I believe queer theory to be the analysis and juxtaposition of both gender and sexual identity against internal, external, and societal constructs and predispositions.
The discourse of Queer Theory is not incredibly present in my chosen field of study (music composition) due to its emphasis on conservative tradition. Ironically, though, this makes it brim with opportunity to unpack the various traditions within it, i.e. dissecting the notion behind gendered voices in a field where there are already non-gendered descriptors such as soprano, alto, tenor, bass, etc. As a contrast, there is plenty of queer and social activist-oriented discourse in underground, DIY types of music (and more avant-garde, experimental fields) in which I participate as a byproduct of my major, and I think that background can be helpful for discussing the discourse and implementation of queer theory.
In Cohen’s article she discusses the link between marriage and white supremacy—one of the examples she uses comes from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, in which black women and men in the slave system were not able to get married. This is an important distinction due to it being a strong example of what Cohen describes as
“the state and its regulation of sexuality, in particular through the institution of heterosexual marriage, to designate which individuals were truly ‘fit’ for full rights and privileges of citizenship.” (Cohen 453)
This idea of the state controlling rights definitely correlates to white supremacy and in turn marriage. The seemingly unattainable image of a “nuclear family” has little context for all Americans and is greatly influenced by social mobility, race relations, and sexuality, and to strive for this same aesthetic but for queer people is counterintuitive to liberation. This relates to her view of coalition politics being difficult due to the amount of systemic ways of oppression that color how different people relate to not just queerness but how that queerness then relates to society. She speaks throughout the article regarding “strengthening many communities” (Cohen 453)—by this she means that in order to form successful coalitions it is necessary to acknowledge that not everybody interacts with societal constructs in the same manner and to deconstruct society as a whole it is necessary to deconstruct it from every aspect, making it accessible to everyone.
Citation: Cohen, Cathy J. “Punks, Bulldaggers, and Welfare Queens: The Radical Potential of Queer Politics?”, GLQ3, 437-482