Verbal declarations of interest and nonverbal behaviors were the primary means of communicating sexual attraction. Friendship was found to be differentiated from romance by two main criteria: emotional intensity and sexual energy or contact. Unique aspects of lesbian dating cited by participants included freedom from gender roles, heightened intimacy/friendship, the rapid pace of lesbian relationship development, and the effects of prejudice. Friendship was found to be the most widely used courtship script across all age groups, followed by the sexually explicit and romance scripts, with friendship and romance scripts being preferred.
Abstract Lesbian dating and courtship were explored based on interviews with 38 predominantly white lesbians (ages 22-63) representing young adult, adult, and midlife age groups.