A study in how compulsory heterosexuality affects cishet men.
Mark’s Compulsory Heterosexuality Translator explores the gendered boundaries of Adrienne Rich’s concept of compulsory heterosexuality through the character of Mark Wayland, one of the token cishet men featured in season 2 of The L Word (2004-2009). Mark uses hidden cameras to spy on (and sexualize) his lesbian roommates without their consent. Read with compulsory heterosexuality (a concept conceived of and applied to queer women) in mind, however, it becomes clear that Mark is struggling with untangling his feelings for the women he lives with, and that he feels pressure to sexualize his feelings within a heteronormative matrix, rather than regarding them as expressions of admiration and hope for a world beyond restrictive gender and sexuality norms.
This video artwork uses selected clips from the TV show to isolate this particular narrative, and the original audio is presented with an edited subtitle track, making this aspect of Mark’s behavior explicit and giving him the vocabulary to understand his own experiences, while holding him accountable for the violence he inflicts on others.
The full video artwork is available to view on request.
