Compulsory heterosexuality

In her article, Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence, Rich argues that a feminist critique of compulsory heterosexual orientation for women is long over-due. Throughout history the lesbian experience has been diminished to “friendly friendships” “phases” or as sexual objects for men. In opposition to the belief that all women are attracted to men, and lesbian relationships are acts of spite towards men. She is concerned with how and why women’s choice of women as passionate comrades,

Yes and No Adrienne Rich attacks heterosexuality as “a political institution which disempowers women” in her 1980 essay Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence (Rich 23). What most see as a traditional way of life, Rich views as a societal mandate that serves as “a beachhead of male dominance,” (Rich 28). For a woman in Virginia Woolf’s time, “the one profession that was open to her [was] marriage,” and though females entered the public sphere as the 20th century progressed

in Adrienne Rich’s Compulsory

than the radical feminist/lesbian pieces we read for Tuesday. I think that I connected with this piece more because it felt descriptive and informative rather than problematically prescriptive. Rich sets up the environment that heterosexuality is situated in as compulsory because of Patriarchal cohesion and violence and I found it very productive of her to set it up as an institution. I thought her critiques were very well placed and argued in a very respectful manner. I loved when she discussed

]When I was in the second grade my school bus broke down on the way home and we had to call for a bus from the middle school to finish dropping us off. I sat huddled in the torn green back seats with five boys from my class listening intently as a sixth grader explained to us some of the games the middle schoolers played at recess. “It’s called FMK. Fuck, Marry, Kill. You have to choose which person you would fuck, marry, or kill.” Some of the boys giggled but some stayed quiet, not understanding

In today’s society sexuality has an undertone of heterosexuality from books, television shows, movies, and all forms of mass media. To be other than heterosexual is be different but however conforming to the idea of being different as homosexual is still be affirmed to the standard that heterosexuality is normal. This idea of the creation story from Aristophanes speech during the Symposium, I interpret that both homosexuality and heterosexuality is the norm instead of one without the one. According

With the image of this ideal household, this sets a standard that may be impossible for some, due to their race, gender, class, sexuality, etc. Heterosexuality is never questioned or threaten within society because it is normal. Not only is it a political institution, but it is contributing to the constructions of the gender binary. In Compulsory Heterosexuality, the concept of becoming a mother is brought the reader’s attention. Women are emotionally available and caring towards others so, they make

examples of how heterosexuality can be viewed as normative through culture. An example of compulsory heteronormativity or something that questions this institution structure, is Drag Queens. A drag queen is a person, typically male, who dresses and acts with exaggerated womanliness and portrays feminine gender roles. “Drag shows have the potential to arouse powerful desires that people perceive as contrary to their sexual identities- people thinking about the boundaries of heterosexuality.” (Taylor

Reading Response “Sport, Males and Masculinities” by Richard Pringle Prior to the late 1980s, there has not been a great deal of research done around the between masculinity and its relationship or influence with sport, but it appears that in recent times it has been widely researched with various different theories and concepts developing from this research. The article looks to shed light on the concept of male participation in sports, particularly heavy contact sports, and its relationship

To speak on behalf of my gendered life, I will have to reference my family quite a lot. My gendered experience is something I experience every waking moment of my life, but it is something that has been highly influenced by my family. I will be writing about how my race, ethnicity, gender, sex, nationality, able bodiness, citizenship, religion, and class shaped my experiences. My intersectionality has provided me opportunities in some instances and oppression in others. I am a Pakistani, Muslim