Mette Buchardt, 'Queer - from derogative to militant platform'

Queer - from derogative to militant platform Nina Trige Andersen

Queer used to mean odd. What does it mean after decades of militant use?

Not gay as in happy but queer as in fuck u, is the wording of a slogan. As 'faggot' and 'dyke' developed from derogatives used about sexual and gender deviants to a platform of militant struggle. To art, tv shows and fashion words. But queer is still the frame of sexual and genderpolitical acitivism as well as a rich subcultural life. This holds both possibilities and problems.

In 1990 militants from New York had had enough of the attempts of the gay organisations to become acceptable on the premises of a hetero-dominated society and composed the queer manifesto. With declarations such as 'I hate straights' the retoric was impolite to say the least both to heterosexuality and heterosexuals. Just like the poster decorating Copenhagen walls during the pride in 2007 stating: 'Stop hate crimes - bash a straight'.

The indignation was huge, because there was 'reverse racism'. If you look behind the concrete wording these manifestations must however be understood as actions rather than dogmatic ideology. Actions where 'things' are turned upside down to reveal what 'we' take to be obvious. An attack against norms and those who create them, instead of appealling for understanding. Radical queer activism turns the spotlight against what is hardly ever mentioned, not even in the rights-focused gay movements. On what is taken for given. Heterosexuality. Queer as in critical.

The radical queer activism attacked the straight self-evident by worshipping the nasty and perverse and being impolite to 'normality'. Since then a lot of water has run into the queer-stream. In queer theory and parts of the militant queer milieu drawing on the theory, queer is defined as a critical perspective - not as something you can be or claim.

In 1990's groups such as Patruljen til Udrensning af Tvangsheteroseksualitet (the Patrol to Purge/Cleanse Compulsory Heterosexuality) - inspired by radical lesbianism in francophone version, by the queer manifesto and by it self - defined 'lesbian' as a 'non-identity'. Just that is impossible to be in a heterosexist society and thus a take-off for attack rather than positive visibility work. Newer forms of queer activism has taken another step towards identity exorcism. Inspired by Judith Butler and by itself. Homo- and bisexuality are viewed, along with heterosexuality, as identities. Categories and boxes forced upon us, and defining yourself by your deviant sexuality is stuffing yourself in to the box. A part of the problem rather than the solution.

The realisation is neither new nor insignificant. For the workers to go in to the factories thay must understand themselves as workers. For the pupils to behave as pupils, even bad pupils, they must understand themselves as pupils. If they don't you risk they run away or do something completely different at school than they're supposed. Suppose men refused to be men, and women refused to be women, what revolutions might await?

The problem is, that the thing about not wanting to be a worker, not wanting to be homo, bi or trans is already quite widespread. Who wouldn't rather be called a 'manager' even if you get the same lousy wage and no part of the profit? How many haven't stayed way too long in the closet because 'the other thing' outside heterosexuality was an immense wordless chaos and how many haven't not called themselves lesbian because it's such an ugly word?

Queer as in closet As offensive criticism of heterosociality and its expectations queer has potential. And new-queer some times succeed in communicating that straight people as well are being locked up by heteronormativity and should have the interest in quetioning it. To be real also because queer uses cultural forms that the straight middle class has the codes to understand.

But queer theory-in-use sometimes forget that marginalizing of sexual deviance also works through invisibilization. If you're the kind of lady who likes other ladies, naming yourself has the advantage that it becomes easier to get laid by ladies. If you make sure it's known far and wide what direction your desire takes. Claim the crap. If queer stares it self blind on the evil of categorization, you risk overlooking the practical powerfulness of heteronormativity. That the closet did not dissappear at the sight of postmodernism - or by coming out. On bad days we're still straight until proven otherwise even at a queer party.