Our recent articles on bisexual women appropriating lesbianism revealed how there has seemingly been an uptick in Political “Lesbianism” propaganda. Yes, despite the fact that my friends and foes assure me it’s a thing of the past and that I shouldn’t criticise radical feminism or queer theory–depending on who you speak to–for the extreme lesbophobia within both political groups. Luckily I have eyes. The reality is that these rival gangs are eerily similar when it comes to appropriating lesbianism.
A feminist lesbian I’ve been chatting to for years recently DM’d @lesbian_herstory, distraught after watching a homophobic Women’s Declaration International (WDI) video. Someone she trusted and thought was a lesbian, Lauren Levey, said the same homophobic thing heteropatriarchy does: your sexual orientation can change. According to her, any woman can choose to be a lesbian. In fact, she believes that the born-this-way argument prevents us from recruiting other women to be lesbians.
I have no interest in recruiting other women to “be lesbians.” That’s creepy as hell. Lesbianism is not a political army needing to enlist random women for radical feminism. It means female homosexuality. Lesbians do not have to like gay men. But we are like any other mixed-sex oppressed group. We are connected to gay men through our shared homosexuality anyway. Naturally, Political “Lesbians” accuse us of being patriarchal for acknowledging our connection to gay men, as if we should opt out of our actual existence and identify with their delusional, self-serving narrative.
Levey relies on lesbophobia to twist our sexual orientation into a political identity any woman can join. Women have every reason to distrust men. But lesbians are not, by definition, any more man-hating than the average woman. Levey implies that lesbianism is essentially a party for women who hate men the most. Female homosexuals are perceived as less lesbian, according to Political “Lesbians,” if they’re not feminist enough. The hypocrisy! Like women in general, lesbians are not defined by their stereotypes.
Levey encourages lesbians to trust that those wishing to appropriate female homosexuality for feminist reasons will not return to men despite the heteronormative draw. And, if they do date men again, we are to not get too mad at our “sisters.” We wouldn’t want to be seen as too patriarchal. She says all of this while calling the innateness of homosexuality a “doctrine.” You heard that right: she argues that female homosexuals who speak about being born this way are indoctrinating you; they are not to be trusted about their existence. Instead, she believes you should trust that male-attracted women can “become lesbians.” As if that’s rational. As if bisexuality isn’t the label for fluid attraction to both sexes within one’s lifetime.
I encourage bisexual and heterosexual women to avoid relationships with men if they wish. If you’re attracted to women, bonus, go for them! Nobody is forcing you to lead a man-loving life. Lesbians are simply describing the ways in which making a celibate or female-only choice in your love life does not automatically make you a lesbian. Not if you’re capable of sexual attraction to men. Conversely, a female homosexual housewife married to a man in Afghanistan is still a lesbian because sexual orientation is not about action; it’s about attraction. We all grew up in the same society. You do not get to pretend that your actual attraction to men is compulsory heterosexuality. Nobody can force you to be attracted to a sex you’re not. You cannot unlearn sexual attraction. It’s in you.
Levey accuses female homosexuals of only fully accepting gold-star lesbians into lesbianism. This is a purposeful misunderstanding, because I do not believe she is a dumb woman. Lesbians are coerced into heterosexual relationships under heteropatriarchy to conceal their sexual orientation. It makes sense to me that a lesbian could go so far as to be in long-term relationships with men in her past–men she may have loved like a best friend, men she may feel guilty to have ever lied to–but that’s what she was doing: lying. She never sexually desired men. She did what society expected of her. She did it to feel safe.
Any fool knows that many lesbians force themselves to have unwanted sex with men to feel normal before daring to come out. But Levey insinuates that female homosexuality being the rule of lesbianism means gold stars win whatever capitalist competition she and other lesbophobic appropriators have in their heads. Instead of removing the competitive complex, Political “Lesbians” intend to warp lesbianism into a competition about who can be most feminist. That way, they can “win.” Female homosexuals do not war over who’s had sex with men in the past. Bisexual women get upset over “gold star” terminology because they have no idea what it’s like to go through life pressured to fuck the sex they’re not attracted to.
The root of Political “Lesbianism” and its anti-born-this-way rhetoric comes from the deep insecurity of being sexually attracted to men. They wish their politics aligned with their sexual desires, so they delude themselves into thinking they can create a new reality by appropriating lesbianism. Lesbians are viewed as misogynistic for getting in their way. As if homophobia doesn’t exist–the only thing that matters to these people is feminism–they perceive lesbians as privileged. As “sisters,” lesbians should welcome any woman who wants to “adopt lesbianism.” Well, lesbianism is about sex, not feminism, and I don’t want to fuck my sisters.
Do not mistake their jealousy for reverence. The appropriators are deeply homophobic people. In the video, Levey argues that those of us who acknowledge that lesbians are born, not made, are resigning ourselves to lesbianism helplessly, rather than rejoicing in the potential “choice” of it. Who says you can’t be proud of something you were born as? Why would you see “born-this-way” as passive defenselessness rather than luck, curtailed by this fucked up society? You know many of us are proud to be born this way. You are upset that we are.
It’s not my job to hate myself so my “sisters” can love themselves. While Lauren smiles at the camera and the crowd while arguing that crossing female homosexuals’ boundaries to colonise lesbianism is an opportunity to “recruit,” I can’t help but get chills. Not because I think she is a sexual predator. I don’t. When she says “recruit,” she means converting to radical feminism through lesbianism. Both radical feminists and queer theorists use lesbianism as a battleground to convert for their side in a war that has nothing to do with female homosexuality. Fuck off.
Leave a Reply