So I was finally able to finish reading this article and might I just say boy was it long and dense lol. I hope I was able to get the right points out of it to define Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence. If not I will to go back and edit this after our class discussion so here it goes.
Compulsory Heterosexuality- Adrienne Rich states that our society demands a lot from us and one thing is heterosexuality. Our society doesn't want anyone to be different and expects everyone to be interested in the opposite sex because that's what they have grown accustom to but times are changing and we have to be more accepting and open to change.
Lesbian Existence- What Rich means by this is that there are several lesbians in the world today but unfortunately they aren't being treated equally and some are even afraid to come out of the closet. An example is, “the lesbian, unless in disguise,
faces discrimination in hiring and harassment and violence in the street. Even
within feminist-inspired institutions such as battered-women’s shelters and
Women’s Studies programs, open lesbians are fired and others are warned to stay
in the closet.” After I read this I felt awful because that's real life and everyday the same people have to deal with these issues and it's not at all okay to be treating them differently like heterosexual people are higher up.
I hope that over time this becomes more accepting to people, I think that we have come very far but we still have a ways to go. And sometimes I wonder if it will ever just be accepted and be considered "normal" I really do wonder if it could happen. No one should be forced to hide how the feel. Or hide in the closet. I think this world would be a better place if we could just love one another without anyone saying its wrong or weird or different.
ReplyDeleteHi Meg,
ReplyDeleteHave your thoughts on Lesbian existence changed since covering this material in class?