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Cathy Cohen’s Assignment: Queer Politics

Cathy Cohens states that Queer Politics and Queer activism have the potential to radically change the political system and institutional oppression in our society, but Queer politics fail to recognize a broader understanding of queerness that should be based on multiple systems of oppression regulating the lives of most people. Why not include single mothers, blacks and exploited people in the political activism of Queerness if  heteronormativity is creating and oppressing the identities in the subordinated groups?  Lesbians, bisexuals, gays, transgendered, blacks, single mothers are oppressed by the institution of heterosexuality. Through definitions of heterosexuality the state regulates sexual behavior and creates social statuses, social identities that help sustain, reinforce, normalize and replicate the status quo of the privileged class.  On the other hand, definition of  class, race, sex and gender affect particular groups in society .

Cohen revises some historical facts to see how white supremacists implemented the institution of marriage (heterosexual marriage),  to regulate sexual behavior, to give rights and citizenship for those who qualify into the definitions of the sate. The sate also created laws to prohibit interracial marriage (whites and blacks) to reinforce division of class and to deprive blacks from equal opportunity.  Also, heterosexual women who procreate children outside the marriage institutions were/are seeing as deviants and “demonized” as people that takes advantage of the welfare system . But we should see that poverty, single mothers , and  incarceration affect blacks, Latinos the exploited and the underclasses. Race, class , gender, sexual identity are linked to institutional oppression, which  regulates the lives of people outside the heterosexual definition.

Queer politics focuses in the white middle and upper class lesbians , bisexuals, gays and transgendered people affected by sexism and homophobia, economic and political constrain. Queer activists want to challenge the static definitions of sexuality and restructure society, but the radical change of society would be impossible to accomplish if the left does not include changes that include other people’s interests, class, gender, sexuality, people of color and their disadvantage, sexism, AIDS activism. If Queer politics are meant to change the politics, economic , social and cultural institutions they need a broader view of society and its issues.