I Wish I Was a Lesbian (Women's Lives beyond Heterosexuality)

Once understood as the cornerstone of patriarchal control of women, any current political analysis of heterosexuality is now buried under an avalanche of essentialist ideas that serve to invisibilise its political nature and de-radicalise feminism. From autobiographical and theoretical essays to poetry and artworks, I Wish I Was a Lesbian defies taboo and silencing and reopens the conversation. It challenges the notion that heterosexuality is the natural and inevitable fate of most women. The latest attack front is to accuse lesbians who have had previous relations with men of being ‘ not real lesbians’ , ‘ pretenbians’ or ‘ bisexuals’ . But the idea that lesbians are ‘ born that way’ is not based in either reality or science. There are no lesbian genes or lesbian brains. It invites women everywhere to connect the personal with the political and to ask themselves the most radical question of all: “ What is heterosexuality – and do I really want to be part of it?”