Queerness Analysis

Queerness encompasses the shared position of marginality relative to power, not solely based on sexual orientation or gender identity. It is a refusal to accept dominant understandings of sexuality, therefore, queer is how people see themselves rather than how society would categorize them by using socially constructed labels. Queer is understood as a term for sexual and gender minorities. Queerness is best understood as a broader concept than just sexual orientation or gender identity and is about challenging conventional identity categories. Visibility is power; therefore, gender and race are intersections that help us better understand this broader concept of queerness.
Judith Halberstam discusses gender, as an intersection of queerness.

She examines the “border wars” between butch lesbian and transsexual male identities and “the relations between identity, embodiment, and gender” (Halberstam, 142). There are some blurred lines and clear distinctions between butch lesbians and transsexual males. She argues for intersectionalitiy stating, “as in so many other identity-based activist projects, one axis of identification is a luxury most people cannot afford” (Halberstam, 159). She effectively notes that forms of masculinities need to be anti-racist, anti-sexist, and queer in order to really disrupt gender hierarchies (Halberstam, 173). For example, Halberstam explains what she sees as “the bathroom problem.” In her argument, she explains the problems faced by people whose gender categorization is ambiguous and didn’t fit clearly in the binary. The public women’s bathrooms are places of extreme scrutiny and judgment. If a female-to-male or male-to-female entered a woman’s bathroom they may he questioned or barracked. If a female-to-male who entered the men’s bathroom they may not be closely watched, but if they’re discovered then the other men may react with violence. Halberstam states, “The codes that dominate within the women’s bathroom are primarily gender codes; in the men’s room, they are sexual codes. Public sex versus private gender, openly sexual versus discreetly repressive, bathrooms beyond the home take on the proportions of the gender factory” (Halberstam, 504-505). This helps us understand that those who fit or conform to the binary system feel the need to speak out against and do not accept those who don’t because they challenge conventional identity categories.
When discussing the intersection of gender, is important to understand that femininity and masculinity are fluid concepts that change from one culture to the next, and from one person to the next. Gender in itself is a construction. Every day when we get dressed and ready to leave our homes, we choose our gender, whether we realize it or not. Judith Butler argues that all gender is a performance. She views sexuality as a set of social constructs that are acknowledged and represented, usually by second nature, through performative acts of gender.
In her essay titled, “Imitation and Gender Insubordination,” Butler uses drag to explain her ideas of performing gender and appropriation. She notes that drag is thought of as the way a person of one gender uses mannerisms, appearances, clothing, and aesthetics of another gender. This is assuming that gender is placing male and females into the masculine and feminine category based on a physical makeup of the body, rather then being an identity based on roles performed. People perform drag by copying a different gender than their own gender, but Butler challenges this stance. “Drag constitutes the mundane way in which genders are appropriated theatricalized, worn, and done; it implies that all gendering is a kind of impersonation and approximation. If this is true, it seems, there is no original or primary gender that drag imitates, but gender is a kind of imitation for which there is no original; in fact, it is a kind of imitation that produces the very notion of the original as an effect and consequence of the imitation itself” (Butler, 127). She notes that everyone is appropriating gender whenever they are performing it and that there is no original gender.
In “Punks, Bulldaggers, and Welfare Queens: The Radical Potential of Queer Politics?” Cathy Cohen discusses intersectionalitiy through queer politics.

She notes it is important in order to make queer really work, it must challenge heteronormative oppression through many intersections including sexuality, race, gender, and economic class. Cohen discusses one of the reasons why queer theory has been unable to effectively challenge heteronormativity, stating that queer politics has often been built around a dichotomy between those who are queer and those who are straight. She states, "Very near the surface in queer political action is an uncomplicated understanding of power as it is encoded in sexual categories: all heterosexuals are represented as dominant and controlling and all queers are understood as marginalized and invisible...some queer activists have begun to prioritize sexuality as the primary frame through which they pursue their politics" (Cohen, 440). While acknowledging that certain parts of our identity may be highlighted to call attention to a certain situation, she warns against activating only one characteristic of an identity or a single perspective of consciousness when organizing politics (Cohen, 440). Cohen advises against activating solely one characteristic of an identity or a single perspective of consciousness when organizing

politics.
While it is okay to reflect upon experiences and discover how an isolated part of an identity may have more of an impact in certain situations, failing to recognize other parts of the identity, which may further disadvantage or advantage an individual tells only part of that person. When one internalizes that a certain part of her/his identity is more important than another, it affects how she/he interacts with others and how she/he makes decisions. Expanding upon Cohen's ideas, nobody belongs to only one category; every part of everyone's identity is equally important; it is never okay to be oppressed whether its due to gender, race, or sexuality. Cohen’s idea helps us understand that queerness does in fact challenge conventional identity categories and that queerness is best described as a broader concept than just sexual orientation.
In the midst of our everyday lives, we become blind to how minorities of different sexual orientations, gender identities, and races are still segregated. The issues of race in “Paris Is Burning” shows us what is it was like African-Americans, Latinos, gays, and transgenders in Balls. These balls consist of competitions to judge which body can perform in the “realest” manner, something for which it is not recognized by society. For example, a ball jury would determine who could perform the best as a rich heterosexual white person. Similarly, transgenders are judged on their ability to perform as “real women.” A pivotal point in the movie that brought race to my attention was when the Latin transgendered wanted to be a white girl because “they never have to worry about anything.” The African Americans and Latinos in the film didn’t have any animosity towards white people, but instead they wanted to be like them. Instead of showing power and finding strength in their own race, they tried to emulate white people. During one specific scene, there is a part where very patriotic, military music is played in the background, and there is a mix of people walking the ball catwalk. They are trying to portray themselves as wealthy, in a very preppy sort of way. Then we see white counterparts at the end of the runway dressed as Wall Street employees. Everyone is white on Wall Street, and even though we glimpse at an African American couple on the street, they just don’t seem to fit in. At the same time, if we were to see a white couple walking the balls, it would give a completely different image, as if they were trying to be something they already are; white and wealthy.
A significant quote from the film was, “This is white America, and any other race has to accept this until the day they die. Blacks and minorities are the best example of behavior modification, we have had everything taken away from us, and yet we have all learned how to survive”. The ballroom circuit makes it so clear that if you can capture the essence of the white way of looking, dressing or speaking, you are a marvel. It is the dream of the minority to look as wealthy and grand as a white person, and every media displays the dynasty of whites. For example, when we see a Ball member flipping through a magazine down the runway, every model in the magazine was white.
Wanting to look like what they are not is important to understand how those in the film desire to conform to the norms of heterosexuality.

It is also significant to be visible in the society and to do what they want to do. Dorian Corey in the film says, “When you are gay, you are monitored for everything, but you can do whatever you want, when you are straight.” In the film, Venus wants to be a white woman. Being white is a key in being visible in the society so by being white, they cannot be oppressed or excluded. Characters in the film do not want to look like a black woman because they think that this will not make their life easier than their current life. They think that being black will make them powerless and bring them

misery.
Those in the film undermine their race and emphasize the importance of white race, which is dictated by a white culture and makes their ideas traditional and conservative. This brings another dimension about gender and femininity. Being a white woman is not enough for them. Those in the film do not want to be an ordinary white woman, they want more. They want to be famous by being a film actress or a model. Their role model is a rich, famous, white woman. This desire is obvious in most of the characters. This is a further strengthening of patriarchal norms. In a society where patriarchal norms are settled, being intelligent or doing work related to intellectual knowledge is not suitable for woman. Importance is given to their body and beauty and the jobs related to these are suitable for them.