Lesbianism and choice

Why does it matter whether a woman can choose whether to be lesbian? I argue by illustration that, first of all, it does make good sense to see the option to be lesbian as genuine for women in a fairly common sort of circumstance; that recognizing the genuineness of this option, however, does not impute to such women major control over their lives; that choosing to be lesbian may actually narrow rather than expand one's present options; and that nevertheless it is important to acknowledge such choices for their potentialities, in community, to change the meaning of "lesbian" in liberatory ways.