[2] In Cosmopolitan, Marianne Eloise wrote that the term can be a source of pride or comfort to some lesbians, including those with traumatic experiences of masculinity, but that it has cissexist implications.
[4] The social psychologist Petra Boynton, in an opinion column for The Daily Telegraph, said it is a "toxic label" that excludes bisexual women, diversity within sexuality and gender, victims of sexual violence and other life experiences.
Brammer rejected the term for treating a part of his past—his high school relationship with a girlfriend—as "disposable".
[10][11][12] Andy Cohen has identified with the term gold star gay; in his memoir Superficial (2016), he recounts a story about his attitude towards a threesome with a heterosexual couple in light of his pride for being a "gold star gay".
[15] According to women quoted in Cosmopolitan, the term gold star lesbian had declined in popularity by 2021, but reflected a still-existing concept.