The secret is out...

Slash fandom is the #1 most unexpected fan base, according to the extremely reliable and reputable sorce of Cracked.com: "...the more boring hypothesis is that women like a story in which the two lovers can come together on the same level instead of falling victim to the hierarchy of gender."

They also link to this article, which gives more reasons why women like guy-on-guy.

I like that explanation, that it's more enjoyable to read a story without gender power dynamics, but at the same time I take issue with a line from the second article: "The male characters in gay romances, then, are perhaps men only superficially. At heart they’re women." Of course, that article is from two years ago, but I think many fandom authors are starting to move forward from that premise to make characters more realistically male.

I guess in many ways this might stem from a lack of strong, interesting female characters. Or maybe there's a realization that no matter how awesome a female character may be, she still has to navigate being female in her sexual relationships. Or maybe it's something else entirely. At any rate, it's interesting to think about.