Intro to Queer Theory Zine!

y r o e h T r e e u Q o t Intro Aicha & Marin

about this zine this zine started as the final project for our independent study called Intro to Queer Theory. we designed the independent study because of a lack of queer studies courses at Knox, and we created the zine to share what we learned with the campus community. enjoy!

History of Queer Theory 1970s and 80s: major rise in queer activism in the US (Stonewall, ACT UP) 1990: Teresa de Lauretis coins the term ‘queer theory’ at a University of California conference 1990: Eve Sedgwick publishes The Epistemology of the Closet 2000: Expansion of Black Queer studies, Poor queer studies, disabled queer studies etc.

Intersectional based theories gain traction 2009: José Esteban Muñoz publishes Cruising Utopia and imagines a queer future

1960s and 70s: feminists of color develop theory about the intersections of gender, sexuality, ethnicity, race, and class 1976: Michel Foucault publishes The History of Sexuality

1990: rise of activist group Queer Nation (which popularized the use of ‘queer’)

1990: Judith Butler publishes Gender Trouble & establishes the theory of gender performativity

2003: Lisa Duggan coins the term ‘homonormativity’ and critiques neoliberal queer organizing

Key Tenets of Queer Theory queer theory centers on sexuality, and sees it as “a site of oppression and resistance”

intersectionality: all aspects of identity inform each other and cannot be viewed separately

political commitment/activist focus: to deconstructing the structures that create normative/hegemonic sexuality and punish nonnormative sexuality to eliminating the oppression of all touched by these systems (which is everyone, not just queer people)

constructivist view of identity: gender and sexuality are not innate, rather everevolving and informed by history/culture

K

E

Y

M E T R S

tivity a m r o n o r hete ryone that eve at n o i t p m the assu rosexual and th is hete xuality is the heterose te of being. In sta natural terosexuality is y turn, he people b . n o d e c r ty enfo ve socie i t a m r o n hetero

homono rmativ ity

the hetero assumption se of norms xual ideals and commun onto the L i G t B y T , are to th be rep ese ideals lic social accept ated for ances.

nalism o i t a n homo

a etween LGBT b n o i t associa ideology and ed to list s, us nationa their right zation of or li people nationa growing e h t e d u n critiq movements a es, while c queer nt stan a still a r g i m m anti-i ng homophobi society. ern ignori in West d e t a g a prop

K

E

Y

M E T R S

udies Quare st of so opp. l a ; r e e qu y “meaning ; odd or slightl an t c h i g r strai the Af r; from e t or l i k f of acular f e of n r e v n a Americ capabl times in ithin e m o s ; r w quee ntained being co l categories of t ona conventi iously equivalen r u d c n sh (a being; nglo-Iri to the A “Black” Irish) s sometime t of queer” a vari n

developed by Patrick E. Johnson to theorize racialized sexuality image source: www.dailynorthwestern.com

pinkwa shing Israel in particular has been criticized for pinkwashing image source: www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/169988 9440-an-israeli-soldier-flies-thepride-flag-in-the-middle-of-gaza

the hetero assumption se of norms xual ideals and commun onto the L i G t B y T , are to th be rep ese ideals lic social accept ated for ances.

Critiques of Queer Theory Normalizing/Mainstreaming/Homonormativity (see Cathy Cohen, Sadiya Hartman, Jared Sexton, Morgan Bassichis, Dean Spade): All claims to the normal are defined against the abnormal, which in the U.S. is POC, poor, disabled, etc., so when queerness claims its place in the mainstream, it aligns itself with the white, rich, and able bodied.

While making a marginalized identity like being queer normal (meaning ordinary or acceptable) is part of the goal, this is different from normalizing or incorporating it into the mainstream. The goal should be to change our society to make queerness acceptable, not to modify queerness to make it acceptable to our society.

Lens of whiteness (see Patrick E. Johnson, José Esteban Muñoz, Rodrick Ferguson): Historically, queer theory has centered white people and excluded POC. Queer theorists of color have pointed out how in making claims to citizenship and rights for queer people, the LGBTQ+ movement has not only left behind queer people of color, but actively supports anti-black rhetoric which posits black folks as the opposite of the productive, respectable citizen. The LGBTQ+ rights movement also tends to uphold the association between whiteness and queerness, perpetuating the false notion that people of color are straight and homophobic.

For queer theory and the LGBTQ+ movement to be truly liberatory, it must put the advancement of people of color at the forefront and be active in decolonization.

Academia/“poor queer theory” (see Matt Brim): The US higher education system rewards rich white people with entrance into prestigious colleges and then attending continues to expand their wealth/power. Although queer theory positions itself as being “against the grain” in identifying with its activist roots, it is very much still associated with academic elitism and is being funded by rich institutions. Working class people have less access to queer theory because it is seen as an elite, impractical pursuit limited to academia, and therefore queer studies often lacks the perspective of poor, disabled, people of color.

Nationality (see Eithne Luibhéid): Queer migration theory challenges the assumption that all migrants are heterosexual, which is inextricable from the assumption that all migrants are POC and move from “repression” to “liberation” when they migrate. This is especially untrue for queer migrants —leaving a homophobic country might mean migrating to a racist one. Heteronormative narratives around migration are used to reinforce other structures of power. For example, citizenship is sometimes legally tied to relationship status.

Transphobia & Two-Spirit Response (see Qwo-Li Driskill): LGBTQ+ activism in Western society tends not to center trans folks, leaving them out of the goals of the mainstream movement, history, and some queer spaces.

Two-Spirit activism challenges this, placing gender identities and experiences at the center of discussion.

notable queer theorists Cathy J. Cohen: Black studies, lesbian studies Judith Butler: gender performativity theory José Esteban Muñoz: performativity and utopia Lisa Duggan: homonormativity Susan Stryker: transgender history & rights Jasbir Puar: homonationalism Dean Spade: transgender rights, legal rights Patrick E. Johnson: “Quare” studies Roderick A. Ferguson: Black queer studies Qwo Li-Driskill: Indigenous and Two-Spirit studies Robert McCruer: disability studies

queer theory is an analytical tool, a lens through which to understand the world, but, unlike some academic disciplines, it also seeks to transform the world.

Call to Action

queer theory is only as useful as it helps better the lives of queer people. our theory cannot stay behind desks! let’s take it into our nations, our streets, and our lives.

About US marin (class of 2024) is a gender and women’s studies major with minors in creative writing and spanish. they’re also co-editor in chief of Catch literary magazine and a Dare to Care peer educator. they love poetry, gay movies, and drinking pickle juice straight from the jar. aicha (class of 2024) is a business and management major with a focus in human relations, & a double minor in dance studies and anthropology & sociology. they are president of terpsichore dance collective, choreographer for kc dance squad, a dare to care peer educator, and manager of queer & ally house. they enjoy noodles, cartoons, and collecting vintage dresses.

sources

readings: “One is not Born a Woman” by Monique Wittig “The Woman Identified Woman” by the Radicalesbians “Lesbianism: an Act of Resistance” by Cheryl Clarke Chapter 4: The Difficult Decades from Transgender History by Susan Stryker The History of Sexuality by Michel Foucault “Fear of a Queer Planet: Queer Politics and Social Theory” by Michael Warner “Sexual Traffic” an interview with Gayle Rubin and Judith Butler “Axiomatic,” from Epistemology of the Closet by Eve Sedgwick “Punks, Bulldaggers, and Welfare Queens” by Cathy Cohen “Capitalism and Gay Identity” by John D’Emilio “Queer Politics and Anti-blackness” by Dean Spade and Morgan Bassichis Normal life: Administrative Violence, Critical Trans Politics, and the Limits of Law by Dean Spade “How to Have Theory in an Epidemic: The Evolution of AIDS, Treatment, and Activism” by Paula Treichler “Queer/Migration: An Unruly Body of Scholarship” by Eithne Luibhéid “Race-ing Homonormativity: Citizenship, Sociology, and Gay Identity” by Roderick Ferguson “From Black Quare Studies or Almost Everything I Know about Queer Studies I Learned from My Grandmother” by Patrick E. Johnson “Double-Weaving Two Spirit Critiques: Building Alliances Between Native and Queer Studies,” by Qwo-Li Driskill “Crip Eye for the Normate Guy: Queer Theory and the Disciplining of Disability Studies.” by Robert McRuer “Queer Dinners” from Poor Queer Studies: Confronting Elitism in the University by Matt Brim Cruising utopia: the then and there of queer futurity by Jose Esteban Muñoz “Building an Abolitionist Queer and Trans Movement with Everything We’ve Got” by Dean Spade, Alexander Lee, and Morgan Bassichis related links: https://shorturl.at/nyBU1 https://www.morgan-klaus.com/readings/quare-studies.html https:/vimeo.com/127277489%20https:/