Abstract
The lesbian continuum is a radical feminist model of sexual orientation, claiming that all women have a lesbian potential and that women's bonding, defined as lesbianism but not necessarily based on genital sexuality, is the only successful way to overthrow patriarchy. It was developed by Adrienne Rich in her 1981 essay “Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence” and triggered fierce debates within and outside lesbian feminism. This fluid model of female sexuality stands in contrast with the more essentialistic approach to sexual orientation represented by identity politics, but resurfaces in queer theory. Originally devised as a political tool to describe women's resistance to patriarchy, the notion of lesbian continuum has been used in literary and film criticism, and some queer theorists have expanded its use to cover gender as well as sexuality.
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