The REAL "queer" theory

The most interesting part of the reading for me was learning that the "queer theory" goes much further than the study of homosexual beings. I have always assumed when hearing someone reference the queer theory that homosexuality was the only subject this theory encompassed, however, that just shows my lack of knowledge/understanding in that subject. So, Jagose explains in the reading that his definition of the "queer theory" is "an identity under construction," and I think the way she puts this is genius because it is not just simply declaring yourself a gay or a lesbian or a bisexual and researching why your actions lead you to behave that way, but instead, the queer theory allows you to look beyond gender allegiances- not looking ahead to anything specific- but rather to a "horizon of possibility." This shows that Jagose knows and understands that there is much more complexity to the study of queer interaction that goes beyond calling it "gay."

Similarly in Doty's article "Making Things Perfectly Queer," she also suggests that "queerness" has a lot to do with fantasy and politics. She says it is extremely difficult to attribute the "queerness" of popular culture to just one source, which I thought was a great point because I can't narrow it down to one thing either. Finally, Doty's discussion also parallels Jagose's theory that claiming "queerness" separates you from being a gay, bisexual, or a lesbian because she states, "to identity as a queer means to be politically radical and 'in your face' in order to paradoxically demand recognition by straight culture.

So, what I took away from this was that people are calling themselves "queer" because they feel like they don't fit into the cookie cutter lesbian, gay, bisexual category, however, they feel that they still need to define and broadcast their gender in order to be recognized in society, specifically by straight culture.