THE RISE OF THE MASTER DOC

The Lesbian Masterdoc is a common nickname for a document entitled “Am I A Lesbian?” that was written in 2016 by Angeli Luz. The Masterdoc presents a series of thoughts and experiences that Luz concludes are common among lesbians, with sections including ones about “Early interest in women” and “You might be a lesbian if TL;DR.” Page one introduces readers to the concept of compulsory heterosexuality, a term Adrienne Rich coined in 1980 to challenge other feminists on their assumption that attraction to men was a natural feminine predisposition. In the Masterdoc, Luz writes, “Compulsory heterosexuality is the voice in my head that says I must really be het even when I’m in love with a woman.” If you relate, you might be one.

Luz did not set out to write a canonical text, but she did. The Masterdoc peaked in popularity in late 2020, but it’s experienced a renaissance on Tiktok where videos using #lesbianmasterdoc have collected over 14.7 million views. The affirming and revelatory reading experience brought on by the Masterdoc is currently fuelling a viral trend where users gush about its world-rocking clairvoyance, or are too afraid to even look at it.

Naturally, there are critiques. Adrienne Rich, for example, was transphobic, and some say that Luz’ writing implies tenets of political lesbianism that are transexclusionary. Also, Luz came out as bisexual last year, raising concerns that the Masterdoc blurred the line between bisexuality and lesbianism. But in this queer’s opinion, Luz’ description of lesbianism focuses more on psychology and sexual intimacy than gender. I’d reccomend Julia Serano’s “Whipping Girl” and Leslie Feinberg’s “Stone Butch Blues” for a more academic, intersectional approach.

But that’s not all! There have been numerous attempts to replicate the success of the Masterdoc for trans and gay male audiences. “Trans depersonalization” by Zinnia Jones is extremely apt. Jones is a marketer, writer, and activist who started a website with a series of essays called “Gender Analysis”, offering an in-depth look at trans issues. Her mostread article, “‘That was dysphoria?’ 8 signs and symptoms of indirect gender dysphoria” was an attempt to describe a sense of pervasive discomfort and unease that subsided once Zinnia started transitioning. With subheadings including “A sense of misalignment, disconnect, or estrangement from your own emotions” and “A notable escalation in the severity of these symptoms during puberty”, Zinnia received an outpouring of support from fellow trans people who resonated with these experiences. Like with Luz’ comphet, Zinnia’s online resource library has helped crack many so-called eggs.

the rise the rise of the of the masterdoc masterdoc Words by Steph Madigan (she/her)

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