Queer Theory

 

What is Queer Theory?

“Queer theory is a set of ideas based around the idea that identities are not fixed and do not determine who we are. It suggests that it is meaningless to talk in general about 'women' or any other group, as identities consist of so many elements that to assume that people can be seen collectively on the basis of one shared characteristic is wrong. Indeed, it proposes that we deliberately challenge all notions of fixed identity, in varied and non-predictable ways.”Judith Butler,
(Gender Trouble) 1990. http://www.theory.org.uk/ctr-que1.htm

 

Queer theorist- Calvin Thomas

Calvin Thomas is an American who works in the fields of critical theory, modern and postmodern literature and culture. He is a professor at Georgia State University. His writings have focused on gender, sexuality and the body, with an especial interest in "straight" responses to queer theory.

His book is called Masculinity, Psychoanalysis, Straight Queer Theory, “using Lacanian psychoanalysis and queer theory to explore the unstable relationship between heterosexual masculine identity and cultural representation, this book examines the ways straight men are queered and abjected in literature, theory, and film.”

Queer cinema- psycho beach party

“Queer cinema is a term used to describe films which are made to portray or discuss some aspect of gay or lesbian experience.”

Psycho beach party is about a 1960's Beach Party mixed with slasher horror staring Lauren Ambrose as Florence Forrest, a not-so-innocent girl in 1960's Malibu who becomes the first girl surfer at Malibu Beach, Florence suffers from identity disorder and occasionally her alter ego Ann Bowman, a sexually aggressive, foul-speaking girl, comes out in which during that time several beach partiers are found murdered. The suspects include Florence herself, surfer Kanaka, B-horror film actress Bettina Barnes, exchange student Lars, and even Florence’s own mother.

Florence Forrest is the star of the film and has very tomboy traits; she has a deep voice, dresses fairly manly and surfs, which in the film is the only girl who does, nevertheless I can imagine her to be the femme character, which is the more female character with a lesbian relationship. Florence however has split personality; her other character Anne bowman shows signs of being a soft butch character such as foul language and sexually aggressive, she is a women who exhibits some stereotypical butch lesbian traits without fitting into the masculine stereotypes associated with butch lesbians. Her male friend Kanaka is definitely the drag queen, a drag queen is someone who dresses up as women but is a man. Lars an exchange student I would say is a sissie, which is a camp person who is not very masculine and is easily scared. 

 

Other stereotypical homosexual characters:

QUEEN- a very flamboyant, effeminate gay man who can be considered a drama queen at times.

BUTCH- A women who is the masculine character within a lesbian relationship. She is very tomboy like.

LIPSTICK LESBIAN- Slang term used to describe a lesbian woman who exhibits extreme feminine gender attitudes.