Class notes
Reading Notes
- Course
- 21046
- Institution
- Clark University
These are notes from one of our required texts to read
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
Content preview
Compulsory Sexuality and Lesbian Existence● “Men have only one innate orientation – a sexual one that draws them to women, – while
women have two innate orientations, sexual toward men and reproductive toward their
young.”
● Bias of compulsory heterosexuality
○ Women are “innately sexually oriented” toward men
○ Lesbian experience is perceived on a scale ranging
■ Lesbian choice is simply an acting-out of bitterness towards men
● Problems of feminist theory and critiscm
○ Why women’s choice of women as partners are forced into hiding and disguise
○ Total neglect of lesbian existence
● “Any theory of cultiral / political creation that treats lesbian existecne as a marginal or
less ‘natural’ phenomenon, as mere ‘sexual preference,’ or as the mirror image of either
heterosexual or male homoesexual relations, is profoundly weakened thereby, whatever
its other contributions.”
● For Her Own Good: 150 Years of the Experts’ Advice to Women
○ Thesis: advice given to to American women by male health professionals echoes
the dictates of the economic marketplace and the role of capitalism
■ Become consumer victims of cures to embody and preserve the sacredness
of the home
● Reflection of male needs
○ Does not include a basic prescription against lesbianism (yay!)
● Toward a New Pscyhology of Women
○ Written off lesbians as them not existing
● Mermaid and the Minotaur: Sexual Arrangements and the Human Malaise
○ Sees women and men as equal partners in making of “sexual arrangements” (red
flag!)
■ Ignores rpeated struggles of women to resist oppression
○ Women only are responsible for child care (red flag!)
○ “Women have learned to deny the limitations of masculine lovers for both
psychological and practical reasons”
■ Barely looks at historical constraints
○ Dimisses lesbian existence by seeing lesbian relationships as “mother-daughter
connection”
■ Has a weird fetish for her mom or somthing (it’s really giving
Freudianism)
■ Gives the message that women who choose to be with women only do it
because men are oppressive and emotionally unavailable
● Heterosexuality is a political institution - by those individuals who feel they are the
precursors of a new social relationship between sexes
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller ashleyvalois. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $8.49. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
78834 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now