Author Topic: Gay Not Queer  (Read 541 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Kamaji

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 57,889
Gay Not Queer
« on: November 27, 2022, 04:04:03 pm »
Gay Not Queer

Gay identities are based on biological sex; gender identities erase biological sex and replace it with gender.

Peter Gajdics
25 Nov 2022

A few years after the publication of my first book, which was about my six years in a form of conversion therapy, another author invited me onto his podcast of “Queer Writers.” His show’s name should have warned me of what was to follow, but in the rush of scheduling, I entered the interview cold. At the top of the show the author introduced me as a “queer writer.” I clarified that I do not identify as “queer”; I am gay. None of that seemed to matter.

*  *  *

I am not queer. I am a gay man. And I do not buy the notion that “gay” must automatically be grouped into or conflated with the label of “queer.” The former is not the same as or even a subgroup of the latter. In fact, in many respects, the identities of gay and queer stand in direct opposition to each other. Like the host of the podcast, most people typically never bother to ask me how I identify. They learn that I am gay, and they simply assume that makes me queer. It does not.

Until recently, I never thought it necessary to define “gay” or “man,” but when I say that I am gay, I mean that I am same-sex attracted; when I say that I am a man, I mean that I am an adult male. In other words, I am an adult male who is attracted to other adult males. Males are one of the two sexes of a binary species Homo sapiens. Just as adult males are called men, adult females are called women; and just as same-sex attracted males are called gay men, same-sex attracted females are called lesbians. Gay men are attracted to other males; gay women, or lesbians, are attracted to other females. None of this implies that gay men or lesbians are queer, for the identity of queer is another matter entirely.

*  *  *

I don’t agree that someone can be born into the “wrong body.” Such a possibility implies that there is a “right body”—and all any of us ever know is the body we were born into. Bodies are not right or wrong; they just are. Experiencing distress with the body we were born into is something else entirely—but it still does not imply that it is a wrong body; it just means that the body is a source of distress.

I don’t agree that biological sex is “assigned at birth,” although the frequency with which this term is repeated now makes it sound as if a person’s sex is somehow discretionary at this point. It is not. Assigned sex is language originally used for intersex people—those born with a mix of male and female characteristics, most of whom go on to live as one or the other sex—later appropriated by gender ideologues and promoted to the broader public. Assigned sex helps to justify the idea that some people might be a sex other than their birth sex. To say that the sex of all people is assigned is simply a lie. Biological sex is almost always objectively perceivable as male or female at birth. Sex is discovered, not assigned.

I don’t agree that biological sex can be changed. As a noun, sex is rooted in biology; it is not subjective. All humans are born with gametes (reproductive cells)—males with small gametes (sperm) and females with large gametes (eggs). The most anyone can do if they feel distress with their biological sex, is cosmetically change their appearance through medication or surgery. None of this changes a person’s biological sex—it just changes their appearance.

I don’t agree that there are endless sexualities or that there are more than two genders. Since the human species is binary, all people experience some degree of same-sex or opposite-sex attraction. Even those claiming to be asexual do not disprove a binary, since these people are just not attracted to either of the two sexes.

*  *  *

Queer theory wanted to deconstruct much of what gays had fought to build—and more. In her 2017 lecture “Trans*: A Quick and Quirky Guide to Gender Variance,” queer theorist Judith “Jack” Halberstam described (at 36:20) the goals of queer activism as “the complete transformation of the society, and the rethinking of intimate relationships completely.” Queers, in this context, are not interested in advancing any of the rights for which gays tirelessly fought; queers want to radically transform the very structures of society of which gays themselves are now a part.

*  *  *

More recently, though, queer identity has taken a more menacing turn. A plethora of new gender identities, all cobbled together under the broad label of “queer,” has supplanted the activism from a few short decades ago that was rich in meaning and replaced it with what seems now explicitly about transgression. Today, it is not simply that I don’t identify as queer; I find the whole idea of a queer identity to be incoherent and possibly even delusional.

*  *  *

Source:  https://quillette.com/2022/11/25/gay-not-queer/

Offline Cyber Liberty

  • Coffee! Donuts! Kittens!
  • Administrator
  • ******
  • Posts: 79,873
  • Gender: Male
  • 🌵🌵🌵
Re: Gay Not Queer
« Reply #1 on: November 27, 2022, 06:42:12 pm »
I, too, wonder how many Angels can dance upon the head of a pin?
For unvaccinated, we are looking at a winter of severe illness and death — if you’re unvaccinated — for themselves, their families, and the hospitals they’ll soon overwhelm. Sloe Joe Biteme 12/16
I will NOT comply.
 
Castillo del Cyber Autonomous Zone ~~~~~>                          :dontfeed:

Online mountaineer

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 78,126
Re: Gay Not Queer
« Reply #2 on: November 27, 2022, 06:50:04 pm »
This stuff just gives me a headache.
Support Israel's emergency medical service. afmda.org

Offline unite for individuality

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 851
  • Gender: Male
  • I think, therefore I am... a misfit!
Re: Gay Not Queer
« Reply #3 on: November 28, 2022, 01:40:47 am »
Queer theory wanted to deconstruct
much of what gays had fought to build—and more.
In her 2017 lecture “Trans*: A Quick and Quirky Guide to Gender Variance,”
queer theorist Judith “Jack” Halberstam
described (at 36:20) the goals of queer activism as
“the complete transformation of the society,
and the rethinking of intimate relationships completely.”
bleep, in this context, are not interested in
advancing any of the rights for which gays tirelessly fought;
bleep want to radically transform the very structures of society
of which gays themselves are now a part.


The article cited in the original post,
or at least the excerpt that was posted,
never did explain the author's definition of gay versus queer.

The paragraph that I cited is very revealing.
But there still is more that needs to be revealed.

I don't doubt that the "gay rights" or "queer rights"
(or whatever term we're required to use this week
to avoid being labeled "bigots") movement
is more about seizing power by transforming society
than about defending ANYONE'S rights.

But I would like to see further explanation of
exactly what transformation the activists
(and the string pullers behind the activists)
are trying to impose.

Once that is revealed, the rest of us can probably figure out
how that serves certain interests' pathological desire to seize more power.

If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion,
mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.
   -- John Stuart Mill

Here are the 10 RINOs who voted to impeach Trump on Jan. 13, 2021 - NEVER forget!
WY  Liz Cheney      SC 7  Tom Rice             WA 4  Dan Newhouse    IL 16  Adam Kinzinger    OH 16  Anthony Gonzalez
MI 6  Fred Upton    WA 3  Jaime Herrera Beutler    MI 3  Peter Meijer       NY 24  John Katko       CA 21  David Valadao

Offline jafo2010

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5,525
  • Dems-greatest existential threat to USA republic!
Re: Gay Not Queer
« Reply #4 on: November 28, 2022, 10:16:17 am »
A lot of gobblygook.  Gay and queer, I thought were interchangeable terms for the same thing.  I sit here still wondering what the writer is inferring, for he never defined queer apart from gay.

Doesn't matter, I consider both aberrant behavior.  And John Hopkins, once one of the largest hospitals performing trans surgery stopped for a period of time, recognizing trans patients as folks suffering from a mental disorder.  However, they reversed that decision when they realized how much revenue they were losing by ending the surgery.  Remember, the infernal dollar is paramount with American medicine.  Paramount!

And today, ten of thousands of children are being convinced it is perfectly acceptable to society to mutilate your body, become completely sterile while one is a teen.  And that this can be done without any parental involvement.  Perfectly fine.  For anyone that does not understand, that is the soviet mentality in regard to children and the role of the parent.

It is not acceptable to mutilate these children with these demented beliefs.  Good people need to stand up and put this nonsense back in Pandora's Box, or suffer the destructive consequences.

It's bad enough that fertility is rapidly dropping in the USA.  Encouraging children to mutilate their body, become sterile, is just one more step to the destruction of America.  It is pure insanity. 

Offline Kamaji

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 57,889
Re: Gay Not Queer
« Reply #5 on: November 28, 2022, 11:51:55 am »

The article cited in the original post,
or at least the excerpt that was posted,
never did explain the author's definition of gay versus queer.

The paragraph that I cited is very revealing.
But there still is more that needs to be revealed.

I don't doubt that the "gay rights" or "queer rights"
(or whatever term we're required to use this week
to avoid being labeled "bigots") movement
is more about seizing power by transforming society
than about defending ANYONE'S rights.

But I would like to see further explanation of
exactly what transformation the activists
(and the string pullers behind the activists)
are trying to impose.

Once that is revealed, the rest of us can probably figure out
how that serves certain interests' pathological desire to seize more power.



Actually, he did:

Quote
Until recently, I never thought it necessary to define “gay” or “man,” but when I say that I am gay, I mean that I am same-sex attracted; when I say that I am a man, I mean that I am an adult male.

Offline BellyAche

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 323
  • Gender: Female
Re: Gay Not Queer
« Reply #6 on: November 28, 2022, 03:19:38 pm »
It's all such a perversion of what is a natural component of growing up, sometimes confusion, often interests in what is considered "boy" or "girl" constructs. Perhaps these days if a little girl is a "tomboy" in the old sense of the word, and ends up playing with someone's GI Joes and follows a brother around imitating him, a parent might stupidly think, "Ah, this girl things she's a boy, time to seek advise."  Then they go down that rabbit hole. It's all so ridiculous and yes, criminal to me!!!! This is like a dangerous fad.
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. - Theodore Roosevelt

Offline unite for individuality

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 851
  • Gender: Male
  • I think, therefore I am... a misfit!
Re: Gay Not Queer
« Reply #7 on: November 30, 2022, 12:01:00 am »
Quote: me

The article cited in the original post,
or at least the excerpt that was posted,
never did explain the author's definition of gay versus queer.


Actually, he did:

Quote: original post

"Until recently, I never thought it necessary to define “gay” or “man,”
but when I say that I am gay, I mean that I am same-sex attracted;
when I say that I am a man, I mean that I am an adult male."


Okay, he gave his definition of "gay man."
But he didn't say anything about "queer."
So that side of the question is still a mystery.

And how do we know if his definition of "queer"
has anything in common with anyone else's definition?

And if the author who is quoted in the original post, Peter Gajdics
(say it out loud - listen to what it sounds like!)
can't even get his attraction lined up with nature,
why should we expect him to think clearly about anything else?

If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion,
mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.
   -- John Stuart Mill

Here are the 10 RINOs who voted to impeach Trump on Jan. 13, 2021 - NEVER forget!
WY  Liz Cheney      SC 7  Tom Rice             WA 4  Dan Newhouse    IL 16  Adam Kinzinger    OH 16  Anthony Gonzalez
MI 6  Fred Upton    WA 3  Jaime Herrera Beutler    MI 3  Peter Meijer       NY 24  John Katko       CA 21  David Valadao

Offline Kamaji

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 57,889
Re: Gay Not Queer
« Reply #8 on: November 30, 2022, 01:04:13 am »
Pretty much as expected.