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Why be unkind?
#21
OrphanPip Wrote:In the academic context, queer and gay are not synonymous, queer is used precisely to get away from the problems of words like gay, lesbian and bisexual, which to some extent are professed identities. How do we talk about those who don't feel they fit into those strict categories? How do we address certain sexual behaviors in a historical context, where concepts of gay or lesbian identity didn't exist?

David Halperan's definition makes the distinction clearer: "Queer is by definition whatever is at odds with the normal, the legitimate, the dominant. There is nothing in particular to which it necessarily refers. It is an identity without an essence. 'Queer' then, demarcates not a positivity but a positionality vis-à-vis the normative."

In this sense, gay people may be defined as queer (some might begin to argue that gays have moved out of the deviant category into the normative, but I think that would be difficult to defend), but they are not all that queerness is. The S&M community is queer, the fetishist is queer, the pedophile is queer. To discuss the nature of queerness is not really to discuss LGBT people, but to discuss how society as a whole speaks of and understands difference.

I think I understood all that. I believe what I am trying to say is that it is an imensely poor word to choose because of its history. How do you avoid excluding people like me from studying your the subject? You realize when you write about queer people you are specifically excluding people like me who are offended and self identify as definitely not one of them? Do you see? Academics used to use the word homosexual but don't anymore because it offends people to whom that was applied as a mental illness. For what ever reasons, academics decided to ignore those who protest against the word when they adopted it and they can stop ignoring us and adopt another word now. Or intentionally exclude us from being involved, even tangetially.
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Messages In This Thread
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-23-2011, 04:54 AM
Why be unkind? - by OrphanPip - 11-23-2011, 05:15 AM
Why be unkind? - by Bowyn Aerrow - 11-23-2011, 05:40 AM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-23-2011, 06:22 AM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-23-2011, 06:24 AM
Why be unkind? - by dfiant - 11-23-2011, 08:30 AM
Why be unkind? - by Pix - 11-23-2011, 09:13 AM
Why be unkind? - by Bowyn Aerrow - 11-23-2011, 11:05 AM
Why be unkind? - by dfiant - 11-23-2011, 11:17 AM
Why be unkind? - by Genersis - 11-23-2011, 03:45 PM
Why be unkind? - by pellaz - 11-23-2011, 04:16 PM
Why be unkind? - by Miles - 11-23-2011, 07:21 PM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-23-2011, 07:21 PM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-23-2011, 07:31 PM
Why be unkind? - by Miles - 11-23-2011, 07:36 PM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-23-2011, 07:51 PM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-23-2011, 07:57 PM
Why be unkind? - by pellaz - 11-23-2011, 08:14 PM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-23-2011, 10:07 PM
Why be unkind? - by OrphanPip - 11-24-2011, 01:57 AM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-24-2011, 02:04 AM
Why be unkind? - by OrphanPip - 11-24-2011, 02:17 AM
Why be unkind? - by pellaz - 11-24-2011, 02:24 AM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-24-2011, 02:34 AM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-24-2011, 02:46 AM
Why be unkind? - by ZackT - 11-24-2011, 04:10 AM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-24-2011, 05:16 AM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-24-2011, 05:33 AM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-24-2011, 05:55 AM
Why be unkind? - by dfiant - 11-24-2011, 07:43 AM
Why be unkind? - by Bowyn Aerrow - 11-24-2011, 10:02 AM
Why be unkind? - by Rainbowmum - 11-24-2011, 10:42 AM
Why be unkind? - by East - 11-24-2011, 11:51 AM
Why be unkind? - by dfiant - 11-24-2011, 12:43 PM
Why be unkind? - by East - 11-24-2011, 01:15 PM
Why be unkind? - by posterpicture - 11-24-2011, 06:30 PM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-24-2011, 06:33 PM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-24-2011, 06:35 PM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-24-2011, 06:56 PM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-24-2011, 07:02 PM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-24-2011, 07:09 PM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-24-2011, 07:11 PM
Why be unkind? - by East - 11-24-2011, 09:17 PM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-24-2011, 09:49 PM
Why be unkind? - by East - 11-24-2011, 10:27 PM
Why be unkind? - by dfiant - 11-24-2011, 10:36 PM
Why be unkind? - by Pix - 11-25-2011, 12:41 AM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-25-2011, 12:45 AM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-25-2011, 12:49 AM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-25-2011, 12:50 AM
Why be unkind? - by dfiant - 11-25-2011, 01:23 AM
Why be unkind? - by East - 11-25-2011, 01:44 AM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-25-2011, 03:20 AM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-25-2011, 03:30 AM
Why be unkind? - by dfiant - 11-25-2011, 07:28 AM
Why be unkind? - by East - 11-25-2011, 07:46 AM
Why be unkind? - by OrphanPip - 11-25-2011, 07:46 AM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-25-2011, 07:43 PM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-25-2011, 07:47 PM
Why be unkind? - by OrphanPip - 11-25-2011, 08:36 PM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-25-2011, 08:45 PM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-26-2011, 12:24 AM
Why be unkind? - by gfxtwin - 11-26-2011, 12:46 AM
Why be unkind? - by Genersis - 11-26-2011, 12:52 AM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-26-2011, 12:54 AM
Why be unkind? - by oldster - 11-26-2011, 12:59 AM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-26-2011, 02:43 AM
Why be unkind? - by Genersis - 11-26-2011, 03:13 AM
Why be unkind? - by Pix - 11-26-2011, 05:14 AM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-26-2011, 05:54 AM
Why be unkind? - by dfiant - 11-26-2011, 07:01 AM
Why be unkind? - by dfiant - 11-26-2011, 07:05 AM
Why be unkind? - by nullnaught - 11-27-2011, 09:22 PM
Why be unkind? - by Pix - 11-28-2011, 12:49 AM
Why be unkind? - by Bowyn Aerrow - 11-28-2011, 02:07 AM
Why be unkind? - by ZackT - 11-29-2011, 03:18 AM

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