In the article "Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence" the author Adrienne Rich describes several terms that are of importance to the feminist who are in practice.
Let me first say that this article was a lot for me to handle. I don't really know if its OK to disagree or not but hey I believe that I am entitled to my own opinion. Rich, starts off with talking about heterosexuality as a phenomenon and identifies the sources of male power. While she breaks them down into eight categories;the characteristics of male power. She then continues by defining each characteristic individually in there on way.
This article also brought to my attention two new terms that I was not so familiar with lesbian continuum and lesbian existence. Rich defines lesbian existence to be both the fact of the historical presence of lesbians and our continuing creation of the meaning of that existence. However, lesbian continuum is a range through each woman's life and throughout history of woman -identified experience, not simply the fact a woman has had or consciously desired genital sexual experience with other woman. She then continues to break down these two terms and how the play a role with in today's society. It is interesting to me to know that lesbians existence has been lived without access to many things such as "knowledge of tradition, a continuity, a social underpinning."(p.349)
I found it to be problematic when heterosexuality was thought as the natural emotional and sensual inclination for women. I mean yes, I do understand that as people we do not have the right to say what is natural and what is not but heterosexuality is NATURAL. Natural in the form that no matter how bad a homosexual couple try to have a children they have to include the opposite sex. Ex: A woman and a woman would have to get sperm from a sperm bank and insert it through their vagina, although, when it comes to men they can either impregnate a woman or adopt a child to have children I do not believe that heterosexuality has been both forcibly and subliminally imposed on women , I feel that women have the choice as to if they want to be a lesbian or not. Homosexuality is defined to me as a spirit it is just like a jacket for example you have a choice to zip a coat or not or perhaps button it or not. This is how I view homosexuality you can either become a lesbian and later decide that you no longer want to live this life style or live as a lesbian with discrimination that society brings to the LGBT community.
When I had reached the part in the article about marriage Rich describes marriage for women to be a form of comfort in order to survive economically and having children who would not suffer economic deprivation in order to do what was expected of women. For children it would be hard to come out in abnormal childhoods now why would it be called abnormal if it was not? It is not that heterosexual romance has been represented as a great female adventure it is just normal and natural. I don't know if its even fair to say that sex with men is one sense of escape from bedrock misery. NO! it is not that women need men as social and economic protectors only it is also away for reproduction in society.
Black women have found it to be difficult to be excepted as a lesbian because they feel that they have two things going against them being black and a woman are already two things that makes them an outsider. It is still another "hated identity" that is problematic indeed.(p.353) It was funny to me how Rich mentions that women turning to women out of
hatred for men was something that was found to be lie. I would have to disagree with that thought often times yes some women find that they are "born a lesbian" or they grow up feeling this way. Another common way is when men have mistreated a women by breaking their "heart" by cheating, sexual abuse,rape, or even verbal abuse do they then find that to be the turning point in their lives. When I say turning point I mean going from dick to strictly pussy. However, was it that they were always gay or lesbian and were living in this closed box for society to except them? Or were they really heterosexual and got fed up with that one guy that made them change their mind to hating all men and decided to be with women? "There is not statistical documentation of the numbers of lesbians who have remained in heterosexual marriages for most of their lives."(p.352) I see it as self hatred just like racism in some cases, how in some situations black people choose to only date light skin black people and nothing else they have a hatred within themselves that causes them to think within this mindset. But hey this is what I feel about this whole lesbian existence and lesbian continuum its an opinion, my opinion and that's enough to make it valid and natural "so I take me as I am or have nothing at all".
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