Compulsory heterosexuality, often shortened to comphet, is the theory that heterosexuality is assumed and enforced upon people by a patriarchal, allonormative, and heteronormative society. The term was popularized by Adrienne Rich in her 1980 essay titled "Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence". According to Rich, social science and literature perpetuate the societal belief that women in every culture are believed to have an innate preference for romantic and sexual relationships with men. She argues that women's sexuality towards men is not always natural but is societally ingrained and scripted into women. Comphet describes the belief that society is overwhelmingly heterosexual and delegitimizes queer identities. As a result, it perpetuates homophobia and legal inequity for the LGBTQ+ community.
Concept and terminology
Adrienne Rich argued that heterosexuality is not natural or intrinsic to humans but is a political institution that supports the patriarchal domination of men over women in society, and feminist literature still functions under a heterosexual paradigm. She believes that feminist authors do not adequately acknowledge that institutions such as marriage are merely socializations that have been internalized and reproduced in society. This institution defines the standards for sexual and romantic relationships and alienates those outside these standards.
Rich originally wrote this essay to challenge lesbian erasure in the majority of feminist literature. She says the article was not written to ostracize or widen divides, but as a call to action for heterosexual feminists to look upon heterosexuality as an oppressive political institution and to help dismantle and change it. She urges these women to direct their attention towards other women and says that lesbian existence is a natural extension of feminism.
Rich introduces the term "lesbian existence" as an alternative to "lesbianism" and defines it not only as a sexual identity but as a concept and descriptor for living life in a way that consciously defies patriarchal society. The terminology of lesbian existence implies the historical, current, and future presence of lesbians. Paired with this term is the concept of the "lesbian continuum" as a way to broaden the lesbian existence to include female friendship, camaraderie, and any other type of emotionally intimate relationship between women. The term "lesbian" limits these intimate relationships to only romantic or sexual ones, thus limiting the term "erotic". The term lesbian continuum expands into Audre Lorde's definition of eroticism.
Lorde's definition of the erotic removes it from the sexual context in which it has been placed and brings it closer to the origins of the word eros, love in all its aspects. Her definition states that the erotic is women's capacity to feel overwhelming joy when they tap into their innermost desires, using their creative energy, sharing a deeper connection with others, and doing what feels innately right. The full experience of eroticism is dangerous to the patriarchy because women will search for fulfillment in all aspects of their lives once they understand the full capacity of joy they can experience. It would break the prioritization of men's desires.
Compulsory heterosexuality is viewed as an institution that acts upon people from birth, and thus, people are assumed to be heterosexual until proven otherwise. Due to this, Sandra Lipsitz Bem argues that sexual minorities have a greater "global identity development" from people investigating their experiences and senses of self in contrast to society. Those with minority sexual orientations are found to consider their sexual orientation as integral to their relationships with other people and as a foundation for their overall identity.
Katerina Deliovsky argues that the Western structure not only compels women's sexuality towards the opposite sex but also to the same race, adjusting the term to compulsory "white" heterosexuality. This is prevalent in the stereotypes of black men being aggressive or Asian men being feminine in media. She argues that when Rich says compulsory heterosexuality is structurally assuring men's rights or needs it is really assuring for white men. The origins of upholding comphet is not only for the comfort of men but also to maintain whiteness societally and institutionally, as can be seen in how interracial marriage was illegal. It isn't to say, though, that only white men are the ones maintaining this. White women are complicit in assisting the racist system that is beneficial to them.
Factors Manifestations of male power The idea states that male dominance in a patriarchal society is a major factor in enforcing compulsory female heterosexuality; that, in order to serve men's needs, heterosexuality requires men to force women into heterosexual relationships and marriage under a patriarchal society. Kathleen Gough argues that there are eight characteristics of "male power in archaic and contemporary societies", which are:
Rejecting women's sexuality Forcing male sexuality upon women Exploiting women's labor Controlling or robbing women of their children Confining women physically Using women as objects for male transactions Denying women their creativity Denying women from knowledge and cultural attainments
These characteristics combined create a culture in which women are convinced that heterosexuality and heterosexual relationships are inevitable by "control of consciousness", particularly when used in conjunction with lesbian erasure.
Heterosexuality is used to make women dependent on men for their wants and needs. The Radical Lesbians argued that heterosexual orientations can only exist under a society in which male domination exists, and that for self-realization women must uplift each other rather than being complacent in oppression by men. Female heterosexuality may also exist under a guise of seeking access to power through men rather than sexual attraction, as male socialization conflates power and dominance with sexual attraction. Author Victoria Brownworth has also written that the removal of lesbians and lesbian sexuality from history "is similar to the erasure of all autonomous female sexuality: women's sexual desire has always been viewed, discussed and portrayed within the construct and purview of the male gaze".
Lesbian erasure
There was an exclusion of lesbian identities as a viable and natural option for women in feminist literature in Rich's time. She believes that feminist literature assumes that women are "innately sexually oriented" for heterosexuality and that lesbian identities are formed out of backlash towards men rather than a valid identity in itself, as well as feminist literature not adequately examining compulsory heterosexuality and whether or not women would choose heterosexuality if the society were not patriarchal.
Lesbian erasure can also be considered a healthcare issue. As doctors assume that all patients are heterosexual, the answer to the question "Are you sexually active?" is followed by questions about birth control methods and such heterosexual-oriented questions without considering that the sexual orientation of the female patient may not be heterosexual. A healthcare provider who is unaware of a patient's sexual orientation can lead to missing or improperly treating medical problems in non-heterosexual patients.
People in lesbian relationships also have a difficult time obtaining fertility services and many lesbians are worried about discrimination and confidentiality when in a medical setting. Abuse in lesbian relationships is often overlooked by health professionals due to preconceived notions about women's 'temperaments' stemming from the gender binary. In these instances, it can stem from internalized homophobia or religious shame and stigmatization. Lesbians have experiences with therapists who do not believe that they are being abused by a woman or the therapist is only equipped to handle abuse in heterosexual relationships.
In a study on healthcare for lesbians of various ethnicities, a question about disclosing their sexuality to medical professionals was asked. All groups said it was important that healthcare providers knew their patients' sexuality, but some expressed hesitation in disclosing that information. API participants expressed possible discomfort disclosing their sexuality to healthcare providers of the same ethnicity because they might know someone in their family and share that, or be generally uncomfortable with their sexuality. Ultimately, all groups preferred a medical provider of the same ethnicity so they would be able to identify with them and the care they need regardless of sexuality.
It is suggested that women outside of standard relationships, such as lesbian and bisexual women, are best able to see the confines that heterosexuality imposes because they are not as adjusted to the inequality within heterosexual relationships, and that heterosexual women are confined to believing that heterosexuality is the only option.
In media Lisa M. Diamond's piece, I'm Straight, but I Kissed a Girl': The Trouble with American Media Representations of Female–Female Sexuality", deconstructs the tropes of lesbian relationships in media, which tend to be inaccurate or offensive. She also brings up the criticisms of stereotypical lesbian characters, stating that audience members tend to want more authenticity within female relationships.
Many lesbian women criticize the depiction of lesbian relationships in all media, from films and literature to porn. It seems that even when these lesbian relationships are shown, they tend to only show stereotypical images. This kind of representation only serves to further the lesbian erasure in our society. Along with these stereotypes, fetishization is common among media depictions of lesbian relationships. The most common example of this is the belief that straight men find lesbians as a turn-on or obstacle rather than a genuine sexual choice. This, in turn, raises the point that the patriarchy is heavily intertwined in every action, including sexuality. It is considered less valid if the relationship does not involve a man.
There are many movies and television shows that handle the topic of not only Compulsory Heterosexuality but also Heteronormativity. A popular movie example is the 1999 movie But I'm a Cheerleader, whose director, Jamie Babbit, has confirmed that comphet and heteronormativity are themes that inspired her to put out this film.
Evolutionary theory A major drive for compulsory heterosexuality is that of evolution, tying a sexual orientation's worth with reproduction. Evolutionarily speaking, in order to further the species, offspring must be created, and therefore genes are passed on. This basic understanding of biology is then taken steps further, implicating heterosexuality as the "natural" form and therefore making homosexuality specifically, as well as any minority sexuality, "abnormal". As Seidman puts it, science is "a powerful practical-moral force".
Though evolutionary arguments have implications for minority sexualities, they also directly impact the stereotypes of heterosexual relationships and especially masculinity concepts. Arguments for men being the hunter are then applied to today's understanding of the male gender being superior. The hunter/gatherer dichotomy is also placed on the female gender, with them being depicted as the weaker sex and their main function being childbearing and rearing.