January 20, 2007
Queer Politics
I've been exploring different media and issues of identity and I've come across a very pressing issue facing queer America and queer media. And it's called: queer politics.
Before anyone gets their undies in a bundle, whether you are for or against gay rights, let's examine this phenomenon, shall we?
First, let's define queer politics: queer politics quite possibly arose as a reactionary movement to state-legislated homophobia of Reagan and Bush during the AIDS scare. Queer politics is an almost libertarian ideology that holds all people should be free to explore their sexuality and express their love to any sex or gender provided that the expression is consensual. Queer politics would hold that the suppression of genuine sexual expression is contrary to the laws of nature and the spirit of the Constitution and that such suppression is detrimental to the full development of the individual identity.
The problem comes because queer politics gets sucked into the vaccum of the American culture war and the cultural logic of late capitalism. Like most other ideologies in America today, people are arguing politics with the language of values. For example, queer politics often makes this assertion: "I am gay because of my biology; therefore, the government should support the expression of my sexuality and give me the same rights as other people." Woah! What a jump there! If we applied that same logic of values to, oh I don't know, pick any biological pathology... pedophillia, perhaps... then, a pedophile could ask the government to support his/her sexuality because pedophillia is linked to genetics and, according to queer politics, biology makes everything okay.
No. What queer politics is really asking is "the government should not only value GLBT sexuality, but should also throw the blessings of civil marriage and social benefits upon it." That kind of argument wouldn't fly with people who are so stringent upon their own concpet of values, namely "family values." You know, the Republicans are right in a sense! If you grant the rights that queer politics demands (and here's the qualification that Republican's fail to mention) on the grounds of which they demand, then you must grant the same rights to other sexualities that are -radically- unacceptable (namely, incest and pedophillia). The gay community cannot seem to make that connection because they share the same methodologies as Republicans (namely, a values-based argument) and hold radically different values.
Gays complain on the lack of progress. Well, duh! Your entire political approach is grossly flawed and is a good way of sending the message that you seek to rationalize your actions and expect everyone to buy into it. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for gay rights, but only because reason... not values has led me to that conclusion. Of course gays and friends of gays will value gay rights! Since that seems to be the bulk of the people that speak out in rallies and parades, arguing with values will get you nowhere and has gotten you nowhere.
The reason there is no progress is because the gay community has only addressed what it feels... not why it feels that way, and especially not why everyone else should feel that way. If you want to get your point across, you have to reason and you have to prove the fallacy of the opposing side. Values stand no chance for reason.
The gay community has lost sight of the opposing argument (which is largely based on values) and lost sight of why gay rights is so important. First, it doesn't matter if you were born gay. Get over it. No one cares about how hard it is to fit into a society that thinks your a sodomite. If you believe that you have done nothing wrong, perhaps you haven't. That's why the fight for gay rights must meet this issue head-on and completely contradict all of the anti-gay assertions. For example, if someone points to the passage of Sodom and Gomorrah, saying that God destroyed the cities because of homosexual acts, DO NOT dismiss that the Bible has any relevance to ethics or politics because Queer politics is also based on values. Instead, we must tear down such unreasonable, destructive and innaccurate ideologies. First, Sodom and Gomorrah has never been, since the Talmud and especially the Mishnah, about homosexuality. Rather, the burning of the cities was the result of greed, lack of wantonness and PROPERTY.
Yes. The very thing that Republicans base their ideology on was condemned by the same Biblical verse they use to point the finger on homosexuality. It's often assered by neocons that family values is deteriorating because of the acceptance of gays and lesbians. When in fact, the perceived "deterioration of the family and family values" may be caused by the rampant development of capitalism and consumer ideology. Families don't sit down together as much in more laissez-faire countries (ie: US and Japan) than they do in more socialized countries (ie: France and Venezuela).
But this is all wishful thinking, as the mainstream queer culture seems to value consumerism, fashion, competition and profit more than the things that should really matter to gays (ie: marriage, equal protection, healthcare, acceptance into society). The hypocrisy of the gay community is staggering and, even though we all suffer the effects of homophobia, I do not pity the culture, one that allows its mortal enemy to exploit it. The corporate culture is not going to be the saving grace of gays and lesbians... Radical discourse is the only thing that can save such a pathetic "out and proud, fight for my rights," selfish ideology. Advocates of gay rights must evaluate their methods and must start to work on fronts that may not be popular with the mainstream queer crowd. Unless we do that, history will be doomed to repeat itself.
Posted by EvanReynolds at January 20, 2007 5:30 PM
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