Set 6 - Quarter 3

The Chart, But Make It SapphicSavvy

Hello from SapphicSavvy!

As we prepare to wrap up Set 6, we want to remind everyone to play as many rounds as you can! If you’re reading these posts, you already have a bit of a leg up since you’re able to get more familiar with what your fellow users are reporting each week (good for you on that one), but some other good strategies can be talking to people on our chat platform, perusing profiles to get a sense of other players, and of course getting your friends to play (power in numbers). But I digress.

Last week we asked questions about identity invalidation, prestige lesbian television, orgasm counts, and what you all got up to this summer that wasn't weed. Grab a seat, we've got a lot to unpack.

It's Not a Phase

This question probably hits close to home for a lot of you, but you’re amongst friends here. We wanted to know what percentage of users have ever been told their sexual or gender identity was "just a phase.” The overall answer was pretty high at just under 75%, and y'all guessed pretty close, at 72%. Unfortunately accurate.

We saw a slight age difference for users in their 30s, who dipped slightly below the overall average at a little under 70%. It’s a little sad to see that the trend towards acceptance and understanding that really pushed in the mid 2010s did not drive down the numbers for younger users getting told they didn’t understand a fundamental part of themselves. We know it’s not just a phase, and we hope that anyone who’s told you that is going through a temporary ignorant phase themselves 🙏

We did see a pretty sizable difference on identity groups that was interesting. Bisexual users came in at a full 20 points lower than lesbian and queer users, despite having the highest guesses of any group. We went in assuming the "it's just a phase, you'll pick a side eventually" narrative that gets lobbed at bisexual people so often would mean bisexual users got hit with this comment more. But the data says otherwise. Maybe it's a wording thing, where "phase" comments get lobbed more at people who come out as gay/lesbian and then have their whole identity questioned outright, versus bisexual people who may face different (and still bad) flavors of invalidation like "you're just greedy" or "you'll end up with a man anyway" that don't literally use the word "phase." Whatever the mechanism, it's a good reminder that biphobia and homophobia don't always look the same, even when they're rooted in the same impulse to question who we are. If you want to read more on this, we've got some links at the bottom for you.

L-Word Watch Party When?

Next up, a right of passage for the ages: how many seasons of the original L Word series has the typical sapphic user in their age group seen? For context, the original series ran for 6 seasons. The overall average was 2 seasons watched, and y'all guessed a little high at 3.

I think the age trend here is exactly what you'd expect. Users in their 20s and under reported the fewest seasons watched, then users in their 30s, and finally users 40+ topped the list at over 3 seasons watched. Makes sense, since the show originally aired from 2004 to 2009, meaning our 40+ users were the right age to have watched it live (or at least live-ish, deep in a Showtime subscription). Younger users are working with reruns, clips, and vibes. It’s free to watch on Pluto TV though, so no excuses for anyone putting it off. Honor thy culture.

Pretty similar answers across identity groups, with lesbians having an ever-so-slightly higher average. Guesses were a little high across every single group, so we clearly think of ourselves as bigger L Word scholars than we actually are. No judgment though, that show requires commitment because watching Jenny is a whole damn ordeal in and of itself.

Again, Again, and Again

We checked back in on one of our favorite recurring topics this week. This time we asked what percentage of users have ever had 3 or more orgasms with a partner in one "session." The overall answer was nearly 60% you lucky divas.

Age-wise, there's a bit of a hump in the middle. 20s came in lowest at 52% (but guessed higher, at 57%, so this was the one age group we overestimated), 30s peaked at 67% (guessed lower at 60%), and 40s settled at 62% (guessed pretty low at 53%). We'd guess this tracks with general sexual confidence and communication improving with more experience. Shoot for the stars, go for 4, nothing is holding you back except endurance and dehydration but I believe in you 🫡

The identity breakdown had a genuine standout: bisexual users reported the highest rate by a wide margin at 73%, which was well beyond the average guess as well. Lesbians and queer users both came in at the mid 50-percent level, with nearly perfect guesses as well. We don't have a tidy explanation for why bisexual users are outperforming here, but if we had to speculate, it might tie back to the same "wider range of partner experiences" theory we've floated in past weeks. Whatever's happening, congrats to our bisexual users on coming in first on this one 🤭 Teach a masterclass. Or maybe offer private lessons :)

Past the Gateway

What says summer more than having fun and trying drugs under the sun? Idk, I’ve never really Done Drugs like that. But maybe some of y’all can help fill me in, because around 15% of users said they’ve tried a drug harder than marijuana this summer! Just to clarify, this is significantly lower than the average guess of 30%, and roughly on par with the national average of 11% of women reporting trying a drug harder than marijuana.

By age, 30s reported the highest rate, followed by 20s and closely followed by 40s, while guesses stayed high and fairly flat across all three groups at around 30%. This kinda tracks from what we’ve seen across quarters, users in their 30s a little silly, wild, and free, but within reason! But I will say, contrary to what the guesses would suggest, most of us are not out here doing much beyond weed on a given summer weekend.

By identity, lesbians reported the lowest rate at 10%, while bisexual and queer users reported similar and meaningfully higher averages. Still way under the guesses though. This general "everyone assumes way more hard drug use than actually happens" pattern lines up with national data showing that while sexual minority folks do report higher rates of substance use than straight peers on average, the within-community perception still tends to run well ahead of the reality. Please just make sure to stay safe, get fentanyl test kits, have narcan on hand if you can, and watch out for each other!

That's all I've got for you this week! Thanks as always for playing, guessing, and giving us good stats to talk about. We'll see you in the app!

XOXO SapphicSavvy

P.s. here's some additional readings if you're so inclined:

"Just a Phase" / Identity Invalidation:

The L Word:

Multiple Orgasms:

Substance Use:

‹ Set 6 - Quarter 2

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