixed bag of sexual-preference relationships. While the opening scene of Orange is the New Black is of two girls in the shower naked, not all of the relationships are same-sex. The show deals with bisexual, lesbian and heterosexual relationships.

So much expression of sexual liberty, through celebrity relationships and TV shows, may be a sign of the times that we live in.

Is the tide turning against same-sex relationship discrimination? Considering Cosmo online is read by 1.6m people worldwide, there must be a strong demand for the information.

For the average Irish teenager, these bisexual relationships are not shocking. A friend’s daughter casually informed us that lots of the girls in her school were bisexual and that there wasn’t anything startling about it.

This made us thirtysomethings feel out of touch and, in retrospect, highlighted the need for magazines such as Cosmo to move into the 21st century.

If the magazine is to continue its reign as the high-street sex bible, then sex positions for all preferences should be represented.

Cosmopolitan started in 1886, in America, as a family magazine. It wasn’t until the 1960s that the publication evolved into the innovative magazine it has become.

Cosmopolitan has always pushed the boundaries regarding sex. Since the 1960s, it has advocated the sexual liberation of woman. It has taught us to relish sex, instead of merely tolerating it.

Cosmopolitan showed women that sex could be pleasurable for not only the man, but for them, too. It has guided women to maximise their sexual pleasure.

So, it’s no wonder Cosmopolitan have taken the plunge into same-sex relations. Their article on the 28, mind-blowing, lesbian sex positions is a guide for all women to a world of sexual empowerment.

Ironically, even the heterosexuals out there could learn a few new tricks from it.