How many times have you been on a first date with a girl and she says to you “I am really into astrology, what is your star sign?” She says with a glint of excitement in her eyes, as if your answer is going to indicate the future potential of your relationship that you both have already planned out after one date. I am a Capricorn, and when I say that I mean, I am a Capricorn…. to a tee. So as a Capricorn, I can never date an Aries. Even if Eliza Dushku was an Aries and came knocking on my door asking me to marry her, I would have to say, “Sorry, I don’t date Aries.” (Haha just kidding – she is a Capricorn anyway so I am safe… also she is married to a billionaire so I am also thinking I will never have to worry.)
I am not that into astrology. But it did make me wonder why so many queer girls are?
Things relating to the Wiccan, supernatural, spiritual, and the occult have always existed in female queer spaces. Being connected to nature, the earth, and your mind does seem to be a bit of a lesbian thing. Not to mention the Wiccan phase of the 90’s and early 2000’s where movies like the craft and tv shows like Charmed & Buffy reigned supreme. This kind of spirituality also offers up something different for a queer girl who may want to feel connected to something that is completely different from mainstream religion. Too often we have been left out of the religions we were raised in although this seems to be improving as time goes on. There has definitely been an increase in interest in astrology amongst Millenials and an increase in people identifying as LGBT+ amongst Millenials and Generation Z. So the increase makes sense. There has also been a decline in young people in general pulling away from traditional religions.
I would love to see a study of lesbians on dating apps and what percentage list their star sign in their Bio. It usually goes something like this “Friends, Family, Capricorn” followed by a rainbow or the ‘two girls’ emoji. Or maybe that was just my bio and why I did not have much success on dating apps? (I met my girlfriend in person in the age of Tinder.)
Seriously though, I remember most lesbians that I chatted with at some point the discussion of star signs was raised. This is more common than not, whether it be in the lesbian dating world or even just between friends.
As queer women, we have often spent many years in deep self-reflection of our feelings in order to identify who we really are. I think this could have something to do with our fascination with astrology. It dictates to us personality traits that are innate due to the time of year we were born and we like that. I like to be able to reflect on all the Capricorn traits and work out which ones I agree with and those that I don’t. Mostly I am in 95% agreeance that I am indeed a Capricorn. When things are not going great for me I also like to be able to blame mercury being in retrograde….even if I don’t really know what that means.
Throughout our lives, a lot of queer people have suffered hardships, ranging from societal and family rejection through to the self-hatred that comes with internalized homophobia. Of course, that is not to say that straight people don’t have challenges in life, but this sort of life discord is different. The issues that many queer people face relate purely to who they are. Fighting that type of battle with yourself is exhausting.
Queer people have been isolated from the mainstream for a long time and we have always sought community spaces where we can feel valued and understood. I think astrology brings queer folk together. It gives us something to discuss, bond over, and believe in. It has no judgment when it tells you that being a Capricorn can mean you are stubborn and emotionally cold. In the same way, it’s not guaranteed that if you are dating a Scorpio that they will be loyal and brave. It is simply giving you some guidelines for who you can be.