there's been a lot of discussion on the tl but i wanna clarify, to me comphet describes something similar to heteronormativity, everyone is assumed to be straight. by not being a man, you are expected to like men. (1/6)

so for anyone who isn't straight, comphet is that expectation, the way we are told that heterosexuality is "natural", that it is inherent in our identity to be straight. we experience comphet as a result of not being straight. (2/6)

lesbians in particular deal with comphet uniquely, because heteronormative society has assumed that lesbianism implies cisgender womanhood and womanhood is tied to heteronormativity- ie, a woman should be subservient to men, exist for men. (3/6)

so being a lesbian is an inherent deviation from that, and many lesbians struggle with comphet as a false enforced attraction. comphet for lesbians looks like years of denying you were a lesbian because "i must like men somehow" (4/6)

or constantly struggling with "am i attracted to men" when you've never questioned your attraction to women. so to me, while heteronormativity impacts us all, comphet is a very specific experience for lesbians that is not comparable to a straight or bi person's experience (5/6)

also- that tie to heteronormative womanhood is something many lesbians feel incredibly disconnected from, and so many lesbians have unique relationships with gender for that reason among others. (6/6)