Compulsory Heterosexuality

Compulsory heterosexuality, often shortened to "comp het," is a concept introduced by lesbian poet and essayist Adrienne Rich in her 1980 essay "Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence." Rich argued that heterosexuality is not a natural given but a political institution maintained through social, economic, and cultural pressure, one that erases lesbian lives and shapes how women understand their own desires. The idea became foundational in queer theory and feminist thought. Today it is widely used by questioning people, especially women and non-binary people, to describe the pressure they felt to perform heterosexuality and the confusion that pressure created about who they actually are and want.