Right, here’s what ‘political lesbianism’ is, after Doechii gets backlash for coming out

Doechii has seemingly come out as a lesbian after adding her sexuality to her Instagram video and praising an article on political lesbianism, so  here’s what it actually means

‘Political lesbianism’ is actually a decades-old label

Although it’s getting a lot of renewed attention now, being politically lesbian isn’t anything new. The term comes from early second wave feminism in the 1970s, where women who were sick of patriarchal dynamics in heterosexual relationships “chose” to be lesbian as a show of this dissatisfaction. This version of political lesbianism is not far from what we’re seeing in the discourse today.

everything i see about political lesbianism is so rage inducing i need this shit wrapped up YESTERDAY pic.twitter.com/oG5uXnfYI0

— fia ✧ (@fia_verse) February 16, 2026

Malavika Kannan, a culture journalist, wrote an article in 2025 tiled Lowkey I Chose To Be A Lesbian for Autostraddle. The viral article has resurfaced again after musician Doechii called it “powerful” and put lesbian in her Instagram bio, leading many to believe she has come out.

“‘Born this way’ discourse had its moment, but I think it frames queerness as an unhelpable accident of your birth and not a wonderful, principled choice you could make for yourself. I choose to loudly and decisively align myself with other women, because I think it helps all of us, especially straight women,” Malavika said in the article.

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It’s a super controversial label in the queer community

Even though political lesbianism has a long history of being used as a label, it’s very debated within the queer community. Many people have pointed out that political lesbianism inherently implies that sexuality is a choice, as they’re “choosing” to be lesbian.

oh hell no we are not doing this political lesbianism bullshit in 2026 and its very disappointing to see doechii agree with such harmful rhetoric that you can choose to be lesbian pic.twitter.com/XaeYt7xm9g

— ۟ (@ratadeuxpatas) February 14, 2026

“Lesbians are not your safe space for being traumatised by men,” said lesbian creator Kai Love on TikTok. “Choosing for political or moral purposes to centre yourself as a lesbian… it’s not something that shapes you or defined your bisexuality. I, as a lesbian, exist as a political – but that is not by my own choosing.”

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