What is often called “responsive desire” is, I think, simply the way someone (man or woman) behaves when they’re with someone they don’t reflexively find attractive.

The thing is, while many (maybe a majority) of women elicit “spontaneous desire” in at least some men, only a tiny minority of men do the same for women. Most men are in relationships with women they’re actually attracted to. Most women are not.

I think this is also a better explanation for the orgasm gap. Women orgasm less frequently than men because they experience less arousal. It’s no one’s fault. Lesbians have no such orgasm issues because they experience high arousal. Studies have shown that even straight women are more aroused by other women than they are most men. Based on a lot of anecdotal accounts I’ve heard from female friends, their orgasm chances are totally dependent on how attractive the man is. They can’t cum with hubby, but came like crazy with old boyfriends and current affair partners.