"I"dentity Politics and the Problem Therein

Defining Queer…

The Merriam-Webster Online dictionary provides the following definitions for the term “Queer;”

1 a: one that is queer; especially often disparaging: Homosexual, worthless, counterfeit –queer money-

  b: Questionable, suspicious

 2 a: differing in some odd way from what is usual or normal

The same source’s Thesaurus finds even more interesting labels.  Definitions from this include;

1 To be affected with nausea <eating all of that deep-fried food would make most people feel a little queer

2 To be different from the ordinary in a way that causes curiosity or suspicion <one competitor had a queer way of running that attracted a lot of attention from the spectators>

3 To be noticeably different from what is generally found or experienced <a lot of queer things started happening almost from the day that we moved into the house>

4 Having extreme or relentless concern <he's a little queer on the subject of astronomy; if you get him going, he'll talk for hours>

5 Being such in appearance only and made or manufactured with the intention of committing fraud queer money that was the work of a master forger>

6 Giving good reason for being doubted, questioned, or challenged queer business practices that bear some looking into>

Our quick online search immediately exposes the link between homosexuality and the negative presumptions regarding an alternate performance of gender that strays from that furthered by our heterosexist blind society.

Despite its derogatory meaning, within the academia, theorists such as Judith Butler  tackle those heterosexist assumptions that give the term “queer” its negative qualities and make it their own, coining Queer theory beside the already existing Gay and Lesbian studies. This move results from their certainty that adopting the belittling heterosexist insult of “queer” as their critical theory standpoint banner will disrupt the binary that powers the heterosexual mindset in its attempt to overpower homosexuality.

Where Feminism had failed to acknowledge the marginalized experience of lesbian women, gay and Lesbian studies emerged to mend the lack. Queer theory instead surfaces in response to the essentialization and identification with superimposed categories that the gay and lesbian studies entail. 

Queer theory has posed an interesting conflict in regards to identifying oneself with a particular identity.  This is because when a person identifies him/herself within a specific identity they are attaching to themselves any/all of the preconceived notions people might have in regards to that identity.  For example, to identify as a lesbian, a woman - in this case Judith Butler - as discussed in her clip posted above, "I'm lesbian I'm gay, but do I subsciribe to everything the lesbian and gay movement says?  Do I always come out as a lesbian/gay person first?... No... These are communities where one belongs and one does not belong"  And also as she discusses in her essay, "Imitation and Gender Insubordination" by identifying as a lesbian Judith would expose herself to her audience’s perception of what they believe a lesbian is; as if being a lesbian contributes to a person, certain attributes not found in say, a heterosexual female.  In the essay, “Imitation and Gender Insubordination,” Judith Butler examines identity politics and explains that to identify as something (gay, lesbian, male, female etc) is problematic when simultaneously rejecting identity politics.  On this level, Butler introduces the instability of identifying oneself as any sexual preference or gender. She says, “To install myself within the terms of an identity category would be to turn against the sexuality that the category purports to describe.” Meaning that to identify as a “lesbian” would be to turn against and oppress the very thing (being a lesbian) that the gay/lesbian community are trying to liberate. 

Not only is identifying oneself as a specific identity problematic in terms of identity politics and queer theory, but is problematic according to Lacan’s theory that a sexual identity cannot exist.  Lacan explains that the death drive is the only way to experience the “real” which is the closest a person can get to escaping the symbolic or as Ashley Sheldon stated, “You are no longer thinking about what you need to do, who you think you are, or even where you are.” Therefore a person can’t identify sexually as anything.  Butler’s argument is powerful and significant to queer theory because it disrupts the identity based theory and discourse that we have grown accustomed to in regards to gay and lesbian studies and challenges the very basis of mainstream gay and lesbian politics we historically understand.