American context, this has been visible especially in gay communities of color, as in the and culture of New York depicted in the documentary The Paris is Burning.101 “house” “ball” subjects of that film were also accused of reinscribing heteronormativity in their imitation (its supporters would say of family values. “reinvention”) Expanding upon the of bisexual lifestyles, Chaumont turns to Madjid’s “hypocrisy” anecdote. He emphasizes a supposed lack of sexual fulfillment among men, “squat” banlieue and the juvenile character of thug sexuality that maintains a certain futility in his view. It is assumed in this rhetoric that a sexuality which foregoes penetration is in “incomplete”: Madjid’s story, however, it is the stifling of a typically explicit outcome that lends the scene its minimalist eroticism, an eroticism Chaumont is not indifferent to as he cites the anecdote in full. Whether to a filmmaker or pornography producer, an erotic scenario wherein a virile, homo-social gathering threatens to combust into homosexuality carries a strong dramatic potential. This in contrast to the almost puritanical insistence on sticking to the telos of mutually satisfied homosexual couplehood. The ways certain subjects have accommodated seemingly strictures while simultaneously eroticizing them in the process, is “heterosexist” formally from a number of sociological and artistic perspectives, perhaps more “interesting” so than a straightforward narrative of gay emancipation which stands resolutely against gradualism. In this vein, José Esteban Munhoz’s concept of is useful: he “disidentification” describes how queers, people of color, and especially queers of color maintain a relationship to normative or identities that is more formally complex than mere rejection or “oppressive” embrace.102 Through the practice of these subjects the normative “disidentification,” “recycle” while at the same moment questioning it, injecting into the normative a novelty and a question mark that both increase its longevity while altering its shape. Applied to Madjid, one could Livingston, Jennie (dir.). Miramax films, 1990. Paris is Burning. 101 Muñoz, José Esteban. Minneapolis: Disidentifications: Queers of Color and the Performance of Politics. 102 University of Minnesota Press, 1999.
American context, this has been visible especially in gay communities of color, as in the “house” and “ball” culture of New York depicted in the documentary Paris is Burning.101 The subjects of that film were also accused of reinscribing heteronormativity in their imitation (its supporters would say “reinvention”) of family values. Expanding upon the “hypocrisy” of bisexual lifestyles, Chaumont turns to Madjid’s “squat” anecdote. He emphasizes a supposed lack of sexual fulfillment among banlieue men, and the juvenile character of thug sexuality that maintains a certain futility in his view. It is assumed in this rhetoric that a sexuality which foregoes penetration is “incomplete”: in Madjid’s story, however, it is the stifling of a typically explicit outcome that lends the scene its minimalist eroticism, an eroticism Chaumont is not indifferent to as he cites the anecdote in full. Whether to a filmmaker or pornography producer, an erotic scenario wherein a virile, homo-social gathering threatens to combust into homosexuality carries a strong dramatic potential. This in contrast to the almost puritanical insistence on sticking to the telos of mutually satisfied homosexual couplehood. The ways certain subjects have accommodated seemingly “heterosexist” strictures while simultaneously eroticizing them in the process, is formally “interesting” from a number of sociological and artistic perspectives, perhaps more so than a straightforward narrative of gay emancipation which stands resolutely against gradualism. In this vein, José Esteban Munhoz’s concept of “disidentification” is useful: he describes how queers, people of color, and especially queers of color maintain a relationship to normative or “oppressive” identities that is more formally complex than mere rejection or embrace.102 Through the practice of “disidentification,” these subjects “recycle” the normative while at the same moment questioning it, injecting into the normative a novelty and a question mark that both increase its longevity while altering its shape. Applied to Madjid, one could 101 Livingston, Jennie (dir.). Paris is Burning. Miramax films, 1990. 102 Muñoz, José Esteban. Disidentifications: Queers of Color and the Performance of Politics. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1999.