This article was reviewed by Allison Broennimann, PhD and by wikiHow staff writer, Luke Smith, MFA. Dr. Allison Broennimann is a licensed Clinical Psychologist with a private practice based in the San Francisco Bay Area providing psychotherapy and neuropsychology services. With over a decade of experience, Dr. Broennimann specializes in in-depth psychotherapy to provide solution-focused treatments for anxiety, depression, relationship problems, grief, adjustment problems, traumatic stress, and phase-of-life transitions. And as part of her neuropsychology practice, she integrates depth psychotherapy and cognitive rehabilitation for those recovering after traumatic brain injury. Dr. Broennimann holds a BA in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and an MS and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Palo Alto University. She is licensed by the California Board of Psychology and is a member of the American Psychological Association.
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You’ve probably seen the term in TikToks captioned with things like, “How to know if you’re comphet.” But before you go figuring out if you are comphet, you should probably know what it means. It’s not an especially new term, but it’s become increasingly prolific in recent years. We’ll fill you in on the definition and history of “comphet” and give you a rundown of everything else you need to know, from the societal impacts of a comphet life to the first steps you should take if, after reading, you think you might be comphet yourself.
Things You Should Know
- “Comphet” is an abbreviation of “compulsory heterosexuality,” which means feeling pressured to “act straight,” even if you don’t identify as heterosexual.
- Compulsory heterosexuality is driven by heteronormativity, or the societal idea that straightness is the norm and all other orientations are "other."
- Comphet often affects queer women the most, but can impact the feelings and behavior of straight women, men, and other LGBTQ people as well.
Steps
Expert Q&A
Video
Tips
References
- ↑ https://www.weldd.org/sites/default/files/Compulsory%20Heterosexuality.pdf
- ↑ https://www.nicholls.edu/cheniere/2021/05/20/unlearning-compulsory-heterosexuality-the-evolution-of-adrienne-richs-poetry/
- ↑ https://goaskalice.columbia.edu/answered-questions/they-dont-believe-im-gay/
- ↑ https://www.jstor.org/stable/3173834?read-now=1&seq=2#page_scan_tab_contents
- ↑ https://healthnews.com/mental-health/self-care-and-therapy/what-is-comphet/
- ↑ https://www.docdroid.net/N46Ea3o/copy-of-am-i-a-lesbian-masterdoc-pdf#page=9
- ↑ https://www.thecut.com/2022/06/what-is-the-lesbian-masterdoc.html
- ↑ https://www.docdroid.net/N46Ea3o/copy-of-am-i-a-lesbian-masterdoc-pdf#page=10
- ↑ https://www.docdroid.net/N46Ea3o/copy-of-am-i-a-lesbian-masterdoc-pdf#page=10
- ↑ https://www.michigandaily.com/statement/the-lesbian-master-doc-not-just-for-lesbians/
- ↑ https://gaysifamily.com/culture/queer-media-in-2022-from-gays-are-the-best-people-to-these-gays-theyre-trying-to-murder-me/
- ↑ https://engage.youth.gov/resources/being-ally-lgbt-people
- ↑ https://goaskalice.columbia.edu/answered-questions/they-dont-believe-im-gay/
- ↑ https://www.jstor.org/stable/3173834?read-now=1&seq=2#page_scan_tab_contents
- ↑ https://www.thecut.com/2022/06/what-is-the-lesbian-masterdoc.html
- ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-clarity/201711/taking-back-the-male-gaze
- ↑ https://eige.europa.eu/publications-resources/thesaurus/terms/1384?language_content_entity=en
- ↑ https://www.teenvogue.com/story/what-does-cis-mean
- ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9704602/