If you date a butch girl, you may as well have a man - right or wrong?

There are a vast selection of annoying clichés about lesbians but one that stands out, is the assumption that women who date butch women, may as well date men. This is a very shallow outlook on sexuality, and a lesbian's reasons for dating another woman don't change just because that woman happens to have a square jaw.

Here's why:

1. Attraction is about emotions as well as physical chemistry

Although there is much individual variation, as a general rule, males and females have quite distinct personalities. A woman cutting her hair and getting a tattoo won't change an underlying feminine character.

2. She's got a woman's body

Even if a girl has a slightly masculine face and a fondness for baggy clothes, she's still a woman underneath, with female curves and female naughty bits. This a quite a fundamental deviation from men.

3. Sexuality is not a rational choice

Although there is some controversy over whether or not people choose their sexuality, the general consensus among the gay community is that we don't. Therefore there is no point at which a lesbian will look at her butch girlfriend and think, "I could get a man with that haircut, best upgrade."

4. Heterosexuality isn't necessarily the rational choice anyway

Even if we could choose our sexuality, why is having a boyfriend necessarily preferable to having a girlfriend? Why don't people tell straight women, "If you going to date a man, you may as well have a butch lesbian."