Compulsory Heterosexuality & Lesbian Existence; Restricted Sexuality & Female Resistance Women's Issues -- Compulsory Heterosexuality

Compulsory Heterosexuality & Lesbian Existence; Restricted Sexuality & Female Resistance

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Adrienne Rich is a feminist theorist with clearly defined ideas that are communicated with sharp, yet graceful articulation. Her essay, "Compulsory Heterosexuality" gave her well deserved and earned respect from the community of her peers. The essay additionally challenged women, theorists, philosophers, and producers of media and culture to a great task. Her perspective, one that exists outside and arguably, independent of Western patriarchal male ideology, is valuable. Perspectives outside of the mainstream are valuable. They exist. The declaration and acknowledgement of existence is a crucial theme of "Compulsory Heterosexuality." Her piece is about the lesbian experience, but really her piece is about the experience of women within a society where men have the power. This power is systematic; it exists within social, political, and familial institutions, as well as at the workplace. The paper will perform a concise, yet close reading of "Compulsory Heterosexuality," connecting the its themes to other women's issues, and commenting on the effects this piece has on hour thoughts and practices of sexuality in general.

Keywords: lesbian, heterosexuality, women, feminism, capitalism, patriarchy, feminist theory, women's studies, women's issues, sexuality

Compulsory Heterosexuality & Lesbian Existence; Restricted Sexuality & Female Resistance

Adrienne Rich composed "Compulsory Heterosexuality" from Massachusetts in 1980. It is a daring and critical piece of writing. Rich tackles and demonstrates multiple themes and points in her work. Her overarching points have to do with the female experience within the patriarchy around the world. She also argues that there are too few examples of the female and lesbian experience throughout history, media, literature, and culture. She provides information that illuminates the systematic and...

The paper will summarize Rich's arguments, apply her proposals to sexuality, and connect her ideas with other women's issues.
"Compulsory Heterosexuality" begins with Rich expressing her ideas about the lesbian experience. She discusses how the lesbian experience is denied in language with effects in the social realm:

"Any theory or cultural / political creation that treats lesbian existence as a marginal or less "natural" phenomenon as mere 'sexual preference,' or as the mirror image of either heterosexual or male homosexual relations, is profoundly weakened thereby, whatever its other contributions. Feminist theory can no longer afford merely to voice a toleration of "lesbianism" as an "alternative life-style," or make token allusion to lesbians." (Rich, 1980)

She states how heterosexuality is the default norm in patriarchal culture: "The bias of compulsory heterosexuality, through which lesbian experience is perceived on a scale ranging from deviant to abhorrent, or simply rendered invisible." (Rich, 1980) Heterosexuality is never regarded as a choice; it is regarded as innate. The lesbian experience is not acknowledged enough in culture; it is in fact intentionally destroyed, as is the history of women in general. When it comes to sexuality and words such as preference, orientation, lifestyle, and choice, it is reference to lesbians and not heterosexual women.

Sexuality within capitalism is compulsory and gives men an astronomical advantage in society. Capitalism engages that which is primal and uncontrollable about humanity, narrows the scope of that experience, and makes it compulsory.

"Yet the failure to examine heterosexuality as an institution is like failing to admit that the economic system called capitalism or the caste system of racism is maintained by a variety of forces, including both physical violence and false consciousness. To take the step of questioning heterosexuality as a 'preference' or 'choice' for women and to do the intellectual and emotional work that follows will call for a special quality of courage in heterosexually identified feminists but I think the rewards will…