Straight/Hetero Lesbians

Straight/Hetero Lesbians are a type of Mspec Lesbian who claim to be both straight and lesbian at the same time. There are many different arguments that they use to justify this idea, such as abusing the SAM (Split Attraction Model), attempting to rewrite history, and invalidating the existence of static labels and definitions.

Many argue that they are Heteroromantic Lesexual, or Lesromantic Heterosexual; this is invalid, due to the fact that lesbianism is an identity that cannot be placed on the SAM. What they mean to call themselves is Heteroromantic Homosexual, or Homoromantic Heterosexual. These identities are real and valid, but can not be classified under lesbianism. These identities are actually bi. Bisexuality is attraction to multiple genders, often defined as attraction to both similar and different genders, although some do not use that definition. Being attracted to multiple genders, even if using the SAM, is by definition, part of Bisexuality. Lesbianism is defined as women and some nonbinary genders who are exclusively attracted to other women and some nonbinary genders. This is why Homoromantic Asexuals and Aromantic Homosexuals can identify as lesbians still; the attraction that they do experience is limited to similar genders only. The SAM functions differently for alloallo people than for alloace or aroallo people.

There have been people who claim to identify as a straight lesbian to "reclaim" the harmful idea that bisexual people are half straight, and half lesbian. This logic fails to mention the idea that people who are attracted to men cannot be lesbians. Lesbianism cannot be "reclaimed" that way by people who are, by definition, not lesbians. If a bisexual person calls themself a straight lesbian in an act of "reclamation", they are being blatantly lesbophobic. Lesbians cannot be straight; lesbians cannot be attracted to men. These two labels are contradictory; this label is an oxymoron.

Others will argue that lesbian is an umbrella term, and refuse to update their information and definition of the label due to it historically being used as such in the 1970s. While it is true that lesbian used to be considered an umbrella term, that is simply outdated information that does not hold up today. Due to bisexual movements fighting for independence and recognition, many bisexual women voiced discomfort in labeling themselves as lesbians, as they felt it erased their bisexuality. The Bisexual Manifesto (1990) was a large turning point in bisexual and lesbian history, as it voiced a desire for independence and recognition that represented the past decade of activism, and sparked societal acceptance and recognition of the bisexual identity as a whole, fluid, and independent orientation. Bisexual women are not half lesbian, half straight; they are fully and entirely bisexual. That is why the lesbian label has changed. Lesbian is no longer an umbrella term for all women-loving-women (aka wlw or sapphic), but rather, an orientation for women who are exclusively attracted to women (inclusive of nonbinary genders as well, as all sexualities are). There were radical feminists who pushed a term called Political Lesbianism which excluded any women who chose to date men, which definitely contributed to this separation, but it would be foolish to act as though that was the sole reason why bisexual and lesbian evolved into independent labels. Political Lesbianism as a concept actually supports the idea of bisexual lesbians, as it argues that any women can be a lesbian regardless of sexual orientation, if they just choose to date women instead of men. This supports bisexual and heterosexual women identifying as lesbians so long as they swear off men, as well as the lesbophobic concept that lesbianism is a choice, and not an orientation that one is born into. This is how they defend their use of lesbian in an act of "reclaimation" despite being bisexual when their attraction is broken down to its basics. This is illogical and grasping for straws.

Another common argument is that lesbianism can be a fluid identity where one alternates between experiencing heterosexual attraction and lesbian attraction; so they identify as both at the same time. This is invalid due to lesbian being a static label. While sexuality can be fluid, neither lesbian nor straight/hetero are fluid sexualities. If somebody experiences fluidity between heterosexual and homosexual attraction, then they are still under the bisexual label, as while not usually at the same time, they still do experience attraction to multiple genders. If they wish to clarify that their sexuality is fluid, they may wish to identify as abrosexual. This label clarifies their fluid attraction between heterosexuality and homosexuality, without stepping into lesbophobic territory and overstepping various boundaries.

There's this idea that somebody who is genderfluid between male and female, or bigender between male and female, can identify as a straight lesbian due to their exclusive attraction to women making them a lesbian or a straight person depending on which gender they feel at any given moment. This is false; lesbians cannot experience manaligned genders. People who experience both womaligned and manaligned genders are valid, but they cannot be lesbians. There are various diamoric labels that they could use, such as feminamoric, or neptunic. They could also call themselves the umbrella term of "gay", implying that they experience attraction that is usually not straight in nature. There are various different labels that they could choose to go by, that are not harmful to the lesbian community. Lesbian is not a label that you can put on and take off whenever you feel like it. If you are a lesbian, you are always a lesbian. It is a static orientation.