It's in his kiss
As discussed in April, ( "The effects of kissing") men and women may respond differently to the act of osculation. Recent research suggests that they may also have different reasons for initiating a kiss. Hughes et al (2007)(PDF) found that women were more likely than men to use kissing as a means of monitoring their relationship. For men, the importance of kissing decreased over time in a relationship, while it remained relatively constant for women. Over half of the 162 undergraduate men surveyed said they would have sex without kissing first, whereas only 14.6% of the 308 women responded this way. Only those responding that they were "mostly" or "only" interested in kissing the opposite sex were included in the results.
However, the story may be similar for homosexual couples. Hegna and Larsen (2007) suggest that kissing is exploratory for women in a way it is not for men. While their survey of Norwegian teens found that 25.7% of the women surveyed had engaged in "deep kissing" with another woman (vs. only 3.9% of the men), the difference for genital contact was much smaller (F = 4.6%, M = 2.7%). This is consistent with Hughes et al's finding that men expect kissing to escalate more often than women.
I'm trying to think if there's any way that transition has changed kissing for me that isn't more directly attributable to being older. The only thing I can come up with is the recent addition of a beard. I'm almost tempted to keep my chin scratchy as vengeance for all the beard-burn I suffered over 15 years of making out with men. But I don't think it would be very effective: I don't massive "make-out sessions" anymore. The idea of spending 3-4 hours kissing fully clothed doesn't appeal like it used to. With a new partner, I have more patience for it, but generally, I'd rather get on with the show. This impatience manifested several years before I started transition, so I don't think it's related.
However, the story may be similar for homosexual couples. Hegna and Larsen (2007) suggest that kissing is exploratory for women in a way it is not for men. While their survey of Norwegian teens found that 25.7% of the women surveyed had engaged in "deep kissing" with another woman (vs. only 3.9% of the men), the difference for genital contact was much smaller (F = 4.6%, M = 2.7%). This is consistent with Hughes et al's finding that men expect kissing to escalate more often than women.
I'm trying to think if there's any way that transition has changed kissing for me that isn't more directly attributable to being older. The only thing I can come up with is the recent addition of a beard. I'm almost tempted to keep my chin scratchy as vengeance for all the beard-burn I suffered over 15 years of making out with men. But I don't think it would be very effective: I don't massive "make-out sessions" anymore. The idea of spending 3-4 hours kissing fully clothed doesn't appeal like it used to. With a new partner, I have more patience for it, but generally, I'd rather get on with the show. This impatience manifested several years before I started transition, so I don't think it's related.