Does anyone still read this stuff?
Being normal is a lot of work. We’d rather not.
Today’s queer theory is all about breaking away from the power of the penis. That dog(gone phallus) has had its day. It’s time to explore the world through different eyes, kiddos. So, here’s how some queer theorists view the world, post-penis worship.
One hot topic in today’s queer discourses is the issue of heteronormativity. Introduced by Lauren Berlant and Michael Warner, this idea proposes that not only is heterosexuality the preferred sexual practice, it is the preferred social practice as well. Huh?
Okay, we’ll break it down further. Berlant and Warner argue that everything in society is designed to serve the classic hetero family unit of Mom and Dad and Baby, from government subsidies to social media, marketing campaigns, restaurants, vacation destinations, fashion, criminal justice… all of this is crafted for hetero couples who’re out to procreate. And let’s be frank, Shmoopers—that leaves a whole lot of us out in the cold.
I fail, therefore I am.
Judith Jack Halberstam sees the modern queer person as a site of failure. The queer person can’t live up to the gender or sexuality expectations of a heteronormative culture, but that’s okay, because he or she doesn’t want to. In other words, it’s cool to fail when success means simply being normal.
What a drag. No, really. Think of drag queens, queer artists and musicians and authors, and gay pride parades; these are people and events that celebrate “failing to be” normal. By allowing ourselves not to feel pressured into doing what society expects of us, Halberstam thinks we can not only lead better lives, we can think better (a.k.a. more critically or objectively) as well.
Plus, failing can fun. Just don’t try heading home from college with any “F”s on your report card; we won’t shoulder the blame for you.
Queer theory isn’t child’s play.
Enter Lee Edelman. This guy says: enough with the kid stuff. He believes that children have come to symbolize a shared brighter future for us all. But that overly idealized symbol is causing us to consume resources mindlessly and neglect the present.
In short: Edelman believes we’re so focused on making more little humans that we forget how makin’ babies helps to perpetuate sexism, heterosexism, classism, and so on. So maybe we should consider stopping the baby train until we learn how to be more conscientious.
Queer People of Color
Jose Muñoz brings minorities into the queer picture. White folks may want to have no future, as Mr. Edelman puts it, but Latinos and other minority groups don’t have that luxury. They’re already assumed to have no future.
So, some of us will want to procreate, he says.
Plus, Muñoz views queerness not simply as an identity, but as a state of mind. There is always a future in the making that we can’t neatly categorize. And queerness is about living in the present moment, while leaving ourselves open to all possible futures.