Week 12 - Puar & Long

Jasbir Puar - Homonationalism and Biopolitics

In this piece, Puar explains 'homonationalism' in relation to American exceptionalism and how it homonationalism is defined by race and class and is different from homonormativity. The term homonationalism is coined by Puar to note the sexual exception America has made towards it's citizens' sexuality as long as the homosexual citizens “complicit to heterosexual nationalism” (p.4). This complicity involves following a moral superiority discourse as well as “bio-political valorization of life and death” (11). Puar argues that the American exceptinalism to sexuality is specifically related to class since based on America's realization that homosexuality can still foster a consumer culture with aims to emulate the nuclear family. Puar supports her claims that American exceptionalism is also judged by race and gender by looking at the demographic that reflects “Dont Ask, Dont Tell” military policy that shows more men and women of women being closeted through this policy. (this is also supported in Scott Long's article). American homonormativity appears to be reserved for white middle class men. Homonationalism then becomes supportive of white secular norms that perpetuate the islamophobic ideas that tranform into “islam vs homosexuality”(p.19).

Puar looks at OutRage!, a European gay activist group, to show how muslim/gay binaries are produced. The convictions of these activists becomes saving or women and queers from islamic laws. Puar comments, “displays of solidarity with queers, often well-intentioned gestures of inclusion and acknowledgment of multicultual diversity, that may unwittingly replicate the very neocolonial assumptions OutRage! seeks to dislodge.” (p.19) Puar argues that it is the process of pointing the finger to islamic rule and reinstating that 'one is outside of them' that violence is perpetuated. (p24).

Scott Long also looks at a case OutRage! takes on as part of it's crusade to save homosexuals from islam. The case is the hanging of Makwan Mouloudzadeh for rape. OutRage! was lost in translation and saw sodomy as part of the headline assuming Makwan was being hanged for homosexuality. OutRage! and other gay activists ran with it and refused to acknowledge 'by force' in 'sodomy by force' that Makwan could have been a rapist to support then condemnation of religious homophobia. The Makwan story goes through a series of misinterpretations making Makwan a martyr for gay love. OutRage! Finally admits that there might have been a mistranslation but that the real problem is still muslim regime. Long criticizes techniques to gather information form radical gay activists because they make they silence and make invisible the real people in islamic culture. Long uncovers many problems with in these activist groups and explains how a victim begins to victimize, using their gayness to find solidarity with in other gays across cultures and 'veneer prejudice with respectability”.

This article was eyeopening, I was shocked to see how some gay activists work it's sad (and just shady). I like how Scoot Long summed it up:

“Their images continued being exploited when their wills were gone. What if they were ‘gay?’ What if it is true, what if all the frenetic speculation astonishingly corresponds to fact? Then they died for it, terribly and unjustly. But should that fragile connection then be turned into a vehicle for others’ ends, for promoting fear or engendering division or intimidating immigrants or selling the idea of a war?” (131)

- Hector