Gender and Sex Binaries David Nylund Queer Theory

Gender and Sex Binaries David Nylund

Queer Theory and Postmodernism n The notion that there is no objective reality or truth: n n “truth” and realities are multiple, subjective, and socially constructed. Postmodernism leads to the importance of deconstructing taken for granted ideas, models, and theories

Queer Theory n n n Gender and Sex are socially constructed Deconstructs gender and sexuality/gender norms Rejects biological theories of sexual identity Questions the usefulness of sexual and gender categories Challenges the taken-for-granted binaries of gender and sexuality Open up for debate and discussion the very notions of what constitutes maleness and femaleness as well as sexualities

Quote from Kathy Ruby Being queer is not a matter of being gay, then, but rather of being committed to challenging that which is perceived as normal. There is no foolproof membership criteria for queerness other than the willingness to seek out sites of resistance to normalcy in any possible location;

The both/and of the binary n Gender and sex binary serves to acknowledge sexual differences n n n Identity politics and social movements And also operates to contain, regulate, and these identities Once such categories are formulated, various institutions—parents, families, medicine, social work, the law, mental health and criminal justice systems—regulate and police them.

Questions Queer Theorists Ask: n n n Whom do these categories serve? Who do these categories include and whom do they exclude? Who has the power to define the categories? How are the categories policed? How do these categories change over time and over cultures?

Queerness and Sex-Positivity n n n Opposed to any “moral” program that passes judgment on any sexual behavior/practice All sex is good sex if it is consensual Intent on building a sexual underground completely free of the confining structure of ‘morals’ Bodily knowledge More interested in pleasure—what makes one feel good Deconstructs the binary of good/moral/healthy sex vs. bad/immoral/deviant sex (who decides those distinctions & for what purpose)

Transgender, Intersex, and Bisexuality: The Lived Challenges to the Gender and Sexuality Binaries n n Transgender and gender variant bodies challenge the very notion of stable, concrete identities and sexualities Illustrate the limitations of such binary systems Intersexuals transcend the binaries of male/female Bisexuals defy the categorization of the heterosexual/homosexual binary

A Queer Theory Therapy n n n Does not mean abolishing identity categories Instead, a denaturalization these categories Speak more hesitantly when making generalizations of sexual and gender identity categories Be an ally to all who transgress gender and sex norms Refuse to be a gatekeeper

International Bill of Gender Rights n n n n n The Right To Define Gender Identity The Right To Free Expression Of Gender Identity The Right To Secure And Retain Employment And To Receive Just Compensation The Right Of Access To Gendered Space And Participation In Gendered Activity The Right To Control And Change One's Own Body The Right To Competent Medical And Professional Care The Right To Freedom From Psychiatric Diagnosis Or Treatment The Right To Sexual Expression The Right To Form Committed, Loving Relationships And Enter Into Marital Contracts The Right To Conceive, Bear, Or Adopt Children; The Right To Nurture And Have Custody Of Children And To Exercise Parental Capacity

Contact Info n n n David Nylund, Ph. D, LCSW dknylund@csus. edu Thegenderhealthcenter. org