YUGIOHNO SAID: Can the term compulsory heterosexuality be applied to bi women or does is specifically describe the experience of lesbian women?
It is the invention of a lesbian theorist who used it to talk about lesbian experience. However, what Rich defined as “lesbian experience” extends far beyond how many people see it today. She also believed that compulsory heterosexuality affected all women (i.e. women who identify as straight may be unable to see the possibility for loving women in their lives because compulsory heterosexuality tells them it’s irrelevant or impotent). So, short answer yes, compulsory heterosexuality certainly affects bi women, causing them to second-guess or devalue their attractions to women, etc.
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Can the term compulsory heterosexuality be applied to bi women or does is specifically describe the experience of lesbian women?
It is the invention of a lesbian theorist who used it to talk about lesbian experience. However, what Rich defined as “lesbian experience” extends far beyond how many people see it today. She also believed that compulsory heterosexuality affected all women (i.e. women who identify as straight may be unable to see the possibility for loving women in their lives because compulsory heterosexuality tells them it’s irrelevant or impotent). So, short answer yes, compulsory heterosexuality certainly affects bi women, causing them to second-guess or devalue their attractions to women, etc.