Andy and I would like to invite you to discuss some essays from the book “Inversion: Gay Life After the Homosexual”. For this meetup we will discuss the essay called “Abolish Queer Theory!" by Ran Heilbrunn. Here's an excerpt:
"I call for the abolition of queer theory here, above all, as a parody of the habitual progressive demand for the abolition of supposedly reactionary institutions: ‘Abolish the family!’ ‘Abolish the police!’ and so on. But this call also carries a more serious intent. Queer theory should be symbolically abolished because, as I will show, it has failed to fulfill its central purpose: producing valuable theoretical knowledge about homosexuality. In light of this failure, gay men have a genuine intellectual interest in distancing themselves from it, in developing new ways to think about homosexuality outside the queer paradigm.
...Although queer theory’s history is deeply intertwined with that of gay culture — it emerged in the 1980s-90s, against the backdrop of AIDS, and has its roots in the legacy of 1970s gay liberation movements — many gay men today struggle to identify with the queer ethos. In my own gay social world — and forgive the unscientific observations — I see an obvious, if muffled, antagonism toward queer discourse. I doubt I’m alone in saying that if, during a casual Grindr back-and-forth, a potential hookup describes himself as ‘queer,’ the reaction will range from a massive eye-roll to an immediate block — depending on his degree of hotness, of course. Among my academic friends, I can hardly name one who feels remotely curious about what’s happening in queer studies departments. When a thirst for gay themes suddenly emerges, we turn to the classics: Gide, Genet, Baldwin, Proust. It is not just a question of their texts’ literary value. The great gay novelists of the past somehow feel closer to us — more relevant and honest — than the hyper-political jargon of contemporary queer publications."
If you are interested in exploring whether gay men have been poorly served by the queer movement read the rest of the essay here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1giHMBymHELRFVVW8xkrFo4RQ6fn3oQVs/view?usp=sharing
We will meet on the back patio of the Silver Fox. Come grab one, two, or three excellent $4-$6 cocktails (tip generously!) and discuss the essay for a little bit. Unless the discussion goes long, we reserve the second half of the meetup for open conversations and meeting new people.
You can buy a bound copy of all the essays we are exploring in the book "Inversion": https://verdur.in/inversion/
