Compulsory Heterosexuality

Adrienne Rich originally wrote an essay entitled “Compulsory Heterosexuality”. Her essay “Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence” builds on the first by taking a close look into lesbian visibility and the lack of lesbian existence in feminist literature. Rich’s main arguments in regard to “compulsory heterosexuality” is that contrary to popular belief, she does not see heterosexuality as “natural”, but rather as a socially constructed institution. She believes that this construction categorizes women in the subordinate position within the male-female binary. She talks about how feminism is not inclusive of lesbianism, and there is little representation of lesbian women in feminist works. She encourages the bridging of the gap between lesbianism and feminism.
I agree with Rich’s arguments, and although heterosexuality is considered the norm, it is no secret that sexuality is a spectrum. Everything is in some way a social construction, and sexuality did not escape this normalization. Rich brings into this discussion lesbianism, which on its own can be controversial to some as it does not fit in the heterosexual ideal. She criticizes the lack of lesbian representation in feminist works. Like the exclusion of women of color from feminism that was previously a big issue and is still prevalent …show more content…
She categorizes heterosexuality as an institution and compares it to capitalism and racism, two things which are widely known to be institutions. If people would realize that heterosexuality is something that has been socially constructed and normalized, then there would be less stigma around those who do not perfectly fit into the heterosexual norm, and more inclusion of these people in things like