The Appeal of the Internet When Lesbian Dating

A friend of mine wants to organise a blind date for me with a girl who’s a friend of a friend. "How do I know I won’t know her?" I ask, panicked that should I agree I’ll turn up to discover it’ll be someone I recognise as a regular from the local dyke bar and embarrass myself.

Go out regularly and whilst The Scene is large enough that you haven’t introduced yourself to everyone, it’s still small enough to see the same familiar faces again and again. As a result you’ve already pigeon holed those faces into groups: those you’re friends with, past friends (often who abandoned you during your split with your now ex), past girlfriends, acquaintances and those you’re just not interested in either way. 

When you do see someone new, chances are she’s either from out of town, recently divorced or decided to come out of whatever cave lesbians seem to reside in for 11 months of a year for her annual pilgrimage onto The Scene – and probably to meet up with an internet date! 

It wasn’t that long ago that I decided to give internet dating a go. I’d never been that bothered but then I hit that suffocating wall when it feels like every lesbian about town knows your case history of who you’ve fucked and when. Feeling the need for a change of scene from the physical one I finally decided to set up a profile as ‘candy-eyes’. 

There’s no denying that technology has made life much easier for us lesbians. Either because it’s saved some from being in the sexual desert if you’re the type for whom your natural disposition is to stay at home with the cats and latest episode of ‘EastEnders’. Or like me, you’ve been unlucky in love and desperate for some fresh meat not normally found in your usual haunts and already ‘friends’ with everyone you know including your ex’s. 

But I digress. I’m given the name of my blind date (organised by my straight friends I might add!) to reassure me, because I’m flatly refusing to meet her otherwise. I breathe a sigh of relief as not only do I not recognise the name, but after asking around neither do others; a good sign, uncomplicated. It’s refreshing to be able to meet with a girl that's not yet part of your L-Word chart and away from prying eyes. 

Of course I look my ‘blind date’ up online – I refrain from googling her like a stalker but do find her on Facebook. First impression is she’s not really my type, but there’s something about her that make’s me interested enough to go through with this, expand my horizon! I invite her to be my ‘friend’ so I can peruse her profile and maybe have an IM chat first. 

I rather like this; happily joining the ranks of all those stay at home lesbians bored and fatigued by the complicated lesbian networks that operate on The Scene which have to be navigated and negotiated through. Yes, there is indeed a certain appeal to just opening my browser to the plathora of woman I wouldn't have contact with otherwise. 

But when ‘brazenness’ is practically my middle name, I admit, I still prefer face to face contact when out on the pull. Now what I need is for a lesbian Grindr to be launched!