If Harry and Sally spent a whole film working out if men and women can be friends, then what about Sally and Sally?
Women are supposed to have girlfriends, as in friends who are fellow girls... yet what if you're a gay woman? Are the possible pitfalls similar?
When my ex Donna came out to her group of straight girlie mates, each one of them asked 'have you ever fancied me?' She answered honestly, no. Because, and I hate to break it to you, lesbians don't fancy all women on the whole of the planet. But Donna didn't get off the hook. Her friends were each a little miffed that she hadn't fancied them. 'What's wrong with me?' they enquired. Not being gay, coupled with Donna actually having some self respect, obviously wasn't enough of a reason.
What about when you do fancy a friend? When I first started comedy I had a little crush on a fellow new stand up. I totally respected her heterosexuality and the boundaries that naturally imposed on my attraction to her. Yet, I loved trying to be extra funny at our gigs together to make her laugh and many times she seemed to revel in my attention... was she flirting with me? I'll really never be sure as she's now had a baby and is marooned at the extremities of the Central Line. And, even though I once got lucky in Leytonstone after inadvertently hooking a woman lasso style with my umbrella, I generally find a journey further East than that to be a libido crusher.
Yet where is that pesky line between friendship and something more. Recently my girlfriend and I got to know another couple. I naturally found myself drawn to one of them in particular. Yet somehow the idea of asking her to meet on our own seemed like 'cheating' - even though the thought of actually having an affair is so far off my radar that the sexual predator in me can currently be found swimming around the Bermuda Triangle.
Add to this, the fact that more women than ever are reported to be embracing same-sex feelings - so much so that Channel 4 have commissioned a documentary about it. With straight girls experimenting and married women coming out later in life, there's a whole minefield of confusion out there - especially when it snows and all women are suddenly wearing comfy shoes. When I tried a female version of the popular gay male app Grindr, it told me that my nearest lesbian was in New Zealand! Yet this would appear to be untrue as potential flirtation teases me at every turn.
Perhaps I should make more friendships with straight men. After all, they're a natural ally. We can talk about women together. Though I imagine my married friend Simon won't be quite as neurotic about it all as me. And I'm pretty sure he's never fancied me... oh, come to think of it, I wonder why not... what's wrong with me? Hmmm...
Image via TobbyOtter's Flickr