Queeras: The Eras of Queers and Queerness

[thequeeras-blog]

Heteros are zeros!

Alfred Kinsey was a biologist who is most well known for “The Kinsey Reports,” which documented information about human sexuality that he learned from interviews with people about their sexual history. He was the first one to introduce the idea that sexuality was a spectrum, which he demonstrated using a scale of 0 to 6, that became known as the Kinsey Scale. 

The Kinsey Scale measured sexuality from exclusively heterosexual to exclusively homosexuald and Kinsey believed that most people fell somewhere in the middle of the scale. 

Kinsey defined 0 as indicating exclusively heterosexual and 6 being exclusively homosexual. We at the Queeras like to remember this by how our professor explained it to us: that heteros are zeros.

[thequeeras-blog]

A guy nurse and a lady doctor walk into a bar...

Unfortunately, I don’t have a witty punchline for the joke.  However, the point I wanted to make was that language matters!  So when we’re using words such as “nurse” or “doctor” that might be technically gender neutral, a lot of times we assume the gender of the person just based on those words.  That’s why we usually just say “doctor” if the doctor is a man or “nurse” if the nurse is a woman, but we add gender qualifiers if the doctor is a woman or the nurse is a man.  Using language this way really normalizes the idea that the original assumption that was made was correct, and that anything that falls outside of the assumption is incorrect.  Therefore, we want to try to mess with that as much as possible!  Maybe next time, flip who gets the gender qualifier and see how people react! 

[thequeeras-blog]

Power to the (straight) People?

In a world that puts so much emphasis on gender norms and straight relationships it can be easy to think that there is something wrong with you when you fall outside of those narrow definitions. It gets even easier if you are constantly hearing stories about queer people being discriminated against, harassed, or even physically attacked. In these situations it is hard to believe that there is nothing wrong, and in some sense that instinct is correct, it’s just that we are focusing on the wrong thing. Something is wrong, but it is not us as a queer population, it is the power given to the popular definitions of straightness and gender norms. 

Think of it this way:

When we hear about a queer person being attacked the story usually goes something like this: “He was beat up because he’s gay.”

But that’s not true. Queerness is not an invitation of violence. Queerness is not the problem. The problem is people who take issue with those who are different from themselves. So here’s the real story: “He beat someone up because he’s homophobic.”

(what up PJ, thanks for the example!)

Straight people are given so much power just because society has decided that straightness is normal. But that idea is narrow minded and wrong. You are not the problem, the power given to warped ideas of “normal” is the problem! 

[thequeeras-blog]

Men make money, women stay at home, and I guess my nonbinary ass sits in a corner...

The ways that we think about gender are oftentimes based in the white, middle-class, heterosexual family.  Thinking about men as breadwinners, women as caretakers, and not thinking at all about those that don’t fit in the boxes of “man” or “woman” (ie: nonbinary people) really only fits in to the ideals of the white, middle-class, heterosexual family.  People of color, working class and low income folks, and queer folks will often have different ideas of gender roles and what gender looks like.  So while we think that race, gender, class, and sexuality are all very different, identities such as race, class, and sexuality can really shape the ways that we think about gender and how we think about what each gender is “supposed” to do.

[thequeeras-blog]

I’ve got the power...

Saying that something is “normal” is just another way of giving it power, and oftentimes, being straight is considered normal.  But we queers don’t care about being normal, we just want to be ourselves, and that is what the word “queer” is all about!  And we’ll keep fighting to make sure that the rest of society realizes that “normal” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and so that we can live in a more just society with fewer power structures.

[thequeeras-blog]

Partying in the Harlem Renaissance

Rent Parties:

A way of raising money to pay rent.

Tenants would hire musicians and charge a cover at the door.

Usually informal.

Speakeasies:

Bars that secretly made and sold alcohol during Prohibition.

Got their name because many required a password to get in.

Many of today’s fancy cocktails came from these bars because the liquor was bootleg and tasted very bad, so the recipes were created to mask the taste.

Buffet Flats:

Similar to Speakeasies, but more common among black people.

Often located in an apartment.

Called “buffets” because in addition to alcohol they also served other illegal substances like marijuana.

Costume Balls:

Parties where many people would dress in drag.

Mostly attended by queer people.

Would often hold costume competitions.

A place where people could be openly queer or gender non-conforming.

[thequeeras-blog]

You’ve gotta know about queerness to understand straightness...

We often think that you can just know about straightness and that it’s about attraction between men and women.  But being straight doesn’t mean a whole lot if you don’t have something to compare it to.  That’s like trying to explain that your TV is off if the other person doesn’t know it turns on.  That’s why even if you think you’re the most hetero ever, you’ve got to at least know of queerness to truly understand what being straight is.  

[thequeeras-blog]

You have so many identities!

You! Reading this! You have so many different identities!  You have a racial identity, and a gender identity, and a sexual identity, and a class identity, and an ability identity, and so so many more!!! We think about these identities though differently based on where we are, and sometimes one identity might be more important, and sometimes another one might be.  All of these identities are in you and get jumbled around a bit too, so how you think about one identity might affect how you think about another.

[thequeeras-blog]

The best part of the 1920s were the black queers

During Prohibition (1920-1933) many of the hottest speakeasies took place in Harlem, a primarily black neighborhood in New York City. During this time there was a lot of sexual freedom and personal liberation and so people were more accepting of queer and interracial relationships. A big part of the rise in popularity of jazz and blues music was because of these parties, where many black queer people would perform. 

One of these performers was Gladys Bently, a black lesbian blues singer. Bently’s signature look was a tux and top hat and she was very open and unapologetic about her queerness. She would often sing parodies of songs and give them explicitly queer lyrics. 

Could your fav ever look this good in a tux?

This period became known as the Harlem Renaissance.

[thequeeras-blog]

Maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s Maybelline (or society)

Maybe she’s born with it:

Some people think that queer people and queer identities have been around for all of human history, and have looked the same throughout all of human history.  These folks often tend to think that queer identity is something that people are born with.

Maybe it’s Maybelline (or society):

Some people think that society plays a bigger role in how we think about sexuality.  It is unarguable that people have been naturally attracted to those of the same gender for all of human history, and that some folks are more likely to be attracted to the same gender than others.  However, those who think that society plays a big role in how we think about sexuality often argue that queer identities have looked different in different times and different places, and that different societies have thought about gender and sexuality in a lot of different ways.  This is not arguing that same-gender desire or queer people are unnatural, but that society plays a role in how people label and think about their same-gender desire.  Some even say that society helps determine what we consider sexual!!

If you’re thinking, well maybe it is Maybelline (or society):

Check out the movie “But I’m a Cheerleader”: it explores a lot of ways that society determines how we think about sexuality.

[thequeeras-blog]

On the DL

The down-low is a specific term that some Black men who have sex with men use to refer to themselves.  Many of these men don’t see themselves or identify as gay as they see being gay as a primarily upper and middle-class white identity, and choose to therefore not associate with the gay community.  Many of these men don’t talk about their sex with other men publicly.  These men relate to this identity in a variety of ways, and thus we felt it best that you heard their perspectives.

Quotes from men on the down low:

“’If you’re white, you can come out as an openly gay skier or actor or whatever... if you’re black and gay then it’s like you’ve let down the whole black community, black women, black history, black pride.’“ - Rakeem

“‘Being on the DL is about having fun.  Being who you are, but keeping your business to yourself.’“ - William

“‘Real DL guys, they have something to lose, too.  It’s just safer to be with someone who has something to lose.’” - D.

“I sleep with men, but I am not bisexual, and I am certainly not gay.” - James L. King

These quotes are from Benoit Denizet-Lewis’ article “Double Lives on the Down-Low”, if you want to know more about DL identity and the lives of men on the DL, definitely check out this article!

[thequeeras-blog]

The Queeras

It is finally here!  A post that explains our blog name!  The lives and societal perceptions of queer people have looked very different in different time periods and different locations.  Here are some of the ways that these things have looked recently in the US:

The Twilight Era: Late 1800s, Early 1900s

Queer people were not necessarily celebrated, but there was less controlling discrimination than we often think there was

Lots of gay literature was published!! 500 books with lesbian themes and 1000 with gay themes!  That’s a lot of gay pages!

Henry Gerber and the Society for Human Rights were some of the first activists for queer rights during this time

The Institutional Repression Era: 1930s-1960s

There was violent homophobic discrimination from many angles

Medicine

Law

The government and military

The violent discrimination sparked some resistance.  

Some of this resistance was from other early gay rights organizations, such as the Mattachine Society and the Daughters of Billitus

Others of it started in institutions like law, medicine, and the government.  Particular individuals in those organizations took issue with how their institutions oppressed gay people and resisted.

The Gay Liberation Era: 1969-Now

Starts with Stonewall

This is the first time sexuality is seen as an issue that needs to be publicly discussed, rather than a private matter

The Gay Liberation Front and Gay Activist Alliance form

Gay liberation groups thought it was important to fight racism, classism, sexism, and ableism alongside homophobia and transphobia

[thequeeras-blog]

So Some People Were The Worst

Straight people tended to, and often still do see bisexual women as being overly sexual, and think that all bi women want to do is have a three way with them (that is, not shockingly, false)

Gay people often saw bi people as not committing, or being unwilling to come out “fully” (whatever that nonsense means) as gay.  

Many lesbian feminists thought that bisexual women should cut off their ties to the oppressor: men.

[thequeeras-blog]

Bring Back Bi Chic

1970s: Bisexual Chic

Sexual experimentation was seen as a good and healthy behavior

Organizations for bisexuals were formed in major cities:

National Bisexual Liberation Group in New York City

Bi Forum

Biways in Chicago

1980s:

Bisexual people were demonized by straight people and lesbians, as they were unfairly painted as the people who brought AIDS into straight/lesbian communities

Organizations for bisexuals flourished and grew in numbers

Seattle Bi Women’s Network

Bi Pole

BiCEP

1990s:

Bisexual politics became more recognized through conferences and academic work, and through inclusion in lesbian and gay politics

[thequeeras-blog]

Story of the Stonewall Riots as told by Crissle West on Drunk History.

[thequeeras-blog]

How to Spot a Fairy!

The easiest way to tell Fairies apart from others was by their clothing. 

Common Fashion of the Fairy:

“As fancy and flashy as a youth dare adopt” - Ralph Werther

Green suits

Tight cuffs on pants

Flared top coats

Bright feathers in hats

Red necktie

[thequeeras-blog]

Fairies

Nowadays we figure out whether or not we are queer based on how we feel and who we realize we are attracted to, but focus used to much more on the kind of person someone was than on who that person liked. 

Part of this was for reasons we talked about in this post!

One specific identity that was shaped by these views and ideas was the Fairy.

Fairies were a thing in the late 19th and early 20th century. Fairies were considered a third or intermediate sex. They were male assigned people who behaved and dressed in very traditionally feminine ways and who were attracted to men. 

Because Fairies were not really considered to be men, a traditionally masculine man who had sex or was in a relationship with a Fairy was not viewed as homosexual. Masculine men were expected to be attracted to femininity, so (although it was frowned upon) being with a Fairy was in line with traditional gender norms.