The Westport Library Resource Guides: Lesbianism: About

What is Lesbianism?

Lesbianism, also called sapphism or female homosexuality, the tendency of a human female to be emotionally and usually sexually attracted to other females, or the state of being so attracted. As it was first used in the late 16th century, the word Lesbian was the capitalized adjectival term referring to the Greek island of Lesbos. Its connotation of “female homosexuality” was added in the late 19th century, when an association was made with the tender and often passionate poetry written by Lesbian poet Sappho (c. 610–c. 580 BCE) to and about other women in her female coterie. Continue reading from Encyclopedia Britannica

Lesbianism and Compulsory Heterosexuality

A part of figuring out who you are and what your sexuality is is taking steps to unlearn certain truths from your life. Discovering, or coming to terms with, a part of your identity often means saying goodbye to other parts of yourself. This intimate process is widely felt in queer communities, and TikTok is proof. In recent times, TikTokers have learnt about the phrase ‘compulsory heterosexuality’ or ‘comphet’ for short, the latter hashtag currently holding 112 million views. ‘Compulsory heterosexuality’ refers to how a patriarchal, heteronormative society socially conditions women to view interactions and connections with men as romantic or sexual.

“Compulsory heterosexuality is what forces lesbians to struggle through learning the difference between what you’ve been taught you want (being with men) and what you do want (being with women),” reads the popular “Am I a lesbian?” masterdoc created by Tumblr users. The term was popularised by feminist poet and writer Adrienne Rich in her 1980 essay, Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence. A close cousin of heteronormativity, it’s a set of ideals that views heterosexuality as a system that’s enforced. Continue reading from Refinery29