ColonizationThe rise of the heterosexual ‘queer’

submitted by KingDickThe2nd from spiked-online.com

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[–]lunarstrain 18 insightful - 2 fun18 insightful - 1 fun19 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

So, dear heterosexual ‘queers’, I’d like you to do two things for me. First, imagine if white people blacked themselves up, called themselves the n-word and rewrote the history and culture of black people (in all its myriad manifestations over thousands of years) to be in line with portrayals in 19th-century minstrel shows. Second, bugger off, bugger off further than that, and then keep buggering off. (But don’t worry – you won’t have to do any actual buggering.)

Archive 1 / Archive 2

[–]JulienMayfair 8 insightful - 2 fun8 insightful - 1 fun9 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

Self-proclaimed hetero queers were always part of the Queer movement from the get-go. Take a look at one of the early groundbreaking Queer Theorists, Eve Sedgwick, who was, if you look into it, involved in a rather odd marriage to someone she hardly ever lived with. I'm not sure about it, but I'm under the vague impression that her husband Hal Sedgwick was gay. Eve herself got some flack for colonizing Lesbian & Gay Studies early on, and I know for a fact that she treated a number of gay male scholars pretty badly when they wouldn't suck up to her.

Like I've said before, in its reclaimed form via Queer Theory, 'queer' was intended to mean basically anything other than the most perfunctory heterosexual intercourse intended to produce children between married people in the missionary position with the lights out.

It was colonization from the start by heterosexual misfits who wanted to join the party.

[–]reluctant_commenter 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Will read about them, thanks for the recommendation! I have more recently been trying to read about postmodernism and its influence on the Queer movement. It simultaneously frustrates and amazes me that "heterosexual queers" have been around for decades.

I originally avoided the word "queer" because I heard it used as a negative slur growing up. But it seems like there is this second way that it has been weaponized to harm LGB people: colonization. "Political lesbians" doing "lesbian-face," for example. You aren't a lesbian just because you cut your hair short and act aggressive... it hurts me to see straight people actually believing these stereotypes. Minstrel shows, indeed.

[–]fuck_reddit 7 insightful - 2 fun7 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Huh, he was a Doctor Who writer right around the time of the reboot… that helps explain the amazingly subtle inclusion of normal gay and lesbian characters during those seasons.

[–]RedEyedWarriorGay | Male | 🇮🇪 Irish 🇮🇪 | Antineoliberal | Cocks are Compulsory 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Yes, it all comes down to a lack of character. A lack of hardships.

[–]reluctant_commenter 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Amazing article. Thanks so much for sharing. He put into words things I've struggled to.