So, I decided to get ahead by reading the excerpt we were assigned from In a Queer Time and Place by Jack Halberstam and these portions in particular stood out to me:
“Queer uses of time and space develop, at least in part, in opposition to the institutions of family, heterosexuality, and reproduction” (Halberstam 1).
“part of what has made queerness compelling as a form of self-description in the past decade or so has to do with the way it has the potential to open up new life narratives and alternative relations to time and space” (Halberstam 1-2).
I find the idea of queer time as an opposition to “normality” and a “typical life path” very interesting. It definitely hits close to home for me and I think that’s why this whole passage in particular stood out in my mind. Even from a very young age, I had an “atypical” idea of where my life was headed. In elementary school, my dream when I grew up was not only to be author, but to adopt a child or two and be a single parent. (Since learning more about difficulties with LGBTQIA+ people adopting and the system of wealth in the U.S., I don’t know how obtainable this goal really is, but to little me it sounded amazing and totally plausible. Plus I’ve grown and learned more about myself and I’m not sure how much this is a goal I really want anymore, but it’s interesting looking back.) I think deep down I knew this wasn’t something I was expected to want, because my mom used to bombard me with the stereotypical idea of “oh, when you get married/have kids one day”, but even before I learned about any queer terminology I had the awareness to know what I wanted for myself.
Tying back to the second quote, I know personally after learning about what asexuality and aromanticism were, I was really hit with this idea that I could live a “new life narrative.” I had always looked up mostly to people who lived on their own with their own house/apartment and it made so much sense why I did that. On a different note, I recently read a book called Ace and Aro Journeys (which is by The Ace and Aro Advocacy Project if you want to check it out, highly recommend!) and there was a very real emphasis that being aro and/or ace can open up new avenues for your life that most cishet people don’t consider. I think this is true of all LGBTQIA+ identities; especially with regards to the “alternative relations to time and space” aspect, which makes me think of how a lot of trans people compare “second puberty” to being a teenager again. Additionally, differing ideas about family can be seen in how many queer people create their own chosen family. Overall, learning about the concept of queer time has helped me think about elements of queer culture in a new way.
Hey, wonderful job with this post! You pair your recollections of the atypical desires for the future that you had as a child with Halberstam’s explanations of queer time very smoothly. It’s absolutely interesting to consider that queer people often push back on these societal norms even before they have the vocabulary to explain those impulses. Also, I appreciate your note of how “queer time” isn’t necessarily theoretical, but also can apply to even the physical world when a trans person on hormones begins to be affected in a similar way to a cisgender teen would be. It impacts one’s perception of adulthood in a very interesting manner when you’ve already have lived through the time in your life when you’re supposed to go through mental and physical changes like that the first time around, but then dive into it again several years later (in the right direction, this time).
I like the pairing of each quote – both speak to each other well. I see the theme of time manifesting in your blog post. You bring together very well how queer time goes towards a future outside of the heteronormative standard and instead of being in opposition to heteronormativity, it just considers all the options beyond it. The idea of “second puberty” was also good because its an example that shows growth isn’t the same for everyone and those experiences deserve to be considered equally with those that “adhere” to normativity.