WE WERE interested in the study of homosexuality in order to describe systematically its developmental and behavioral aspects. In this particular paper, the first of a series, we will describe and discuss the sexual behavior of the female homosexual. For any individual subject, her behavior was studied systematically from childhood to her present age with careful attention to the chronological development of the behavior during her earlier years and the changes in time during the adult years.
The majority of the studies on homosexuality have been on male homosexuals. There have been fewer studies on female homosexuals and systematic studies on a series of women are notable for their paucity. One finds descriptions of women ill and under treatment,1,2 studies of individual case histories,3 or of women in prison.4 These studies have made their own contributions. The need was still present for