Critical Response 5

my own perception with words such as "gay" and "queer" have both been at odds with society, and that creates an interesting dichotomy in my mind. On one hand these words are things that I identify with and what I interact with on a daily basis. However, society has always had an odd association with these terms because they fall outside of what is viewed as normal. This is not to say that "abnormal" things are bad, but the Westernized, Christian society that I live in has a habit of labelling normality and shunning the abnormal. This is (obviously) toxic because it becomes mainstream- the normals and the not-normals. It's a little bit like that Dr. Seus book about the creatures with stars on their bellies who think they're better than the ones without stars. It's never that simple, but oversimplification for the sake of understanding can be toxic to those who fit into neither category.

Sedgwick talks about the normalization of heterosexuality and its affect on people who are non hetero. The fact that there's a proverbial "closet" speaks to a long line of assumptions and heteronormativity that have existed for a long time. The assumption that one is heteronormative is a position of power held over anyone who identifies otherwise, forcing them to "come out" as different. Because people who already fall into the heteronormative category don't have to come out as such, they automatically hold more power than those that must in order to be recognized. It's not just a matter of who are you, it becomes a matter of what you must do to become recognized, and with it comes shame. The obsession with sex has always existed in the conservative Christian society because people are not allowed to have a sexuality (especially not women). In this society, if your sexual practices differ it is something that must be brought to life for EVERYONE ELSE YOU EVER COME OUT TO when, for heteronormative people, it is never required to reveal itself.

I think that's why "queer" and "gay" are at such odds with pride and shame. There's an obsession with sex and coming out both helps person be recognized within the gay community and reveals the divergent sexual practices of that person. Even though words like "homosexual" are standard in most areas, they still carry with them an undertone of sexual divergence.