Sabrina Caramico

Personal Reading Journal

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Queer Theory: A Space of Inclusion

In her revolutionary work “Epistemology of the closet”, Eve Sedgwick takes a deconstructionist approach to the study of queer theory, emerging most prominently in the 1980s and 1990’s, suggesting that gender and sexuality today are both constructed and enforced by culture and dominant ideologies. “Introduction: Axiomatic” is foundational to her work in queer theory as her examination of the historical construction of gender and the reductive binary fixations employed by cultures shows how free and genuine expression of gender can be hindered. Social binaries force homosexuality to navigate a culture in favour of heterosexuality, thus denying it of its own proper ‘category’; this, I argue, is problematic. Sedgwick uses a gay-affirmative motivation to challenge mainstream assumptions about gender and sexuality, aiming to break down the strong metaphorical divide between homo/heterosexuality (3). Queer theory, as discussed by Sedgwick, attempts to challenge the ways in which heterosexuality has been socially constructed as ‘normal’ and actively regarded as a comparative term for all else which is ‘devious’ or falls outside these confines; as subordinate and as part of, but not its own separate category of identification.

Throughout this course, I have come to understand the quintessential importance of language and its capacity to express and qualify not only knowledge, but also the representation and identities of social subjects. Thus, I argue that there is importance, especially in Sedgwick’s body of theory, in analyzing more critically the title of this work: “Epistemology of the Closet”,  and how it directs readers to understand the correlation between the history of knowledge concerning homosexuality and queer theory and the social construction of gender. The term “closet”, in my opinion, is used to connote an experience that places homosexual or queer identity in a space that limits its freedom, reducing it to a universal way for the world to classify and understand sexual identity. In the context of queer theory, imagery associated with the term “closet” delineates a confined, hidden experience; a dark and isolated space in which whomever is placed inside longs only to escape or ‘see the light’. Sedgwick explains that “modern western culture has placed sexuality in a more and more distinctively privileged relation to our most prized constructs of individual identity, truth, and knowledge…”(3), here, I would agree that the use of the term “closest” suggests a sort of hierarchization of power and gender in that fear and guilt is associated with homosexuality solely because it does not comply with mainstream heteronormativity. Sedgwick builds upon Foucault’s writings on sexuality and his theory that knowledge and meaning is bi-product of social discourses that fix gender into rigid binary categories. Sedgwick argues that political and social discourses and “…major nodes of thought and knowledge in the twentieth-century Western culture as a whole are structured…by a chronic crisis of homo/heterosexual definition.” (1). Although classifications such as male/female, gay/straight merge into dominant societal ideologies and discourses, gender identity should be fluid — queer theory then, aims to see gender as a continuum rather than a rigid categorization. Thus, “world-mapping” and “institutionalized taxonomic discourses” that assign individuals a homo or heterosexuality in addition to an assigned a male/female gender, is in fact problematic (Sedgwick 2).

Sedgwick explores seven axioms which support her queer theory and provide a starting point to a better understanding of the cultural construction of gender identity in mainstream society. In this section, I will expand upon two axioms I found particularly interesting in order to closely examine how personal identity is hindered when binaries are systematically institutionalized as common-sense principles and used reductively to group individuals. I will focus on axioms one and two and provide contemporary examples to elevate my analysis.

In addition to the ideas highlighted above, Sedgwick lists numerous ways in which individuals are different — not just biologically, but also in the ways they choose to identify and express themselves (23). She proposes that although identity markers — race, class, gender, nationality — may suggest that people partake in similar roles, they do not accurately represent, nor fully encompass uniqueness and individuality(24). For example, I am a student, but I am not only a student, nor do I consider myself the exact same type of student as all other students in my class. Similarly, Sedgwick lists that in terms of sexuality, genital acts mean different things to different people, also, just as some people may spend a lot of time having or thinking about having sex others may not (25). From this, it is apparent that deconstruction by means of difference is a good starting point at recognizing individual potential beyond the confines of universal binary assumptions. Earlier this year Mattel toys came out with a new set of gender neutral dolls with their tagline reading “Lets Toys Be Toys, So Kids Can Just Be Kids”. Mattel recognizes the importance of inclusion despite differences in gender expression and sexuality, and attempts to lessen the divide between traditional male/female roles, showing kids that it is okay to be or feel ‘different’, because there is a toy for that too!

Mattel Gender Neutral Dolls: 

https://time.com/5684822/mattel-gender-neutral-doll/

Moreover, Sedgwick looks at the differences between gender, sex and sexuality, defining them as separate terms that are not telling of one another. Sedgwick makes three definitional distinctions: gender refers to cultural meanings that influence personal identities and self perception — seen as variable and highly relational (27), sex refers to the innate, immanent and biologically based composition of chromosomes in correspondence with physical genitalia (28), sexuality refers to sexual attraction, practices and pleasures independent of biological sex and gender (29). This distinction, in my opinion, is of immense importance because the lack of clarity prompted by the overlapping of these terms is what strengthens societal construction of mainstream identities. A better understanding of these divisions will allow for a more informed society that veers from offensive terminology and assumptive language. The YouTube Channel “Queer Kids Stuff” is a platform that features LGBTQ+ educational videos for people of all ages. This is a great way to inform individuals of differences in terminologies, expressions, sexualities as well as intersectional oppressions, so that societies can work against restrictive binaries. Furthermore, Sedgwick notes that not only gender, but “a variety of forms of oppression intertwine systematically with each other…the person who is disabled through one set of oppressions may by the same positioning be enabled through others ” (32). She provides the example of a married woman noting how her use of a married name shows her subordination as a woman while also showing her privilege as presumptive heterosexual.

Queer Kids Stuff:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCecsVoeJcsXbAra7Sl4mOPw/videos

Overall, I believe that effort should be taken in working towards minimizing stereotypes, grouped classifications and binary extremities of gender in society. In order to create a more gender fluid spectrum better care must be taken in choosing constructive terminology that address queerness and homosexuality in an inclusive and positive manner.

Sedgwick, Eve Kosofsky. Epistomology Of the Closet. Berkley, California, University of California Press, 2008.

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Queer Kid Stuff

LGBTQ+ vids for kids! I'm your host Lindsay and with the help of my best stuffed friend, Teddy, we'll be teaching you what gays mean, what LGBT stands for, w...

What is the difference between gender, sex and sexuality? What does the term “Queer” mean? How can we learn about gender expression? What is intersectionality, and what do we know about diversity?

Check out this YouTube channel, a LGBTQ+ educational platform for all ages!  

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“But we want to think about the effects of disability metaphors when they are mainly used to conceptualise oppression” (Goodley et al. 982)

The person you are is NOT defined by the disability you have :)

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Dis/ability: Blurring the Lines

Language, discourses and their utterances shape who we are, how we communicate and how we compartmentalize meaning and knowledge in mass society. While language constructs and represents for its cultural subjects, it is important to consider the ways in which it can work to define and strengthen the divide between ability and disability. In order to analyze critically how language is used and misused daily, we must understand how language reinforces normative standards in society. Metaphors, idioms and hyperboles are tools of signification that simplify language and make meaning objective and reductive language available for reference by its users. When disability metaphors are used pejoratively — denoting lack, deficit, malfunction and fear — in formal and conversational language, the adequate representation of minority groups is compromised, and an ideal normative society is in turn promoted (Goodley et al. 982).

Disability metaphors and idioms used in language re-enforce normative standards by comparing efficient capability to what is considered a lacking ability. Though it is more often than not that metaphors and idioms such as “handicapped by a lack of knowledge” or “Blind to the truth” (Goodley et al. 982) are used to quantify feelings, it is important to take better care of understanding the effects of our language on other people. In other words, before using a metaphor, understand what is actually being implied. What does it mean for love to be blind? In his song “Blind Love," Bon Jovi equates blindness to oblivion, suggesting that sometimes love fails to recognize faults or see clearly its truths. Similarly, Paris Hilton sings about how “Stars are Blind”, and Ed Sheeran about his desire for his ‘skinny love’ to “just last the year”. As disability metaphors seamlessly infuse into music lyrics, we must assess how they can work to discriminate or marginalize those who, in the case of these examples, are visually impaired or have eating disorders, and why a desired love must be ‘skinny’. Disability metaphors provide justification for personal feelings and emotions by associating them with extremities of either lack and debilitation or overarching success and prosperity. For example, when describing feelings of sadness, loneliness or decreased mood, some people choose to reference ‘invisible’ disabilities by using words such as “depressed” or “anxious”. One cannot equate temporary feelings of weakness with mental or physical disabilities. The passive internalization of language — inclusive of figures of speech — give metaphors the authority to ‘sum up’ and distort reality.

With specific emphasis on the concept of help, whether asking for, receiving, or implying the need for help by people with disabilities, it is important to understand that although society often associates disability with weakness, the reality is that when people with disabilities ask for help, it is not an indication of dependance or failure. The process of collaborating or helping in general is conducive of growth, inspiration, opportunity and success that is mutually beneficial to both the ‘helper’ and the ‘helpee’. One’s abilities stretch beyond their physical or mental disability. Success is equally attainable, what varies however, is the way in which one goes about achieving this success; overcoming obstacles and accomplishing personal goals. The need to ‘help’ someone with a disability should never be assumed, but should be made available when requested and provided constructively rather than in a dominating way. Educational settings for children with disabilities such as Bloorview School Authority (associated with Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital in Toronto) promote and foster creative, inclusive and collaborative learning spaces —  an environment not only beneficial to the students, but also to the teachers and facilitators that condition and instruct knowledge . In this way, everyone is able to learn and adapt to different variations of ‘normal’ everyday living, thereby creating an environment of inclusivity and accessible opportunity.

Dan Goodley, Rebecca Lawthom, Kirsty Liddiard & Katherine Runswick- Cole (2019) Provocations for Critical Disability Studies, Disability & Society, 34:6, 972-997, DOI: 10.1080/09687599.2019.1566889

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Upward Mobility; The Assimilation of Indigenous Youth

Tanya Talaga’s Seven fallen feathers displays how class warfare — politics, poverty and power — play fundamental roles in the establishment of cultural identity. With upward mobility as prime motivation in the eyes of the Canadian government, reserves and residential schools are two prominent systems that reflect racial discrimination inherent in these systems of white authority.

Reserves symbolize cultural confinement. The Indian Act sets rules and provisions to  “…control and tame the Indigenous population” (Talaga 58), so that land can be claimed without interference and the nation of Canada can be formed. The Canadian government displays class-based discrimination by their confining of Indigenous people to isolated, poor conditioned reserves with inadequate sanitary systems and no access to medical care. The government’s repression of the rights of Indigenous peoples, to the very land they claimed first, showcases the dominance of white class in the assertion of power and control of land.

The Canadian Government attempted to assimilate younger generations of Indigenous people into Canadian society (Talaga 60) by institutionalizing residential schools. Separating children from their families and forcing them to neglect innate languages and traditions, these schools contributed to loss of cultural identity. The reality was that “Indigenous people were not seamlessly assimilating into Canadian Culture” (Talaga 73). While some children died due to poor conditions of the schools, others died trying to escape them.

Poor living conditions impacted negatively the physical health and mental wellbeing of many indigenous children. Serious illness such as tuberculosis, chronic diseases and viruses were common, and having no access to medical treatment, many children faced death. Trauma inflicted by residential schools, caused by verbal and sexual abuse as well as corporal punishment, continue to resonate with survivors today. The results of being beaten with leather straps, having their heads shaved and being forced to learn English and practice Catholicism, yielded different coping strategies; some of which included addictive behaviours, drinking and suicide.

The Canadian Government believed that “ ‘Indian children should be withdrawn as much as possible from the parental influence’ ”(Talaga 60), and they saw residential schools as the best way to do so. When Ethan Couch, sixteen year old upper class white teen, killed four people while driving impaired and without a valid licence, he faced minimal punishment. The common idea here is that  rehabilitation or punishment is most effective when children and disassociated from familial influence. While indigenous children were sent to residential schools to “acquire the habits and modes of thought of white men” (Talaga 60), Ethan’s consequences for killing four people was a luxury rehab centre where treatment for alcohol and mental health were punishment enough for his negligence. Ethan, being of dominant white class, received no jail time, while Indigenous children were forced to attend residential schools as correctional means for their “savagery” (Talaga 30) and lower class status.

Indigenous students in residential schools were used in starvation experiments. Like lab rats, these children were given food with experimental additives and were kept malnourished so that the effects could be recorded. This enabled Canada to be recognized as a contributor to the healthcare industry and discoveries in medicine. The exploitation of indigenous children, without consent, raises great ethical concerns and questions the integrity of Canada as a nation.

Talaga, Tanya, Seven Fallen Feathers. ANANSI, 2017

Photo Credits:

@theJagmeetSingh. “Surrounded by kids at a child care centre in Vancouver, I thought about the First Nations, Métis and Inuit Children who endured such unmanageable evil in Canada’s residential schools. We must never forget this part of reconciliation.” Twitter, 30 Sept. 2019.

@IndianHorseFilm. “In residential school, she was forbidden from speaking her language. When [Cecilia] Boyd came home, she couldn’t understand what her parents and siblings were saying.” Read her story in honour of 2019, International Year of #indigenous Languages.” Twitter, 10 Oct. 2019.

@idilmussa. “The Canadian government developed a policy called “aggressive assimilation” to be taught at church-run, government-funded industrial schools, later called residential schools. The government felt children were easier to mold than adults.” Twitter, 30 Sept. 2019.

@thewire_in. “According to reports, seven minor girls were sexually assaulted in the tribal hostel of the residential school in Maharashtra. The incident came to light due to the deteriorating health conditions of the minor girls, all in the age of 8-11 years.” Twitter, 18 May. 2019.

@indigArtStories. “Today is international day of the elimination of racial discrimination. Indigenous people still suffer psychologically from the effects of historical wrongs and many still encounter prejudice and discrimination in their daily lives in Canada. Learn more.” Twitter, 21 May. 2019.