A guide to compulsory heterosexuality

Have you ever looked back on a crush, or maybe even a relationship with a man, and realised you maybe weren’t actually into him like that; you just thought he was super cool, or you liked his style, or you admired his accomplishments and you weren’t sure how to process or show that beyond romantic/sexual interest? Welcome to compulsory heterosexuality.

Compulsory heterosexuality or ‘comphet’ as it’s colloquially known, is a term used to describe the way in which our culture coerces us into viewing all intimacy or connection between men and women as sexual or romantic. For example, I’m currently trying to work out whether I’m actually hot for the dishevelled, unstable version of Bo Burnham, or whether I’m just in awe of what a phenomenal piece of art is. Like all women, I’ve been conditioned from childhood to see all feelings I have towards men as attraction.

“Compulsory heterosexuality does impact everyone”

The term compulsory heterosexuality is having a moment online right now, possibly due to a viral Google Doc known as ‘The Lesbian Masterdoc’. The document, which has recently been doing the rounds on TikTok, was written by Angeli Luz when she was a teenager and draws on her own struggles with figuring out her identity.

“Compulsory heterosexuality is what forces lesbians to struggle through learning…