THE MYTH OF INVISIBILITY
Ideas often come to me at the most peculiar times. The idea of this essay came to me while I was sweeping in the den of my house. I’m not sure what that says about the overall idea, but I am very fortunate that it did.
As I went about sweeping my den the nature invisibility, or rather visibility, as it pertains to those in the gay community appeared in my mind. I, and I am sure countless others, have heard the homophobic argument that homophobia isn’t an issue, or a serious issue, because unlike race or gender, it’s something that you can hide. These homophobes believe that because one cannot hide the color of their skin or the fact that they have breasts, homophobia isn’t the same as racism or sexism. The idea being that that gays choose to display their sexuality, and as such those who are victims of homophobia are often asking for it.
On the surface this seems like a somewhat logical belief. There is something to be said about the way skin color or sexual anatomy presents itself in an overt form making it easily identifiable for racism and sexism. But, I would like to suggest that homosexuality, or at least the characteristics that we associate with it, also presents itself in overt ways which make it easy for homophobes to marginalize and oppress homosexuals.
We are trained in this white supremacist patriarchal society to see race and gender. We are taught to associate certain characteristics with race and gender, and to pinpoint those characteristics when they are expressed. The way one walks, or talks, or who the person hangs out with, are all ways that racist and sexist people identify and discriminate against people based on their race or gender. However, this phenomenon is not unique to race or gender oppression.
Homosexuals, whether they choose to or not, are daily assaulted by the expectations and assumptions that we as a society place around sexual orientation. From an early age children have their gender expression policed in this society, and this often results in them being the victims of homophobia. If a little boy walks to feminine or if a little girls voice is too deep these are things used to police their gender, and are also used by homophobes.
As we get older the way homophobia pinpoints us does not change. I can think of countless occasions where I have been the victim of homophobia based on things outside of my control. I do not choose to hold my hands the way that I do, I do not choose to walk the way that I do, I do not choose to talk the way that I do. i also did not choose for these otherwise empty characteristics to be associated with my sexual orientation. In a homophobic society these characteristics of myself render me visible, and thus prevents me from being invisible. Of course, I could possibly do things to render myself invisible, I could try and walk and talk in a different manner as many do. As a gay person my sexuality is just as overt as my race and my gender.
The belief that sexuality isn’t visible the way race or gender is, is a myth homophobes use to diminish the realities that gays face. It is about denying our struggle and the oppression that we face. We live in a homophobic society where gender expression is linked with sexual orientation and that underlies much of the oppression that homosexuals face. As a child I longed to be invisible, and sometimes I still wish to be rendered invisible. I did not choose for my sexual orientation to be linked to my gender expression, but that is the way that homophobia works, and as such the myth that sexual orientation is invisible, unlike race or gender, is one that continues to harm those in the gay community.
The construction of heterosexuality has had many effects on the construction of homosexuality. This construction has meant that homosexuality has been associated with certain characteristics and many stereotypes. Homophobia makes it almost impossible for gays, or anyone for that matter, to be have an invisible sexual orientation. The time has come for us to realize that sexual orientation, like race and gender, is visible. The myth of invisibility must end.
Posted on July 2, 2011, in Breaking It Down!, Critical Thinking, Homophobia, Human Sexuality and tagged critical thinking, femininity, feminist, gender expression, gender rigidity, homophobia, LGBT, masculinity, queer, sexual orientation, sexuality. Bookmark the permalink. 4 Comments.
Another huge problem with this argument – gayness isn’t like race or gender because you can hide it – is that it relies upon the dangerously naive, false assumption that you can always know/anticipate what is going to look queer to somebody else. Gayness is very much in the eye of the beholder and what looks gay in one context might easily pass as heterosexual in another context…especially given that, as you say, visible queerness is often closely tied in with gender presentation, and gender codes are always quite variant and context specific. In fact in that way, sexuality is very much in keeping with race and gender in that they are all social constructs whose signifiers vary widely across history, culture and region and constantly have to be interpreted through various competing (and shifting) knowledge schemas.
At the risk of pimping myself shamefully – this is something I’ve hit on before with vast amounts of rage
http://www.sparkindarkness.com/2010/07/spark-of-wisdom-closet-is-not-asset.html
The closet is not and never has been an asset. Our ability to hide – when it exists at all – is not a benefit and is the source of much of the crap against us
Totally agree with this.
The lady that pointed this blog to my direction, made a comment on one of my posts, saying “because they [Christians] think we make a conscious choice to disobey god and commit a crime against christianity.”
I equate homosexuals fighting for rights, and respect, with the civil rights era all the time. I’m always attacked for it and get a reply with the usual, default response of choice (homosexual) vs born (skin color).
Blacks fighting in WWII, for professed freedom and equality, received hypocritical treatment when returning back to the states. This was called the ‘double v campaign’. Homosexuals were treated unfairly in the military and the government even went so far to make a law disallowing them to serve openly. I’m very happy President Obama repealed the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.
Who would have thought your sexual orientation is a concern when fighting for your country.
I tend to agree with rachel the link between sexuality and its performance is too often assumed (in whatever guise) and glossed over. Where does the (at least in my case) the urge to clutch my pearls and camp it up come from? Am I repressing it at other times (I remember I was asked by a hosting collegue at the gay pride week in brazil, if I was actually gay!). What about the archetype in my community (black gay) of the homothug (and for a nerd like me, the social sciences professor), both in their respective habitats are urbane, secure in their masculinity and have presence/gravitas. But neither in my fantasies at least : ) in anyway performs their queerness. I realise my thinking is far from clear, but I’m too lazy at this moment to distil it. And besides gurwl my man is coming over and you know I still need to make my face and take these here curlers out my hair! Lol