And the short answer is..not very Queer at all.
Notorious Queer theorist Judith Butler articulated 'queer' to notorious UK far-left scribe Owen Jones in 2021 as:
'Queer means deviating, queer means odd, awkward, not following in a straight line, not following a developmental model of sexuality or gender, or the transition of childhood to adult."
On face value her take can be seen as a word salad of religious piffle but with some scrutiny what's not being said is that every boundary (which good psychology insists we set and police) must be torn down in the name of 'queer' asserting itself as truth which isn't even Truth at all. The devastating impact of 'gender' on both manhood and innate homosexuality continues to wreak havoc. But the 'transition of childhood to adult' bit can't be seen as anything but more-of-the-same - just much, much more sinister. Taken for what it is, Butler's theorizing can only be seen as an inversion and a perversion of what drove self-respecting Queer Nationals to celebrate without shame (and with much exuberance) innate male and female homosexuality above all else...a sensibility which latter-day queers have abandoned in the name of being Queer.
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| Mission Statement '91: a nod to collectivism |
There's a time and a place for everything - and three decades on from Queer Nation's inception - the word 'queer' raises red flags and so it should. As should the socialist intentions of a Mission Statement which was quickly democratized to re-focus on homophobia rather than the problematic "regardless of sexual orientation". As the mass media focused on Queer Nation, transvestites (who'd been completely absent from both AIDS activism as well as the provision of services care for gay men) showed up demanding inclusion and media appearances (as lesbians!) despite contentious objections from lesbians. Fortunately, the concerted efforts of some to be embraced by Socialists was met with the same rejection like-minded political animals experienced as Gay Libbers twenty years earlier. But all of that shouldn't detract from two irrefutable facts: the group was both highly a successful branding exercise and scored a remarkable list of progressive achievements in its very short time. Queer Nation wasn't founded on Queer Theory or the contemporary LGBTQ ideology from which Theory is inseparable - its founders included savvy media professionals steering a gay and lesbian grass roots outgrowth of ACT-UP. The diverse Queer of 1992 wasn't quite what organizational inclusive policies would incrementally create: the LGBTIQ+ person, constructed on Queer Theory.
Not having to follow a script is liberating to some degree, so with some experience producing gay and lesbian broadcast media, I took over as Queer Nation's Media Co-ordinator from Alan Klein and Jay Blotcher and then Dave Fleck for its most successful 1991-92 year. The long-forgotten early-90s Queer Nation NY media policy was that no particular party line was demanded of spokespersons beyond the group's anti-homophobia / pro-visibility Statement of Purpose. Pluralist takes on combating homophobia while being sex-positive were welcomed for a very good reason: mass appeal for a cause doesn't happen with narrow viewpoints and ideological orthodoxy. It was difficult to fill the sheer numbers of media requests for spokespersons, and for better or for worse I found myself with a gay man's activist profile. As an undeclared Conservative I included myself since it was the early days of inclusion and diversity...well before the poison of DEI showed itself for what it was. It wasn't applause all around however for a man who opposes pedophilia and is open to positive dialog with the masses via Bible Belt radio networks. Criticisms of elevating my own profile ironically came from Queer Nationals who were never available for all-important daytime TV shows.
Opposing something like pedophilia effectively can't be achieved on the grounds that it's a taboo - that's simply throwing free kicks to anybody who's ever borrowed an idea from Existentialism. And anybody who's convinced that it's society's taboos which stand in the way of true liberation. While the public at large weren't still buying the "gay men are pedophiles" defamation, NAMBLA had nevertheless infiltrated New York Pride and gay men and lesbians were turning their backs to the group's float and yelling "Shame!" Clearly, their work was paying off: there was indeed support somewhere for the idea that pedophilia - like homosexuality - was indeed a legitimate sexuality. The Rene Guyon Society was far from defunct: a simple phone call was enough to solicit half a ton of photocopied pro-pedophilia propaganda. From the academic peanut gallery Camille Paglia was cursing gay male activists for committing "cultural suicide" in not embracing pedophilia.
For a historian she apparently knew zilch about homosexual male history, or history itself for that matter. The absurdity of something like the Athenian pederasty model being relevant to modern homosexuality, or fit-for-adaption to modern society, is staggering. As a relationship socially enforced by strict morality codes, the younger male (and his family) overwhelmingly stood to benefit. His informed consent came with non-negotiable conditions, for a relatively long time. The modern 'boy-loving' pedophile isn't a throwback to any historical model at all - he's the antithesis. He seeks to exploit. For him, it's a one-way street of exploitation for the exclusive purposes of his sexual gratification. He abhors any boundaries or conditions of any kind being placed on him.
So when The Jenny Jones Show called - wanting to know if I'd be available to stick it to NAMBLA with a view to getting pedophiles out of Pride it was only a choice of matching a shirt and tie. The show was no triumph for NAMBLA, but then a creepy-looking man trying to convince an open-minded audience that even two-year-olds have sexuality is a guarantee that open minds shut real quick. But one battle loss usually only serves to harden the resolve of a foe which doesn't care to show its face. Not showing its face is a characteristic of pedophilia: we have no way of ever knowing when pedophiles actually started organizing but they've consistently tried to attach themselves to broad gay rights, from 70s inception through the present day alphabet adaption. Sympathetic individuals across academia, the arts, human rights and activism covertly or overtly make sure that the philosophy and goals of pedophilia isn't as hobbled as broader society would demand.
Queer Theorists who defend pedophilia - and most of them do, regardless of what they say - oppose age-of-consent laws on the grounds that some minor males enjoy sex with some older male. Jail bait will always be jail bait but young revolutionaries aren't out in the streets in their thousands demanding the 'right' to have sex with adults who hold all the cards in an extreme power imbalance. In the name of chasing respectability for their 'condition', pedophiles have rebranded themselves as MAPs (Minor Attracted Persons). NAMBLA's historical assertion that all boys have sexuality virtually from the cradle underpins Queer Theory to this day. It's difficult to flush out a queer male who'll agree or disagree - let alone justify his position.
It's the sixty-four dollar question. More than ever, it's always a good idea to ask it.
Addenda
(a) The effective lifespan of an activist group is usually relatively short, and that's true of Queer Nation. Exhaustion of key organizers - and a growing complacency with win after win - saw meeting numbers on the Coasts plummet during 1993 as regional groups were just getting organized. Established organizations attached themselves to Queer Nation activism for relevance and the foot-soldiering they wouldn't / couldn't do. But established organizations have agendas which oppose pluralistic input. And that has been the history of Gay & Lesbian organizations.Whether or not LGBTIQ+ aggressively keeps pedophiles at bay remains to be seen.
(b) An internet search of Queer Nation's activities around 1992 yields very little. In its current LGBT iteration, Queer Nation NY appears to have wiped the group's Gay & Lesbian history after 1990...despite the ensuing two years being its most visible and successful. Its many smaller affiliated groups it spawned like DAM! - the Dyke Action Machine and Pink Panthers Patrol and remain unlisted anywhere. Scholars and other interested parties can leave a message below or contact me on Twitter X @AbberantThe for further information and an extensive digitized archive of press clippings, press releases etc. VHS & studio broadcast tapes are not yet digitized. The Fales Library and Special Collections at NYU is a good source of Queer Nationals' individual archives to 1991.
