Under the patriarchy, it is only natural that you mistake your feelings for men as attraction or that it takes time to recognise your attraction to women at all. “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 Lesbian Masterdoc. But when women are continuously fed the idea that their purpose is to please men, the question that remains is what happens when a woman loves other women. The all-too-familiar trope is that women are meant to want male attention as they hold the key to their happiness. But the reality is a world where women’s sexualities are defined by their relationship to men. The ideal of the nuclear family and the white picket fence is repeated in media, film, television, fashion, beauty, and advertising. This theory builds on the idea that you are socialised to assume you are heterosexual until proven otherwise.
The introduction to the document details the meaning of ‘compulsory heterosexuality’, a term that was popularised by Adrienne Rich in the 1980s. Divided into nine sections, each made up of straightforward explanations and bullet points, it aims to help you find an answer to the burning question: Am I a lesbian? Or rather: How do I distinguish my actual attraction from the socially conditioned wish to be desired by men? The best way to describe the Lesbian Masterdoc is as a supportive guide to navigating the complex reality of understanding your sexuality as a woman. But what exactly is it and what makes it so groundbreaking? The 30-page document was first shared anonymously on Tumblr, and more recently, went viral on TikTok. This is far from the basic “Am I gay?” quiz.Ĭhances are that, sometime over the past year, you have heard the mention of the Lesbian Masterdoc either in a subreddit, a reblogged post, or on your #ForYouPage.
Praised by young women questioning their attraction to men, the Am I a Lesbian Masterdoc is a helpful tool dedicated to dismantling compulsory heterosexuality. DIVA takes a deep dive into this viral sensation BY MARTINE HESS