In class, I defined Queer Theory as the study of identities and orientations that fall outside of classically accepted heteronormative ideas and how they interact with and shape our culture, society, and the individuals who compose society.
In Computer Science, perspectives from Queer Theory have very limited applications. Human identity and orientation has no impact whatsoever on computational problems, nor any practical application of computing technology or algorithmic problem solving. It is interesting to consider these perspectives in regards to sentient Artificial Intelligence, but that would fall more into the realm of philosophical thinking rather than the actual science that is the basis of intelligent systems. The only facet of this field that any perspective from Queer Theory would have an effect on would be software development, but even then it would depend on what kind of program is being developed and for what reason. However, once again those kinds of perspectives would fall more under the realm of marketing or design, rather than the actual coding or development.
In Cohen’s writing, she lists the banning of interracial marriages as one of the ways that marriage promotes white supremacy. She argues that the goal behind restricting interracial marriage was to preserve racial ‘purity’. Considering that much of the underlying motivation for segregation could be construed as something similar, its a reasonable assumption to make that marriage would be no different. By both keeping mixed couples from the social benefits of marriage, as well as, at the same time, restricting non-white couples from those benefits, the institution of marriage would help in promoting white supremacy.
This segregation of people among intersecting groups, this case being heterosexuals, causes rifts in those groups that would otherwise be united. In a way, it relates to her statements about coalition politics. Because people can have many different identities and belong to several different marginalized groups, it can cause separation between those groups. These coalitions rely on solidarity and mutual support to unite people, and when that unity is threatened it can greatly damage those groups. For example, within the LGBTQ community, I have seen some people pushing to drop the T. Regardless of the reasoning, the desire to distance and separate from each other shows a lack of unity and support as well possibly damaging future support within the group. It makes the entire group weaker when not everyone can trust each other for support, and dividing the group entirely would make both parts not nearly as strong as the whole.