Sunteți pe pagina 1din 29

Queer Black Feminism: The Pleasure Principle

Author(s): Laura Alexandra Harris


Reviewed work(s):
Source: Feminist Review, No. 54, Contesting Feminine Orthodoxies (Autumn, 1996), pp. 3-30
Published by: Palgrave Macmillan Journals
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1395608 .
Accessed: 29/02/2012 01:04

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of
content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms
of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

Palgrave Macmillan Journals is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Feminist
Review.

http://www.jstor.org
Queer Black Feminism:
The Pleasure Principle

Laura Alexandra Harris

Abstract =

Harrisexploressomeof the gapsbetweencon-


In thiscriticalpersonalnarrative <
ceptionsof feministthoughtandfeministpractice.Harrisfocuseson an analysis c
of race,class,and desiredivisionswithinfeministsexualpolitics.Shesuggestsa S
queerblackfeministtheoryandpracticethatcallsintoquestionnaturalized identi- °
ties andcommunities, andthereforewhatfeminismand feministpracticesmight >
. H
ental . t

Keywords X

fem;pop-feminism
queer;black;feminism; -

The title of my essay reflectsmy expectations:articulatinga useful queer


black feministcriticismlocated at the intersectionsof pop culture,intel-
lectualculture,and culturesof race, class, and sexuality.In one bold line,
I level the entangledterrain of pleasure and politics in feminist, black
feminist,and queer theory by equatingtheir triple significationwith the
direct value of Janet Jackson'spop-feministpop song, 'You might think
I'm crazy but I'm serious',if for only a briefmaniacalmoment (Control,
1986). Even I know that the grammaticalpower of the colon does not
extend that far, or provide an antidote to the too often silenced but
fierceclash of class and race and sexualitythe emergenceof these critical
theories represents.Instead, as I explore my own identifications,I will
propose that queer black feminismcan rupturethe silencescontainedin
the words and practicesof these theories. It can create and re-createits
own alliancesof theories/practicesthat can begin to name, to loudly pro-
claim, what queer black female sexualitiesmight entail. I suggest that it
does so by explicitly foregroundingthe sexual politics of racializedand
classed sexuality as a feminist practice, and by interrogatingthe many
interstices between feminism as an academic discourse and feminist
bodies. 33
Forinstance,I wantto acknowledge the ways in whichmy desiresas a
lesbianbut fem,as beingblackbut 'light,bright,and damnnearwhite'
(an old Louisianasaying)and as beinga feministbut froma particular
class and culturereconfigurethe politics of reclaimingbodies and
pleasure.I wantto speakout loudaboutthesecomplicationsandcontra-
dictions.But which categoryaddresseswhich complication? ShouldI
speakto the historyof my blacknessas a blackfeministor as a queer,
or do I identifywith both becauseI am a lesbianof African-American
descent?Often,black lesbian,and the way that descriptionof myself
troublesidentity,are termsthat informeachotherbestaboutmy differ-
ences.Reducingqueerto its bottomline- a positionopposedto norma-
tive heterosexualregimes- seemsto indicatethat I am queerbecauseI
am a lesbian,black,and feminist.But am I only queerin relationto
heteronormativity or perhapsalso in the very categorieswith which I
cast my oppositionto it? Further,I want to considerhow claimingthis
subjectivitydoes not simplyinformmy positionwith power relations
andsystemsof oppressionbut enablesme and providesme with agency.
Alreadymy equationdissemblesas the termsare in dissonance,contra-
diction, complex difficultieswith each other, with differingcultural
spheres,and with Ms Jackson'snastydo-medesires.Will what I write
be queer,or black,or feministat all?

I toyed with the possibilityof orderingthem differently- blackqueer


feminist,blackfeministqueer,feministblackqueer- of placingquestion
marksbetweenthem,butconcludedthatI havechosenfor thisessaythe
best possibleorder.To me, the verygroupingof theseadjectivesfurther
heightensthe tensionfoundin the definitionHazelCarbyadvocatesfor
blackfeministcriticism,'as a problem,not a solution,as a sign that
should be interrogated, a locus of contradictions'(Carby,1987: 15).
Queerand blackallow me to underscore to femin-
that my relationship
ism,the theoriesand practicesthatemergedas the 'secondwave'in the
1970sand 1980s,is not in simplecorrelation withmy genderbut neces-
sarily,sometimesdesperately, formedfroman anglethat allowsme to
definemy feministidentificationsratherthanhavethemdefinedfor me.
Queerandblackallowmeto bringthepersonalandthe politicaltogether
withouthavingone circumscribe the other,to invokea criticalposition
towardsprescriptive theoriesof oppressionand activism,and to open
up the possibilityof productiveinsightinto the emergingfeminismsof
this decadeand theirinherentpowerrelations.In this criticalpersonal
narrative,the queermodifiesand is modifiedby the blackwhichthen
doublymodifiesthe feminism.I contendthatas thesemultiplemodifiers
illuminatecontradictionsand problemsthey producean axis where
pleasureand politicsand feministbodies can compiletheir histories.
Clearly,in this last decadeof the twentiethcentury,historyhas become 14
particularlyimportantfor feminism. lX
Feminism, LesbianFeminism, Women'sStudies,GayandLesbianStudies, z
andQueerTheoryseemto havereacheda pointin university discoursein l z
theUS in whichtheyarethe heated,exciting,andoftenconflicting topics
of classroom,essay,and conferencedebate.At stake are issues of recog-
nizingandtheorizing difference,acquiringresources,visibility,representa-
tion, and ultimatelyinstitutional power:a powernot to be takenlightly.
A lot of the swirlrevolvesaroundthe parameters of sexuality.Not sur-
prising,considering the politicalnecessityfor eachto put fortha theory
of sexualpractice.Blackfeministtheoryis likewisein turmoilover its
parameters, its institutionalposition,andgrappleswith the theorizingof
sexuality.Revealingly,it only occasionallyfinds itself articulatedin l
relationto the overdetermining queer and feministparadigms.Most
often,thisarticulation blackorganizedconferences
is foundin specifically
suchas 'BlackNations/Queer Nations?'in April1995 in New York.One
of the manyprojectsof thisconference was to explorethe waysin which
queerand blackmodifyeach other'sconceptof nation.In this arena,
black feministsplayedan importantrole in determiningsome of the
issuesat stake.But,the dominantacademicexclusionof blackfeminism
as 'other'discourse,not queer not feminist,has a historyboth far-
reachingandcontemporary.
Forinstance,I thinkthis erasureof blackfeministtheoryis evidencedin
BarbaraSmith's1977 positingof a black feministlesbiancriticismin
'Towarda blackfeministcriticism'threeyearspriorto AdrienneRich's
1980 articulation of a lesbiancontinuumcriticalapproachin 'Compul-
sory heterosexuality and lesbianexistence'.Rich'smodeloddly makes
no reference to Smith'sessaythoughit readsas lesbianone of the same
ToniMorrisonnovels,Sula.Instead,Richrefersbrieflyto earlier,perhaps
in her view less sexuallyradical,blackfeministwritersto supporther
claims for a lesbiancontinuum.Is it becauseSmith'sblack feminist
lesbianemphasison the link betweensexualand racialpoliticsunder-
scoresthe whiteprivilegeimplicitin Rich'stheoreticalmoveto not read
lesbianin relationto sexuality(Rich, 1980: 178)? In Smith'sessay,
lesbianis the site for an expressionof blackfemalesexualityand desire
historicallydeniedand oppressed.Further,Smithfocuseson an erotic
romanticism in readingSulaas a lesbiantext that is directlylinkedto
hertheorizingof racializedconstructions of sexualitythat preventblack
womenfrom exploringtheirsubjectivity(Smith,1977: 166). In doing
this, Smith'slesbianreadingspeaksloudlyto Rich'stheoreticalsilence l
about racializedsexuality:a silenceimposedwhen Rich claims that
blacklesbiancontinuumsare parallelto whitelesbiancontinuumsas if n5
> they exist unaffectedby the powerrelationsbetweenwhite and black
s femaleracialand sexualprivilege(Rich,1980: 198). Thisprivileging,of
', course,beingthe verysystemof oppressionSmith'sblackfeministlesbian
*- approachis in largepartintentuponunravelling.Similarto this histori-
° callyfeministprecedentmuchof the dominantcriticaltheorizingof gay,
lesbian,queerandfeministpositionsgesturestowardsdifferencebut dis-
F| regardsmanyof the complexities that blackfeministtheoryhas already
zs raisedaboutdifferences.

In EvelynnHammonds' 'Black(w)holesandthegeometryof blackfemale


sexuality'(1994), she framesthe continueddilemmaby questioning
whetherthe feministshiftsbetweenlesbianand queercan dismantlethe
and silencethathaveenshrouded
invisibility conceptionsof blackfemale
sexuality.Ratherthanspendthe inordinateamountof spacerequiredto
takewhitefeminist/queer theoriststo task for their'failureto articulate
a conceptionof racializedsexuality',she analysesthe waysin whichthe
structureof this academicdiscourse,framedby historicalinstitutionsof
racism, homophobia,and inequality,has compelledblack feminist
theoryto enactits own silenceand erasureaboutblackfemalesexuality
(Hammonds, 1994: 127). Hammondsarguesthat sexualinvisibilityas a
necessaryhistoricaland politicalstrategyfor blackwomenhas contri-
butedto blackfeminisms'hesitanceto do muchmorethan analysethe
restrictionsand oppressionsof black femalesexuality,as opposedto
being empoweredto explorethe possibilitiesof agencyand pleasure
(Hammonds,1994: 134). TestingHammonds'claimsabout institution-
ally enforcedblackfeministreticenceon the issueof sexuality,I imagine
givinga paperon intraracialcolour spectrumsand butch-femerotic
dynamics.I wouldhavea nervousbreakdownworryingwho would be
in the audienceandwhethertheywouldbe intriguedor wonderingwhat
this has to do with scholarlycriticism.Yet,with my girlfriendsat the
barthis is a topicwe haveoftentakenup. In this groupof black/mixed
racewomen,who haveotherjobs,interests,andactivitiesthanacademia,
we haveexpressedseriousconflicts,jokedloudly,alwaysgossipedabout,
andevenmaderighteouspoliticalclaimsaboutintraracial colourpolitics
and desire.In doingso, we havediscussedissuesof dark-skinned black
lesbianfems'continuedexclusionfromconceptionsof womanhoodby
an alwayspresentmisreading of the blacklesbianbodyas automatically
butch.Theseblackfemsexpressthe contradictions of desireand frustra-
tion thatcomewith claimingsuchan identitypreciselydue to the nega-
tive sexualdefinitionsaccordedblackwomen'sbodiesas not feminine,
- as not woman, and as oversexedand aggressive.Further,we have
exploredwherethe pleasureexistsfor someof us in eroticizinga system
6 of colourand genderdominationthat divideswomen of colouras it
. . . . . .

uses the same old stigmasto oppressthem.In comparisonto this bar 13


talk,not utopicby anymeans,Hammonds' of how academic 1
assessment
structures systemsof silenceis vital.
do reinscribe >

My readingof Hammonds'essay understands it as offeringan oppor- 3z

tunityfor a specificblackfeministtheory,one thatconfrontsthe dangers t


and restrictionsof racializedand classedsexualitiesby producinga
blackfemalesexualityresistantto capitulating of
to the prescriptiveness
suchconstructions. Hammondswrites:
Blackfeministtheoristsmust reclaimsexualitythroughthe creationof a
thatcan reconstitute
counternarrative a presentblackfemalesubjectivity
and
thatincludesan analysisof powerrelationsbetweenwhiteand blackwomen
andamongdifferentgroupsof blackwomen.In bothcasesI am arguingfor
the developmentof a complex,relational,but not necessarilyanalogous,
conceptionof racialized
sexualities.
(Hammonds, 1994:131)
In this essay I explorethe possibilitiesof the counternarrative that
Hammondscalls for in her idea of a culturalcriticismof sexuality,one
that detailsalternativeforms of power queer black femalesexuality
creates;one in which labels are not naturalizedas identity- queer,
black, lesbian,feminist- and thereforedo not reinscribesilencebut
engender'speech,desire,and agency'(Hammonds,1994: 141). I would
like to sort out someof the debatessurrounding thesetrajectories,
and
I would like to do so in orderto suggesta directionfor the emerging
generationof feminisms.This directionI call queerblackfeminism,a
compilationof the experiences of liberationmovementsbeforeit, a prac-
tice of alliancesratherthan community,a practiceof reclamationand
confrontation, and a practiceof theorizingthe alreadytraversedbound-
ariesof culture.I relinquishall commonlyheldnotionsof successin the
pursuitof thisventure.
At the sametimethatI articulateandanalysethis alreadyongoingqueer
blackfeministprojectI know I will be envelopingit in my own auto-
biographicalperspective.I know it will be particular. My purposein
doingso is to bringtheoryandpracticetogetherby writingmy self into
history,by writingmyselfa history,andby writinga queerblackfeminist
su >ectlvltylntopractlce.I announcethislntentlonbecause,eageras I am
to treatthe personal,I am equallydisturbedby the exhibitionist tendency
of autobiography, to closeoff the possibilityof intellectual
of experience,
exchange.How can we argue,disagree,and evaluatethe personalwith- l
out attackingthe person?AlthoughI wantto challengeacademicnotions
of personalversuscritical,or ratherdisregardthem,I am riddenwith
anxietyaboutplacingmy bodyand desiresinto the controversy. Further, u7
> as a blackfeminist,I am afraidto air 'dirtylaundry'.I want to do
X the rightthing.Believingas I do thatthis is a crucialdilemmafor black
,, feminism,I havechosento locateit in a queercontextin the hopesof
* refiguringthe personalandthe political.
o

z Knowingthe text of my history,I know that feminismas the sole


, dilemmafor this bodymakesit farlessreadable.Instead,whensexuality
and raceand the alwaysoverlapping clarityand confusionof the con-
,x,, nectionsare considered,feministmapsof genderare in need of other
ub

l terrains.This then, I imagine,is ultimatelymy point:for feminismto


survive,and converselyto survivefeminism,a greedyand attentivecar-
tographymustbe practised.I hope it is not my accomplishment to set
up andattacka mythicfeminism,a paranoiafuellingmuchof the current
theoreticaldebates,but insteadto uncovera few of the layersand com-
plexitiesof identityand politicsalwaysalreadywithinfeministdebate.
of
In presentinga self, myself,the intentis to projecta representation
l whatmakesqueerand black andfeministusefulas a strategy.
Additionally,I wantto write'camp'feminismas a meansof employing
subjectivityandobjectivity:certainlyas a meansof maintainingdistance,
but also to implicatemy positionas a queerblackfeminist.Perhapsit is
my way of payinghomageto andcomingto termswith a feminismthat
l has beendifficultfor me, be it secondwave,black,or queer.If by virtue
pursuits
of thisseeminglydifficultfeminismthereis a gap,my intellectual
have taught me to find gaps interesting,the location for exchange
betweenboundaries,for resistance.Categoriesare intendedto draw
straightlines.Feminismhas foundout, perhapsthe hardway, that this
may be the only way to thinkaboutdifferences of sexualityand class.
Not to mentionrace.

Commercial andpopularfeminisms of the 1970s- thatis whatI grewup


on. For yearsI envisionedmyselfas a feministand what exactlythis
entailedI am unsure,exceptI know it was aboutbeingsexy.I planned
earlyon to be lookinggood and actingsassy for the revolution.Film
and televisiontold me all I neededto know about sex and the single
girl. I recallCher'simageof the vamp,the tramp,and the bit of a
scampwith herboldclothinganddivorcefromsymbiosiswith hershort
partner.Bookswere a greatif confusingresource:The Fear of Flying
(1973) and The Joy of Sex (1972). Curiously,my best girlfriendand
I put the logic of those astrologicalpositionsto the test. Coupledwith
femaleanatomy,hedonisticsexualvalueswereradical.In the background
8 HelenReddy's'I am woman'inspirestearsof triumphto wet my eyes
whilesomething else is happening betweenlegs duringa behindthe o
couchreadingof XavieraHollander's testimonial
The HappyHooker X
(1970).Finally,a definitivepersonalnarrativebearingwitnessto the ls
entrepreneurial
strength of the newAmerican woman- a ballsyimmi- B
grantstorytoo. Yes,my comingof age in the 1970swas aboutthe ,,,
sexualrevolution,aboutcareergal goals, and aboutwatchingmy B
motherstraddling the optionsof the decadewhiletellingme mine-
'marryrich,youcando anything afteryougetthemoney'.
analysis.)
(Themotherhasalwaysbeena corefigurein feminist l
I oftenaskmyselfnowwheretherealfeminists werewhenI wasgrowing
up.I knowtheyexistedandhada politicsandan organized movement,
at leastthat is how it appearsin goingbackand readingaboutit.
Granted myfamilywaswhatI not too affectionately label'po'miscege-
natedclass'andintellectual debateswerenotfoundin abundance at the
dinnertable.I tryto remember if andwhenI everspottedoneof these
feminists,a funky-lookingjean-cladonelikeGloriaSteinem. I musthave
but somehowthe imagedidn'ttake.Whydidn'tI becomeinfatuated
svithherandemulateheras I didwithso manyotherwomen?Instead,
I baredmynavelin worshipof Cher.I boppedto DianaRoss'tunesand
watchedhercountless timesin the filmMahogany(1975),whereshe
was the beautiful good blackgirl gone bad but comebackto good
blackwoman.I grewupwithJanet'sbadgirlstruggles to bea goodgirl
on thelate1970scomedy-drama TVshowabouta blackworking-class
familyGood Timesand,of course,nowpaytributeto herattempts to
expressa nastyin-control divaattitude.It is mybeliefthatJanetis only
justbeginning to workherdivaattitudecoupledwithan EarthaKitt
sex-kittenstyle- sheis lackingonlythesharpclawsanddeeplysatisfied
ppprrrgggrrrwwwlll. WhenI gathertogetherall the knowledge I have
todayabouttheheightandimpactof feminism in the 1970sand1980s
I amdismayed at theperceptionthatsucha massmovement passedme
by.Is it onlybecause I was(am)anoppressed pop-culturejunkie?
butthe moreeducation
I alwaysthoughtI wasa feminist I manageto
acquirethemoreinclined I amto believethatI musthavebeenlingering
in a pre-feminist
purgatory whenI seemto
all thoseyears,particularly
havebeenstuckin a 1970ssexualliberation modewhilecomingto adult-
hoodin the 1980santi-porn generation.Whatthendoesit meanfor a
personto identifyas a feministwhenshe doesnot possessan erudite
knowledge of the feminist'canon'of history,practice,and theory?I
cannotbeginto recountall the academic in whichprofessor l
incidents
feminists
andcomrade feminists haveexclaimedto me'Youdidn'tknow
that?Youdon'tknowwhosheis?You'rekidding!' Clearly,
partof the 9
I, searchfor the realfeministsin my experienceis a searchfor feministsof
* J- * * z . . . . . * J- J- . . fl

z colour and feministsof dubious social status. But colour was not
', includedin the generaldiscussionas blackfeministsin the 1970sbattled
*- out thisterrainthatfeminismdid not alwaysactivelycall its own. It has
°¢ becomeclear in writingthis essay that of paramountimportanceto
,
...
queerblackfeministpracticeis the projectof redrawingthe parameters
- of feminismas a history,practice,and theory.It would also rescuemy
zs academicandlesbianembarrassments.
ub

(Whowas AlecDobkinsanyway?)
Knowingthisis by now a repetitive litanyI stillfindit imperative
to state:
the brandof feminismthatseemsto havepassedme by,thatwaxesdis-
appointedin my ignorance,worksmainlyfrom the university,from a
prescriptivewhite intellectualtheoryof gender,and from an already
enlightenedstate of sexual oppressionwithin patriarchy.One would
haveto know aboutand agreeon the termsof oppressionto enterthat
sphere.Accessseemsto havebeena seriousproblemfor feministtheory
and practice,not just for me personally,but as evidencedby the subse-
quentchallengesfeminismfacedin the 1970s and 1980sfromwomenof
colour and diverseclassesand sexualities.I have begun to consider
myselfa fortunateyoungfeminist.I circumvented the squabblethrough
my culturalimpoverishment. I know I am fortunateas a blackfeminist
becausethis allowedme to believethat sexualitywas the firstorderof
the day.Themediaput out the backend of feminism,literallythe femin-
ist as a sexualizedrevolutionary.WhatI am suggestingis thatthis sexy
back end providedmore than just a pleasantdiversion.This media-
hypedfeministwas perhapsepitomizedby the big-breasted bra-burning
AdrienneBarbeau,who playedthe daughteron the TV show Maude.A
feministwas sexuallyrebelliousif also straightandrighteous.In thisTV
situationcomedy,actressBea Arthuras the mother,Maude,dominated
the familylife. One mightarguethat Maudeherselfwas the betterver-
sionof genderfuck on the show.I can onlyconfessI foundherdomineer-
ing masculinity seductiveand had a masturbatory fantasyor two about
herandAdrienne's buch-femmother-daughter duo.
(Theconfessionis a coreparadigmof feministconsciousness.)
Feminismwas the equivalentof power,in turnthe equivalentof sexual
pleasure.Afterrealizingthe difficulties
the threetermshaveencountered
withinfeministand specifically blackfeministdebate,I havelearnedto
appreciateand come back to this youthfulif not naive connection.I
resist being educatedout of my feminism.Ratherthan interpretmy
l historyas one devoidof feminismit seemsmoreproductiveto ask what
1lo I brandof feminismwas at workin my experience? Whoweremy feminist
rolemodelsthen?Whatlessonsdidtheyimpartto me aboutbeingfemale 4
and black?How can I understandthe impactof a media-popularized X
female sexuality?Was it straight-upgender oppressionand objecti- >
fication,as perhapsthe anti-pornfeministsmightargue?Did equating t
feminismwith sexualprowessundermine it or can the pejorativeimages -
be reclaimed? Is this culturalbackgroundof the 1970s and 1980s mine
to claim?
(Ain'tI a feministtoo?)
If I focuson feminismas the only categoryfor consideration an ellipsis
occurs:therewereother identityaspectsto work out. The type of pulp-
pop commercialized imagesI adheredto were not just about feminist
pleasure;instead,theseimagesoftenscrambledboundaries by lettingthe
wrongrace and class identitiesmeanderacrossthem.For instance,in
claiminga commercial andpopularfeminismas my historyI mentioned
Cheras a strongrecollection of a recognitionof genderand sexualityas
empowering. WhatI did not stateovertlyandwhatis encodedin Cher's
imageis hermixed-race body- a bodythatresonatesfor mine.Thereis
a crucialfacetto this coding:withinthe gossip-history of Cher'sracial
mix the imbricationof class with race is made obviousratherthan
belabouredas a complicatedconnectionto be searchedout. I recall
that in interviewsand songsCherspokeabouther mixedAnglo-Native
Americanidentification andpovertyclassbackground andthatprovided
me with information and affirmationof how oftenone was inherentin
the other.Moreover,this pop-imagerumourmodel of racial mixing
offersinsightinto the raceslass nexusby enactingpubliclythatto be of
mixedparentagecoulddefineone'sclassstanding,while,if one was in a
particularclass (stardom),it could be amelioratedby class privilege.
Class,andmostcertainlyrace,seemto havebeentwo areasof difficulty
for feminismto fill in and, when it did, it oftenessentializedhow they
weremediatedby gender.
I thinkit is difficultto writeaboutfeminismand at the sametimehave
thewritingbe aboutrace.Thisis perhapsone of the mostimportant con-
cernsfor a queerblackfeministpractice:to makethe terrainof feminist
sexual politicsa discourseon race. In understanding this as a queer
blackfeministprojectit is importantthen to understand how different
culturalimagesmightwork. ObviouslyI am relyingon a theorizingof
mymemoryof gossiprags.Butif it is mistakenmemory,thenthe fantasy
standsin - the narrativeI did createwith Cher'simage.Ratherthan
questionthe veracityof memory-fantasy I would point to the Iyricsof
some of Cher'ssongs for verificationof this readingof her body.
Anyoneremember hersinging'Half-breed'?
*-X * * * * - t

> (Badtastein musicis a teministmust.)


X Cher'spop-culture prowessalongwithherAnglo-Native American identi-
< ficationalongsideherlightcomplexionalongsidehersexualexclamations
oz provideone code for my feministhistory.By bondingwith her back-
¢ groundI couldthenbeginto imaginehow I mightconceiveof my own.
, I mightidentifywith Cherbecauseof my lightcomplexion,becauseof
Fz lookingfor insightinto interracialand classconnections,and becauseI
= like the worst kind of pop musicand culture,but, like feminism,the
mediain the 1970s offer a veritablevoid when it comesto powerful
sexy blackfemaleimages:particularly,I think,for my classbackground
* of blackfemaleswho were not familiarwith some of the bold writing
beingdone.Therewas TinaTurnerwith herthroatyvocals.Someof us
blackwomenmanagedto imaginelivingas largeas blaxploitation film
heroinesTamaraDobson in CleopatraJones (1973) or Pam Grierin
FoxyBrown(1974),butevenso theywerenot grantedpop-culture icon
status.It is difficultto rememberhow I conceivedof myself;I try to
remember how otherblackgirlslikemy cousinsconceivedof themselves.
I try to rememberhow we conceivedof ourselvesin relationto each
other.I know we all did the necessarygrapplingwith understanding
what blacknessmeantto eachof us as femalebut in differentways and
throughdifferentmeans.Writingas a queer,as a feminist,is difficultfor
me becauseeventhoughracecan be addedon it can'tbe becauseraceis
its own queerfeministcategory.Further,in the US systemof blackand
whiteraceworksqueer.
A queerblackfeministpracticerequiresmarkingraceand classin rela-
tion to desireandrevealsthatthe tellingof desiremustalwaysbe a text
writtenabout race and class no matterhow encodedwithin gender
oppression.It certainlyrequiresa rethinkingof pop-cultural
representa-
tionsof feminism,the functionsthey servedfor theiraudiences,andthe
challengesthey presentedto prescriptivenotionsof wherefeministcon-
sciousnessis located.In one sexuallyexploitativepackageCher'srace
and class addressedbaggageattachedto certaindifferencescentralto
determining how bodiesare groupedin the US in a way that academic
feminismstruggledto capture.Forinstance,whatdifferentcombinations
of gender,race,andclassmixturesareobtrusiveto the delicateskeletons
of spoils,plunder,andmurderin the US'snationalcloset?The answeris
all of thembut they are playedout differently.
Withoutdisregarding its
particularexploitations,Walt Disney has the romanceof Pocahontas
and that yuckywhite guy. Clearlythis Pocahontasromancesuffersits
own devastating historicalerasures,but evenDisneycannotimaginean
equivalentUS romancebetweenblackand white. Slavery:it's the too
112 nastystoryof racewhisperedin exposeformaboutdeadpresidentsand
publicfiguresbecauseit involvesa mostinsidiousformof rape,bondage, loc
andperversedesire. ,,
Further,I canbe an academicfeminist;I canbe a blackfeminist;I can be z
a dykefeminist.ButI can'tbe any of themreallywithoutfirst'passing' Iz
the boundariesset up in each,withoutconfrontingthe assumptionsof z
each, withoutrecombiningthe advantagesand disadvantages of each,
and withoutbeinga queerin each.This 'I' certainlyis not the unique
case of passingthroughfeminisms.It is not solelyspecificto my being
lightand a fem;passingoperateson a varietyof levels,gendered,social
class,ethnic,economic,educational,and it is embeddedwithina struc- z
turethatseemsto articulatedifferencebut oftencontainsandsilencesit.
Apartfrommy puerilebad taste,whatattractionto an imagelike Cher
represents to me was the basisfor thinkingaboutconstitutingmy differ-
ence in termspleasurableand empowering.I would like to thinkthat
probablyfromthe firstrevelations I hadaboutherI realizedthataccess-
ing feministpowerentailedoutingthe closetsof race and class first-
but that is hardto claimsincerely.Onlyin lookingbackcan I interpret
my race and class as inextricablefrom my sexualityand feminist
consciousness, and only in lookingforwardcan I predictwhata schizo-
phrenicnarrativeit constructs.

lll

Clichedand retrograde as the admissionis, my motherand her friends


werecertainlyfeministinfluencessurrounding me. Theyare the women
thatwereof age in the 1970s,thatwerecaughtup in the ideologiesand
imagesandculturalrevolutions.It was theirlivesthatwereavailablefor
revision,or unableto be revised.Thememoryof thesewomenandtheir
desireshas a clarityand poignancyfor me that no amountof feminist
analysiscan interpellate.All of themwerewhat I like affectionately
to
call 'high priestesses'after a disparagingdescriptionof women in
JoannaRuss' story 'Whenit changed'(1972). They were the high-
heeled,painted,cleavaged,and perfumedimagesof womenfeminism
wantedto washoff andliberate.Andwhenthesewomenrefuseda libera-
tionthatappearedto themas justanotherbrandof repression - feminism
rejectedthem.Maybewhatfeministsdid not knowis thatthesewomen
madefun of them.My momandthese'girls'wouldbreakout laughing,
theywouldgo out drinking,andtheywouldchasedownpossiblesexual
exploitsat the bowlingrinktogether.Theywere goingto have a little
bit of fun beforeit was over.Claimingandnamingherown desires,this
was my mom'sfeministrevolution.And certainlyin late 1970s feminist
termsthey were not part of the community. Whosecommunitywas it
anyway?Thesestraight,working-class, raciallydiversewomen,mostly 13
I>@divorcedwithkids,or stuckin badmarriages,
or youngandsearching
for
s desire,werefar moreconcernedwith findingpleasurethanfindingcom-
', munity.Pleasurethey understoodwas what had beendeniedthem,and
s whateverelsetheyfailedto grasptheyunderstoodthatclaimingpleasure
°I was the currencyof power.
-

In orderto betterunderstandmy mother'sdesires,it will be usefulto


describewhat a queerblackfeminismmightlook like in relationto a
briefandadmittedly generalmappingout of someof the issuestroubling
to feminism.In the US, feminism,from an early radicalstancethat
assessedgenderas biologicallyconstructedand thereforeoppressive,
seems to have becomealmost immediatelya pluralityof feminisms
ratherthana cohesivemovement. Throughout the 1970sand 1980sfem-
inismwas characterized by a dispersalof politicalstanceswith lesbian
feministsand culturalfeministsoverdetermining the debateson gender,
sexuality,and practice.Althoughcategorizingthese complicatedideo-
logicalgroupingsdoes disserviceto theirown plurality,as AliceEchols
(1984)pointsout in heressay,'Thetamingof the id: feministsexualpol-
itics,1968-83',thesedominantfeminisms tendedto cancelout othersites
of feministpracticeor renderthemas anti-feminist. Thecriticalobjection
facingmainstream (cultural)feminismandlesbianfeminismis the analy-
anti-sex,utopic,genderreactionary,
sis of it as white,middle-class, and
academic.Feministsfromthis periodare often upsetby the revisionist
renderings of whatthey 'experienced'as a radicaltime.Evidenceof this
was abundantat the 1995 ModernLanguageAssociationconventionin
San Diego wherefeminism'revisited'panelswere the crowd-grabbers.
The rhetoricrangedfromclaimsaboutthe 'repressed' memoryof femin-
ism to angry'mother-feminists' who could not locatewhat those way-
ward feministdaughterswere contributingto the cause.1 Perhaps
withoutnegatingfeministicons'own historyand concernswe can call
into questiontheirparadigms.Withoutdisbelievingtheirnarrativesof
liberationperhapswe can assess how that practiceof liberationwas
displacedin certaincommunities, acrosscertainidentities,and becamea
l prescrlptlveegacy.
. .

(Whathaveyou donefor me lately?)


The overriding issueinformingthisfeministdiscussionis whetheror not
feminismwas ableto addressissuesof difference, primarilyrace.Femin-
| ists wantingto preservea memoryof feminismas one of anti-racism
claimas exampleswomenof colourwriting,for instance,AudreLorde.
In fact,JudithButler,in a lecturedeliveredat the University
of California
I SanDiegoon 15 February1995 entitled'Againstproperobjects',treated
l14 l thisveryaspectof feminismin relationto queer,and,I believe,madethe
claimthatfeminismwas not impairedin its focuson genderin relationto o
race unlesswe are now to discountwriterslike Lordeas feminists. X
Althoughthis is a validpoint,my positionis that a slippageoccursin >
the powerrelationsof feminismwhen we simplyincludeall feminists tE
regardlessof someveryseriousdivisionsandpowerdynamics.Theredid ,zS
emergea dominantideology of feminismagainst which women of E
colouror otherdiversityhadto write.I wouldgo evenfurtherand sug-
gestthatit is thesewriterswho arealso the inventorsof queerfeminism
exactlybecause,as race was elidedby gender,so were sexualpolitics
andotherconceptionsof difference andoppression.In fact,I can readily
namewomenof colourwhomI haveheardidentifythemselvesas queer/
blackfeminists:for instance,JuneJordan,GloriaAnzaldua,Chrystos,
CherrieMoraga,andJewelleGomez;it is muchharderfor me to think
of womenof colourwho identifyas simplyfeminists.Feminismwas
inspiredby the 1950s and 1960s US CivilRightsmovementand, if that
is acknowledged, feminism'sgrowthout of race relationsresituatesits
absenceof raceanalysisas a dominantfactorin needof correction,not
pluralityof feministpracticein whichall
as a historyof a multicultural
wereequa partlclpants.
. .

Of importance essay,one of the commonalities


to thisparticular between
thesemodelsof feminismwas an emphasison desireas a politicalchoice
ratherthana personalone.Thisseemsto haveoccurredprimarily dueto
lesbianrecognitionwithinmainstream feminismas a politicalchoiceover
a sexualone. The praxiswas emphasized by focusingon an alternative
femaleculture,one with innategendervalues,in whichequalitywould
be achievedby eliminatingpower,a 'masculine'construction.By the
1980s thispraxisseemsto havebeenexacerbated by its focuson sexual
practicein relationto genderoppression,a focus which quite clearly
erasedclass and race.For instance,straightworking-class womenlike
my motherunderstoodgettingfuckedas one of the few momentsof
powerand pleasurethey couldengagein. For themfeminismwas not
aboutrejectingsupposedlymasculinevalues- they likedmasculinity -
instead,negotiating withit was essentialto theirempower-
a relationship
ment.For blackwomen,race mandatedvery complicatednegotiations
with masculinity.In an attemptto purgemaleidentification, this brand
of feminismfailedto considerhow pleasuremightintersectand subvert
the powerdynamicsof sociallyconstructed genderor how racismfunc-
tions. This becomesmarkedlyapparentwithin lesbian feminismas
butch-femdesire,a desireof genderpolaritybetnveenlesbianscameto
be labelledan unacceptable andheterosexuallyimitativepowerdynamic.
Not only did this once againrecastgenderas innateto anatomybut it l
lackedany regardfor the divisionsof raceand classwherethis culture l 15
I'>°oftenoccurred.Women- a categoryalreadyseriouslydividedby gender
X definitionsandclassandraceandsexualpreference.
< Thepersonalis politicalhasbeenparamount to feministanalyses,as if it
O hasn'tbeenfor othertypesof politicalor intellectual analyses.Feminism
¢ did not inventCthepersonal'but admittedit, workedit, and wenton to
', canonizeit as a litmustest. Personalchoicesof pleasureare politicalin
F
z
so far as we are at libertyto makethem.The parameters of what that
s personalpleasureentailsare not an indicationof intellectualsavvyor
politicalcommitment. This remainsfor me the pivotalmisconception of
feministthought.A queerblackfeministagendashouldmakethisdistinc-
tion and in makingit expandfeministpracticeuntilit is unrecognizable
as such,not to eraseit, but to enableits dispersalthroughoutan array
alliances.To givecreditits due,it is
of political,cultural,andintellectual
exactlythe abilityand futureof feminism,and the premiseof this essay
| in makingclaims for queer black feminism,that feministhistoryis
strong enoughto shore up emergingradicalmovements.bell hooks
often seemsto be makinga relatedpoint in her writing.In her essay
'Feminism: a transformational politic'hooksstates:CStrategically,
feminist
movement[sic] shouldbe a centralcomponentof all other liberation
strugglesbecauseit challengeseachof us to alterour personor personal
engagement(eitheras victimsor perpetrators or both) in a systemof
domination'(hooks, 1989: 43). Althoughher later utopic desire to
l replacepoweranddomination with'love'differsgreatlyfrommypercep-
tion of poweras everywhere-especiallyin 'love'- hooksis makingan
insightfuland radicalclaimabout how and wherefeminismshouldbe
locatedin the future.Furthermore, hooksemphasizes a feministpractice
* thatdoesnot requireliteracyas a contingency of participation.Thiscon-
ceptioninformsthisentireessay.Bydisrupting of
the literalinterpretation
classicfeminisms' 'thepersonalis political',queerblackfeminisminverts
thataspectof identitypoliticsthatattemptsto institutean assimilationist
agendafor all womenundergenderoppression.
I amgenuinelyconcerned thatthe liberation1970sfeministsmadeforme
shouldnot be denied.Letme stateclearlythatthisessaycouldobviously
not be writtenwithouttheirstruggles,triumphs,and failures.But just
maybewhile they were liberatingthey were simultaneously oppressing.
Missionaries did it; at leastwe knowfeministshadthe bestof intentions.
I'mtoo old to be the rebelliousteenagerin my mother'shouse.I do not
wantto argueoverwho remembers whatrightanymore.InsteadI want
to recordwhat feminismmeantfor me, to me, with the understanding
thatI do so becauseI am grateful it was there.I needto claimmy femin-
ist pastfor the future,not be told I neverhadone, andthereforefemin-
16 ism needsto be reconfigured to includethatpastand definethat future.
Often,this entailsrecognizing womenwhosevoiceswerenot articulated 1
throughfeminismor whosepoliticswerenot formedcorrectlyaccording X
to feminism.Manyof thesewomenwillnot be so identifiable
as feminists. >
Someof thesewomenarepeopleI havefoundthroughfeministeducation 1=
and counter-education like JoanNestle,DorothyAllison,AmberHolli- -
baugh, AudreLorde,CherrieMoraga,JewelleGomez,and Barbara
Smith:womenwho have been both discomfitedand embracedwithin
feminism.A combination of thesewomenandothersmakeup my closest
feministrelatives;they are my historicalprecursorsfor queer black
, . .

temlnlsm.

IV I
My grandmother taught me how to play jacks. This is a nostalgic
memorymy fatherremindsme about.I can recallonly one timewhenI
was playingjackswith her.My parentswere havinga horrificbattlein
the next room.Whateverit may have been aboutdomestically, it was
alwaysaboutinterracialstrifeand economicstanding.In this case my
grandmother was beingdeployedas partof the battle.My fatherlikes
to remember thatshe taughtme to playjacksbecausehe likesto see the
similaritiesin us. My grandmotherand I were/areboth small, full-
breastedwomen with sharp features,hooded eyes, and long-fingered
handsslightlytoo largefor our bodies.Our skin tones were different;
my grandmother was reddishbrown and I rangefrom a pasty light
yellowishcomplexionto a nicer olive dependingon the weather.My
grandmother sat therethat day while they ragedabout her but really
about everythingelse it meantto be an interracialcouplein the US.
Theywho hadsentlove lettersto eachotherthatI hadsnuckunderthe
bed to read. Love lettersabout beautifulbrown handsand monkey-
bittenthighs.Shenevermisseda beatin our jacksgamethat day,but I
did. My grandmother taughtme that day to playjackswithoutmissing
a beat,no matterwhatstormis ragingon the horizon.
I thinkaboutthe womenon my father'ssideof the family.My auntsand
cousins.Therealauntswereall generations olderthanhimandreligious.
Theytaughtus childrento sit up straight,say pleaseandthankyou, and
wearourhairneat,if possible.Theotherauntswerereallycousinsbutso
mucholderthat we calledthemaunts.Someof themwere different,a
apartfromthechurchtheybelongedto socialorgan-
littlelessconstrained;
izations.Exceptone aunt-cousin.Shewas unruly,brown,and beautiful.
I do not knowif she was an activeblackradicaland blackfeministbut I
she seemedto know a lot. Sheworkedhardeachday,and had her up
anddowndaysso I thinkshe was a blackradicalandfeminist.Shewas
considereda she-devilin the familybecauseshe did whatshe wanted:a 17
@,, drinker,smoker,and cultivatorof shadymalelovers.I used to haveto
a beg to go overto her houseeven thoughit was her five childrenwith
'' whomI attendedschoolanddid call cousin.Shetold us so manythings
* of blackwomenin my familywereunableto.
the othergenerations
o

3 On those raremomentswhen I had her to myselfas we watchedlate-


, nighttelevisionshe spoketo me as adultsoftendo to childrenwho are
z not their own: honestly.She comfortedme over my parents'raging,
X affirming thatmy mother'snewopinionson racewerea resultof herdis-
illusionedimmigrantnaiveteas a resultof beingmarriedto my brown
fatherin 19S7in the US, not a heartfeltsentiment.Sherevealedprecious
familygossipthat I couldn'tget anywhereelse, and that helpedme to
understand someof the racialtensionsin my familydespite,or because
of, the fact that it is a studyin skinshades.For instance,afterbeingin
the US a shortwhilemy motheraskedmy grandmother what race my
father'sreal fatherwas. My grandmotherfound this inquiryso ill-
manneredand intrusivethat she drylydeclaredto my father,'If it was
whiteyou hadwanted,there'sa halfdozenblackgirlsin the neighbour-
hoodwhiterthanwhatyou pickedup but stillblackenoughfor me.'To
whichmy motherresponded,'I'mnot white,I'mNeapolitan.'Knowing
how intrusiveand stubbornlyillogicalmy mothercan be, I laughabout
this incident.I also imaginethat she, only recentlyfamiliarizedwith the
rigidityof the Americancolourline,musthavebeenthinkingtherewas
going to be some middlegroundthat was undiscovered - a mestiza
modelof race.Further,in this blackfamilytree- as I suspectin others
- paternitywas not an issueof interestto anyonebutan outsider.In her
essay'Mama'sbaby,Papa'smaybe:an Americangrammarbook' (1987)
HortenseSpillershas made the most astutehistoricalanalysisof this
systematically enforcedsilenceoriginatingin slaveryand its effect of
devoidingblackfemalesexualityof any agencythroughconstructions of
immorality andvoraciousness. Thiswas whatmy aunt-cousin endured-
andspentfrustrated energiestryingto pushaside- angrycondemnations.
My motherhadno conceptof the relationship betweencolourandsilence
in the US and thereforesecuredher outsiderstatuswith this inquiry.
Fromthen on, my grandmother foundher to be 'frayin'on her nerves
| andillin'to herstomach'.
I thinkabout manyof these complicatedfemalebodiesin my family:
complicatedin relationto each other throughtheir own complicated
For me, queerblackfeminismshouldhave a
desiresand subjectivities.
complicated historyof bodiesand desires;it has to be ableto acknowl-
edge these complicationsto furtherresist the shame and oppression
someof thesebodiesaremadeto be silentabout.At the infamous'Scho-
l18 lar and FeministIX' BarnardCollegeConferencein 1982, whereanti-
porn feministsand sex-radicalsbattledit out, it seemsto me that this 1e
queerprojectwas begunon one frontandrequiresfurtherconsideration: w
that is, in termsof racializedand classedsexualities.In GayleRubin's z
essay,'Thinkingsex:notesfor a radicaltheoryof thepoliticsof sexuality' l E
(1984), resultingfromthis conference,she arguesthat feminismcannot z
addresssexualitybecauseit is a theoryof genderoppressionandas such t
is limitedin analyticalscopeand definition.In statingthis, the trouble
must also be statedaboutracedand classedsexualities,and from this
we havea fundamental indicationof class,race,and sexualityas inter-
sectingdiscourses.Feministbodiesare sexuallymarkedbodiesand they
need to be definedwithin their concernsas class and race marked
bodies.AmberHollibaugh's contribution,'Desirefor the future:radical
hope in passion and pleasure',to the conference-inspired anthology,
Pleasureand Danger:ExploringFemaleSexuality(1989), statesthe class
problemwithinfeministanalysisof sexualitysuccinctly:
I have alwaysbeen moreashamedof havingbeen a dancerin nightclubswhen
I've talked about it in feministcirclesthan I ever felt in my hometown,work-
ing class community.There are many assumptionsat work behind feminist
expressionsof surpriseor horror:I must be stupidor I could have done some-
thing betterthan that; I must have been forced against my will or I was just
too young to know better;I have prefeministconsciousness;I had a terrible
family life; I must have hated it; I was trash and this proved it; and finally,
wasn't I glad I'd been saved?
(Hollibaugh,1984: 404)
Hollibaugh'sstatementsuggeststhe implicationsof 'consciousness'
on
classedbodiesandthiscan furtherilluminateracialcomplications
within
feminismthatneeddisentangling.
So, with all these problems,why not toss feminismand be queer?In
thinkingaboutqueerblackfeminism,and the intersectionof feminism
and queer,it shouldnot be establishedthat one supersedesthe other.
Queerowes a debt to feministanalysis,especiallythat of genderas a
socialcategory,a debtfeminismcanbe remunerated for by takingadvan-
tageof queersex radicalpoliticsof pleasure.A sexualpoliticsthatlinks
to the notionof queeras a socialtheoryin oppositionalstanceto and
confrontational reappropriationof deeply held norms and discourse
mightenablefeminismto regenerate its sexualpolitics,to toss asideits
own normalizingsilences.This feministpolitics has too often been
unableto plugthe knowledgeof genderor raceor classoppressioninto
an outletof desireas powernot fullyexplored.Onecannottoss feminism
for queer,they are inextricablybound togetherhistoricallyas social
theories.Further,for me queerhas been most expressivelyarticulated
throughblack feministwritersalthoughthey are not often accredited l19
a withsuchanalysesin thosetextspurporting
to defineor do queerstudies.
X Nor perhapsdo manyblackfeministsfeelat libertyto claimqueernessin
, an atmosphere
in whichtheirstatusis alreadytenuous.
O I suggestthat, like other blackfeministwriters,blacklesbianfeminist
3 AudreLorde,expressingthis need for exploringthe politicalpowerof
, desireearlyon in her essay,'Uses of the erotic:the erotic as power'
z (1984),anticipated recentqueersocialtheories.CertainlyBarbaraSmith's
X earlierwork is crucial,and in her 'The danceof masks'(1992) Smith
takesthis use of the eroticevenfurtheras she writesher desiresout in
an inspiringnarrativecombination of fearand agencyaboutthe sexual
powerof herbutchbodyanddesiresas sheexpressesthem.In heressay,
'Themythand traditionof the blackbulldagger' (1991),SDianeBogus
challengesnegativeimagesof blackfemalesexualityby reclaimingthe
historyof the blackbulldagger as the site of an empowering mythology
andlegendaboutself-defined sexualagency.Morerecently,blackfeminist
scholarJackieGoldsby,in heressay'Queenfor 307 days:lookingb(l)ack
at VanessaWilliamsand the sex wars'(1993),demonstrates the impor-
tance of understanding how black feministtheory queersqueer and
feminists'sex radicalstance.Goldsbydoes so in a theoreticalmove
analogousto mycriticalsuggestions aboutthehistoryof Rich'sprivileged
silenceaboutlesbiansexuality.Goldsbyinterrogates the sex radicals'sex
war debates'historicproximityto and silenceaboutVanessaWilliams,
the firstblackMs Americabeautyqueenwho was dethroneddue to the
expose of lesbian porno photos. In Goldsby'sanalysisof Vanessa
Williams'imageshe linksa personalnarrativewith an incisiveanalysis
of historicallyrace-premised social and economicrelationsof black
| femalesexuality,that of it as an ownedcommodity.Further,Goldsby
pointsto the underlying assumption of the whitenessof lesbiansex cul-
ture to assesshow both factorscontributeto the silencearoundblack
femalesexualitythat the lack of lesbianfeministdiscourseon Ms Wil-
liams'publicfalldemonstrates. In thesefewexamples,if queeris in oppo-
sitionto normative discoursethenit is alreadypartof theterrainof black
feministcriticalpractice.Further,blackfeministdestabilization of opposi-
tional categoriesreinscribesand breaksthe silenceof what queerand
feministmightmeanas morethan'naturalized' identities.
For me, as an umbrellatermqueerhas a gloss to it that can only be
sharpenedwith feministhistory:a historyoften grapplingover and in
contradictionwith raceand classand sexualitybut with a saliencyand
experienceof pushingbodiesandpoliticsagainsteachother.Queer,as it
is oftenclaimedby academicallypowerfulwhitemasculinity, sometimes
suggestsand describesits politicalconstituencyas seductivelyfluid,
21 o unmarked, ambiguous,andchosen.Thisfluiditysoundsdangerously like
the statusof whitemasculinityto me. For instance,one couldcompare o
MichaelWarner'snotionof an individualpracticalself-reflective queer- X
nessin his introduction
to Fearof a Queer Planet(1993)to thequeerness l >
articulatedthroughcomplicatedfamilialinterrelations, experience,fan- E
tasy, social systems,and in contradictoryconnectionto others that z
ThomasAllenHarrispresentsin his documentary film on queerblack =
siblings 'Vintage:Familiesof Value' (1995). Furthermore, in what
appearsto me as a directcontrastto queersof colour,this sametypeof
queertheoryoftencallsfor an analysisof classand racealongsidesexu-
alitywithoutproducingit. This predominant unfulfilledprojectis what |
queerblackfeminismis capturing.I contendthat queersocialtheoryis
indebtedto blackfeminism:that queerblackfeminism's anticipationof
a praxisof sexualityand bodies,premisedon its axis with a feminist
historyof fraughtrelationsof class and race,articulatesan analysisof
sexual politicsthat could reconstitutethe understanding of queerness
altogether.

Pursuingpleasurehas becomecentralto my understanding of a queer


blackfeministmodel.Thecouragebehindthe pursuitsI owe to exploita-
tive sexual imageryno matterhow convolutedand screwedup the
analyseswhichwere enacted.Feminismdid not have modelsor access
for me as a queered-out young womanfeelingsexual,grapplingwith
race and class status. Nor could feminismaddresswomen like my
motheror aunt-cousin, womenwho likedto fuck men,who wanteda
betterlife but did not want morerulesabouthow to get it. Indeed,a
queerblackfeministanalysiscomesinto playwhenI can re-evaluate my
aunt-cousin'sandmother'ssexualitiesas differingbutinterlocked systems
of raceandclassdomination,onesin whichwhitedominancedifferently
pathologizesand penalizestheir desiresbut does so by a dependence
on constructing a pervasiveand excessiveperversityof blackness.This
constructionworks againstdevelopingan analysisof black women's
strugglesfor sexualagencywhileit locatesdegeneracy in the psycheof
the femaleinterracialviolator.Insteadof a persistentparalleling
of black
women'ssexualoppressionto that of Angloor Europeanwomen'sas if
that encompassedthe extent of the systems,an understanding of the
specificnegativesignificanceof blacknessin relationto femalesexuality
offersone way of graspinghow the repressionof blackfemalesexuality
exceedsthis reductivepositingof sameness.Certainly,it is not the only
way.
Lookingfor pleasureinvitesme to look at my mother'sidentityas a fem- |
inistin termsof her ethnicity,interracial
violations,class,and sexuality. S21
^ Insteadof negating heras anti-feminist becausesheparticipated in her
a ownoppression, I canmapoutherbrandof feminism as it workedfor
, her.Mymomdidn'thaveaccessto complicated analyses,
political or the
*- timeor training to acquireit. Shewas justangryaboutthe structure.
O Shewasgoingto beatit- on thatpointshewasdetermined. Afterher
, divorcein the 1970smy momhada bit of a timeto findemployment
< sinceshehadbeenhousewifing it forsixteenyearsor so, hadthreekids
z to support, and a foreignhigh school degree.Shefinallylandedwhatas
- a childI considered an excellent position:the salesclerkin theKmart
pet section.Kmart,that largedepartment store whereinexpensive
'brand' name clothingand greasy frenchfries could be purchased under
thesameroof.Unfortunately it paidlittleandshehadto keeplooking
fora secondjob.Inthemeantime shehadhadto go to thewelfareoffices
to askforAFDC:theUSfinancial socialserviceof Aidto Families with
Dependent Children. It wasdestined to be a disasteras all experiences
withAmerican bureaucracy wereforher.I recallherretelling theindig-
nitiesin herheavilyaccented, high-pitched fastvoiceto herthengood
friendandco-Kmart workerF (simultaneously shewascuttingyearsoff
- Fs facewhilecuttingbangsin herhair).Apparently, whenalldocuments
wereproduced, thesocialworkerhadinstructed mymomto correctan
itemin thepaperwork beforeprocessing: thechildren's fatherwasblack
therefore thechildren wereblack.Thatworkerseekingaccuracy above
all probably neverknewwhathit her,but shehadcertainly struckat
oneof mymom'ssorespotswiththeUS.'Mychildren arenot blackI
told the bitchand threwthe papersbackin her face!In European
families,in myfamily,we havegrandparents fromEthiopia, fromSpain.
Wesay we areItalian,we do not say we areblack!This,thisis the
hypocrisy of thisdamned UnitedStates.Whois a goddamned American
anyway, showmetheirfaces.'
(Checkoneboxonly:facismor racism.)
It seemsa coupleof weekslaterthatmymomhadlearned of a women's
meetingthatwas convening locally.It promisedsupportand action.
Frommyperspective nowI assumeit wasa placidapolitical versionof
a femaleconsciousness raisinggroup,middle-classsuburban styleand,
knowingthat,I realizedthepainthatmusthavecutthrough mymom's
optimism whenshe told herrecentstoryandaskedfor action- now.
No oneunderstood heranger,theyprobably hadnoparadigms forthink-
* ingof genderin relationto classor raceand,worse,I feelcertainthey
foundherdisplayof illogicalfrustration, louddesirefor revenge,and
evenperhaps herinterracialtiesappalling. Obviouslythesocialworker
wascorrect,whywasthiswomanupset?Obviously to me,my mother
2 '2 was irrationaland racistin the targetof her anger.But what has
becomeevencleareris thatin my mother'sracistattemptsto insiston her 14
childrenas not-blackshe had madean astutecorrelationbetweenthe X
overlapof blackand class in the US, an observationthat mainstream >
feminism's insistenceon genderoppressionwas ignoring.Formy mother m

white statusimpliedprivilegedclass statusin the US, and blackstatus Iz


was dominatedclass status,and havingaccessto classprivilegewas to z
participate in powerand pleasure.My mothermay not have beenable
to put this into abstractenunciation,
rather,withoutdefiningit, attempt-
ing to 'pass'herchildrenwas herretaliation.
One of the difficultiesin writingthis essayhas beento resista tendency
to write separatestoriesaboutconflictingintersections: to writeabout
the influenceof my mom'sclass-marked pursuitfor pleasureas queer
materialfor refiguringfeministpracticeand, second,to write out the
strifeovermy racialidentification withinmy relationship to my mother
as I actuallyclaimheras a feministmodel.Theoddityis thatthis seems
parallelto the storyof feminismandwomenof colour.Althoughgender
providedthemwith somecommonground,racecreatedvast divisions.
AudreLorde'sessay 'An open letterto MaryDaly' (1981) exemplifies
this fractureas LordetakesDalyto task for her racialassumptions and
erasures.Actuallythiscomparison beliesa slightdifference.
Whilefemin-
ismdeniedovertracism,my motherpractisedat timesjustthat.Without
retractingthat last statementin the least,I knowit was not a sustained
racism;I know it came in angrybouts;I know it was a US-induced
racism;and I know it was juxtaposedagainsta predilectionfor dark
bodies.
It is the natureof the beast that my mothercould complimentmy
brother'sbrownskin for beingjust that- a lovelycolour- and still
spout epitaphsof slicingdesireto annihilatethe black in us. Yet my
fatherwas by no meansthe last blackor maleof colourwithwhommy
motherwas sexuallyinvolved.How is the predilectioninvolvedin the
angrydisavowal? Wasmymothera womanwho cannotclaimherdesires
becausetheyareentangledin taboosthatmakehera nastygirlin social
exchanges?Did this nastinesstitillateher to furtherfulfil the taboo-
crossingdesire and simultaneously fill her with shame?What I am
suggestingis a particularcomponentof my mom'sracismthat is about
her genderedrelationsto race as an interracialinterloper,but also an
indicationof how desire,gender,class,and raceare pittedtogether.If it
is understood thatdesireitselfmightbe fuelledby shameoverourselves,
overour own desires,thenperhapsthe questionis not how do we over-
comethisshame/desire butit shouldbe how do we addressthisshameful
desireand make it empowering,resistant,a politicalstance?Beyond
analysingthe socialrelationsand historythat producesthis shameand 1 223
-> our
desire,how does queerblackfeministpracticenecessitatereclaiming
X historyof shamefuldesires?Feminismmadesomeattemptat deconstruct-
, ing shameandthe femalebodyin a varietyof configurations, obviously
* by makingsex a topicof discussion.Butit becameevidentin the 1980s
o when the sex wars were ensuringthat feminismhad never moved
¢, beyonda narrowperceptionof sexualityor raceand classin relationto
= genderedshame.
X SinceI am analysingmy mother'sdesires,a taskI findtroubling(exactly
becauseI'vegot a ToniCadeBambarafearof hercominginto my room
in the middleof the nightessayin hand),I shouldreflecton my own
historyof desirein relationto my racialhistory:my own historyof
shamefuldesires.It would help to begin with childhood.One of the
gameswhen playingwith my cousinsand friendswas a game about
master/slave relations.On morethan one occasionmy aunt-cousinwas
sittingin the livingroomin a heateddebatewithfriendsaboutBlackUS
| SlaveHistoryand we kids, beingan annoyance,were excludedto the
basementor yard and took up the conversationfor our own use. We
werewell-informed for our roles.BeinglightI was the houseslave,the
one who got to dressprettyandeat well but who wouldalso be forced
to sleepwith the masterof the house,untilshe was rescuedboth emo-
| tionallyand physicallyby anotherfemaleslave,her unknowntill then
l blackersisterand illegitimatedaughterof an evil owner.The drama
heightenedas theyfacedpunishment but togethertheywouldeitherrun
away or kill everyone.If that soundselaborate,I can assurethe reader
we had lots of variations,and despitethat we wereusuallyall girlswe
had plentyof gender-role playinggoingon. Keepingthe sanctityof the
playground rule'not to tell'I'll refrainfromfurtherdetails,and instead
point out that what I am tryingto makevisibleis an identification of
desireandgenderthatcamethroughmy racialidentification.
The queernessof being blackbut light, the shameof being light but
black,the genderedmediationof the two, andthe acted-outfantasiesof
the historyof powerrelationsembeddedin the formationof thesecate-
gories bearsresonanceon my adult desires.Now certainlyI am not
tryingto claimthat all my desireshave beenclearlyin placethanksto
childhoodgames.Moreto the pointI am tryingto claimthatinteracting
embedded
with one'shistory,with the desire,shame,and responsibilities
in thathistory,enforcedthroughthathistory,shouldbe a partof arriving
at an understanding of the powerof desire.It shouldenablea queer
black feministreclamationof that desire,a resistanceto that shame.
I haveto comprehend, accept,and speakout aboutthe certainposition
l of advantageand disadvantage of oppression.
I have in the structures
24 1 I needto turnthe shameof that positionaroundand makeuse out of
whatit putsin my imagination to arriveat anysexualagency.Relatedto
my experienceof expressingmyself to others as black is the more
complicated experienceof outingmyselfas a fem,an identitythatdenotes
certainsexualdesires, doingone is embeddedin doingthe other.The
but
necessityof my alwayshavingto say I am blackto be identifiedas black
marksmy lightappearance as both a privilegedand silencedhistoryof
powerrelationsand shamearoundinterracialsexualityin the US. This
hasparallelrootsin my alwayshavingto comeout as femto be identified
as lesbianand then as a particulartype of lesbian,one investedin an
overtlygenderederoticrelationship.Alongwith my fem investmentin
eroticizinglesbiandifferences I am often mistakenfor straight,another
historyand set of powerrelationsin this society.Concurrently,claiming
my fem desireshas given me accessto my body,a light body that as
I oftenam alienatedfrom,by allowingme to findways
black-identified
to takepleasurein it despiteits racialandsexualperversities.Thisqueer
sexualityof minethen is engendered by and engendersmy queerracial
identity.Thisputsmyhistoryat my service,thisplacesmyraceas central
to my genderand desire,and this placesmy sexual fantasiesto my
advantage.In thosedevastating momentswhenfeministsdefinedpractice
as an eliminationof all power-tainted sexualfantasiestheirown 'overt'
racialbias is mostcertainly established as they shapepracticeon white
middle-class empowerment - not to mention,prescribea sexualpractice
as oppressive and boringas it gets.

It is thisnecessityforcontinuallycomingout of closetsof knowledgethat


I suggestqueerblackfeminismshouldembraceand I believeis already
movingtowards.Oncea systemof knowledgeis in place,once gender
oppressionis underscrutiny,the focusshouldincludenot onlydisrupting
the stabilityof the categorybut findingmethodsof makingone category
alwaysa discussionof another.It just doesn'tproveenoughto add the
themes- here'srace,a bit of class,and a touchof sexuality- without
allowingthemto disruptthe systemin ways that reconstitute it. A dia-
logueon raceis a feministdialogueis a classdialogueis a queerdialogue
already.Categoriesare queer.By this I do not meanthat categoriesare
useless,obviouslynot when they are alreadyin place as a complex
networkof socialmeaningsand bodiesof knowledge.It has takenme a
long time to come to understandmy mother'sidentityin the above
terms,and therebystarttakinga closerlook at my own. In tellingthis
storyit is not an accomplishment for me to bashfeminism.The accom-
plishmentin tellingthis storyresidesin the acknowledgement thatat the
placewheretheoriesand identitiesconvergeto formpracticecategories
fall apartand practicecan no longerbe prescribed.Feministsof the
1970s may feel angertowardsthe revisionismoccurringbut they also 25
@> WiththeirangerI canboth
needto movebeyondtheirownexperience.
X anddisagree.
empathize
, I

< andequality
(Balance values.)
arecorefeminist
z

> Vl
u

F thecomplexities
Inorderto betterillustrate involved in conceptsof com-
a munity, identity,andpoliticsat stakein a queerblackfeminist agenda I
wantto turnto a recentpublication of journalism andessaysby Sarah
Schulman entitledMy AmericanHistory: Les6ian and Gay Lik dxring
- the Reagan/Bus/7Years(1994).Thistextis nota comprehensive history
by anymeans,andin factcontainswritings donemostlybetween1981
and 1994, but, as I statedearlier,historyhas becomeimportant for
feminism in the 1990sand this is one such recent I
history. chose this
particular textoverotherrecentcontributions becauseit is experiential
andalready in an oddrelationto feminism withits queertrajectoryand
therefore providesa complicated Whatthe text
feministidentification.
offersthisessayis theperspective of a germinallesbianfeminist political
activistinvolved withqueeractivism, SarahSchulman, andas suchpre-
sentsan insider's viewon how movements definethemselves andtheir
. .

communltles.

To startoff Schulman feminist


addresses witha competitive
revisionism
challengeto 1990sdykesoverwhois/wasmoresexually
daring:
Andthislinewas backedup by an amazingly distortedrevisionismon seven-
tiesfeministsand lesbiansclaiming thatthey were sexually and
inhibited prud-
ish, when all the documentation from that period points in the opposite
direction.... In the end,I stilldon'tbelievethatthe ninetiesdykeenjoyssex
morethanCatherine MacKinnon.
* (Schulman, 1994:9)

Well,we all haveto haveour 'beliefs'.I believeSchulman whenshe


claimsthatsexualexperimentation waslaidopenby feminists andles-
biansin the 1970s.WhatI wonderaboutis howstraight working-class
womenlikemymomor blackwomenlikemyauntsweresupposed to
get theirrocksoff andstillbe admitted to feminism as morethanan
objectforreform.WhatI wonderaboutis whether andlesbian
feminist
sexualexperimentation maderoomfor diversity or definedthisexperi-
mentalsex rathernarrowly if it thoughtaboutrace
andprescriptively;
andclassmodelsforsexuality. I wantto arguefrommyownunderstand-
feminism,
ingsof cultural academic
lesbianfeminism, andpop-
feminism,
l ularfeminism that it seemsthat sexualitywas usuallyeitherhetero-
;26 definedandtherefore
l sexuallydefinedor politically narrowlydefinedby
all campsin the feministdebate.It is not aboutwho is 'badder',it is c
abouthow to createa politicsthat allowsfor a claimingof one'sown X
pleasure.Isn'tit? >

Schulman's bookoffersa reflectionon how feministcommunities worked 3


in the past and how they mightor mightnot work now. It admirably 3
revealsthecomplexitiesthatoccurwithbodiesandcategoriesandbound-
aries.Forinstance,Schulman givesa well-deservedandrighteousslapon
the handto SusanFaludi'srecentbook aboutbacklash,a veryrealissue
for the 1990s, by askingwhy five hundredpages and no mentionof
dykes? Always straight feministsand lesbians had trouble getting
together.Until of coursethey could align aroundgendervalues,make
sex political,and oppressall othersexualparadigms. Whoseutopiais it
anyway?In anotherbreathSchulmandefinescoregay andlesbianissues
and lesbiansin the militaryas not one of them:'Not only is theregreat
dissensionwithinour communityaboutthe role of the military(which
has madegrass-rootsorganizingon the issuedifficultand low key),but
it seemsclearthat the community's own priorityis AIDS'(Schulman,
1994: 14). Granted,this mayhavebeenan issuesent fromthe political
top downbutblacklesbiansoftenjointhemilitaryas an economicneces-
sity and, as Schulmanherselfacknowledges, are the firstbootedout on
homosexualcharges(whileothershave chargesdismissed).2This cer-
tainlyspeaksto the specificsexualstigmasattachedto the blackfemale
body.If thecommunity's own priorityis AIDS,one mightask,as Evelynn
Hammondsdoes, how the gainsmadeby queeractivistsaroundAIDS
have disruptedthe stigmasattachedto black women'ssexualityand
AIDS in the African-American community.Schulman,who makesup
your activistlesbianfeministcommunity? And how do you go about
analysingthe mostpressingconcerns- doesthe communitydialogueon
raceincorporateclass at all? GrantedSchulmanpresentsa diverseand
impressive arrayof analysesaroundraceandclass,particularly with her
inclusionof a narrativeaboutJewishworking-class womenand journal-
isticexcerptsrecordingthe contributions of blackfeministsamongother
peopleof colour.Butin herintroduction Schulman critiquesidentitypol-
iticsandethnicitydivisionsas enteringfeministactivismandde-activating
it (Schulman,1994: 4). Class and race and sexualityand genderand
feminism,what a dilemmafor the 1990s. Why can'twe all just work
together?
Schulman's recenttext intersectsfeminismwith otheragendasexpertly
and, intentionallyor not, articulatesthe complexitiesfeministagendas l
haveinheritedtoday.It is clearto me thatpleasureis centralto all the
debates.Schulman's participationin the organizationof a new method
of lesbianactivism,the LesbianAvengers,illustratesher own feminist 227
>1 understandingof pleasure'srelationshipto politics.The handbookuses
a sexyimagesand slogansonceseenas exploitationfor politicalfliers.On
, one flier Pam Grierof blaxploitationfilm fame appearswith artillery
* and hot pantsluringmembersto a fund-raising party.Directand con-
o frontationalpoliticalactionsknownas 'zaps'are detailed.The Lesbian
, Avengersmethodologyseemsto be capableof attackinga variedline-up
< of politicalconcerns,and seemsto be able to makeit appealingto a
z largerconstituency by extractingpoliticalinvolvement fromprescriptive
X sexualpolitics.Wherecan the typesof feministand sexualpoliticslinks
that Schulmanpresentswith her avengermodel,wherethereis not an
explicitanalysisof raceor class,be furtherdefined?I suggestthatqueer
blackfeministunderstandings of pleasureandpoliticsare'id'for feminist
agendas.
Whatarethe purposesin thisclueerblackfeminismbeingclaimedout of
creatinga sexualpoliticsof pleasure?Abstractly,the answeris a cultural
analysisand reclamationof queerblack femalesexualities:sexualities
that have had a long historyof beingdeniedpleasure.But this queer
black feminismmay seem to be consumedby sexualitywhile other
issuesare laid by the wayside.Whataboutequalityof wages,opportu-
nity,andrights?I will riskarguingthatthe feminization of povertyis an
issueof the rightof womento definetheirown pleasureas muchas it is
an issueof wageearningspreciselybecauseit is the samebodybeingsub-
jectedto serviceand circumspection, becauseone type of oppression
inheresthe other.When public discourseand legal legislationdefine
singleblackmothersreceivingpublicaid as sexuallyimmoraland irre-
sponsiblein orderto enforcethe use of birthcontroltechnologyand
evensterilizationas a conditionof theirpublicaid,thensexualagencyis
clearlyat stake.Queerblackfeminismcan best be understoodto take
up sexualityin waysthat makeit simultaneously aboutrace,class,and
I gender- in ways that politicizepleasure- not just personalizeit as a
politicsof being.The constituencyfor queerblackfeminismmay alter
daily,may be organizeddifferentlyaroundclassor race,and maycarry
agendasfromwelfareactivismto academicculturalanalysis.It should
exhibitthe methodsfor a changingagendaby changingthe conceptof
the feministbodyandits pleasureandits history.
Queerblackfeminism'sattentionto pleasurewill not be viablefor all
feministagendas.But queerblack feminismunderstandspleasureand
sexualityas bodiesseekingrightsand wagesin a way earlierfeminism
was unableto do: in a way thatdoes not requirea conformityto 'ideal'
models of genderand pleasurein order to demandpoliticalrights.
Queerblackfeminismdoes not extractone type of identityfrom the
2 t8 otherby containingand silencingmarkersof identitywithinboundaries
of gender. Thecategory of womanhasbeensexualized precisely
bymark- °m

ingsof classandrace,andinner-circle feminist oppression hasoccurred w


precisely by attempting to eliminatethesemarkings withgender. Hence, >
straightwomenwho understand the libertyto fuckas emancipation =
mighthavefoundfeminism moreaccessible if theirdesireshad been z
recognized. Blacklesbiansmighthavefoundit moreaccessible if raced 3
andclassedconstructions of sexualityhadinformed thetheories.Since
thisresultedin an areaof contention for mainstream feminisms, queer
blackfeminisms can now takethe opportunity of historically
locating,
analysing, andredrawing thebodiesat stake.
Inconclusion, I wantto reflectuponthewritingof thisessay.I wantto
drawupona facetrevealed in thepersonalaspectof thisessaythatis
apparent in arrivingat theend.I findit illustrative of thedynamics of
the complexityof identitythat, althoughmy queer black feminist
agendacallsupona combination of popcultureandintellectual arenas,
it reliesevenmoreon beinggrounded by the interrelated
anddifferent
experiences of bothblackandwhitestraight working-class womengrap-
plingwithoppressions - womenwhohavea complexsetof ethnicand
racialandgendered circumstances. Theagency,pleasure, vocality,and
particularity of struggledeniedthesesubjectsinformthisessay.Is this
a problem or a solution? Perhapsthegrouping of queerandblackand
feminismresidesin just sucha contradictory and tentativealliance.
Perhaps thepossibility of suchan allianceanddiversity of queerblack
feminists is conditional.Queerblackfeminism recognizes this;already
its subjectivities with whichto
are creatingtheories/practices/alliances
work.

Notes
l

LauraAlexandra Harristeachesin theWomen's StudiesDepartment at California


StateUniversitySanMarcos.Currently, Harrisis therecipient
of a UCPresident's
DissertationYearFellowshipthatwill give her an opportunity to finishwriting
her dissertationthis coming year. Her projectis entitled,'Womenwriting
resistance:bodies,class,andracein the HarlemRenaissance'.Here-mailaddress
is: Iharris@ucsd.edu.
1 It wasTeresaDe LauretisandFlorence whoproposedthese
Howe,respectively,
dilemmas.
2 AliciaHarris,my cousin,was partof a groupof womenbroughtup on homo-
sexualchargesin the 1980sin the Navyin whichonlythe blackwomenwere
It was a fairlypublicizedeventwith muchmediadistortionand |
discharged.
(mis)representation. l; 29
I^ References

BOGUS, SDiane (1991) 'The myth and tradition of the black bulldagger' in
Burana, Lily, Roxxie and Due, Linnea (1994) editors, Dagger Pittsburgh: Cleis
Press.
CARBY, Hatel V. (1987) ReconstructingWomanhood:The Emergenceof the
Afro-AmericanWomanNovelist New York: Oxford University Press.
ECHOLS, Alice (1984) 'The taming of the id: feminist sexual politics, 1968-83'
in Vance, Carole S. (1989) editor, Pleasure and Danger: Exploring Female
SexualityLondon: Pandora Press.
FRILOT, Shari (1995) 'Black nations/queer nations?', video 314" 52 minutes, New
York: Mix Festival, call 212 947 9277 for information.
GOLDSBY, Jackie (1993) 'Queen for 307 days: looking b(l)ack at Vanessa
Williams and the sex wars', in Stein, Arlene (1993) editor, Sisters)Sexperts,
Queers:Beyond the LesbianNation New York: Penguin.
HAMMONDS, Evelynn (1994) 'Black (w)holes and the geometry of black female
sexuality' Differences:A Journalof FeministCulturalStudiesVol. 6, No.2: 12645.
HARRIS, Thomas Allen (1995) 'Vintage: families of value', film 16mm,
72 minutes, USA, 619 534
call 1307 for information.
HOLLIBAUGH, Amber (1984) 'Desire for the future: radical hope in passion and
pleasure' in Vance, Carole S. (1989) editor, Pleasure and Danger: Exploring
FemaleSexualityLondon: Pandora Press.
hooks, bell (1989) 'Feminism: a transformational politic' in TalkingBlack:Think^
ing Feminist)ThinkingBlack Boston: South End Press.
LORDE, Audre (1984) 'Uses of the erotic: the erotic as power' in SisterOutsider
New York: South End Press.
(1980) 'An open letter to Mary Daly' in Anzaldua, Gloria and Moraga,
Cherrie (1981) editors, This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical
Womenof ColourNew York: Kitchen Table Press.
RICH, Adrienne (1980) 'Compulsory heterosexuality and lesbian existence' in
Snitow, Ann, Stansell, Chrisiine and Thompson, Sharon (1983) editors, Powers
Of Desire:The Politicsof SexualityNew York: Monthly Review Press.
RUBIN, Gayle (1984) 'Thinking sex: notes for a radical theory of the politics of
sexuality' in Vance, Carole S. (1989) editor, Pleasure and Danger: Exploring
FemaleSexualityLondon: Pandora Press.
RUSS,Joanne (1972) 'When itchanged' in Ellison, Harlan (1972) editor, Again
DangerousVisionsNew York: Doubleday.
SCHULMAN, Sarah (1994) My AmericanHistory:Lesbianand Gay Life during
the Reagan/BushYearsNew York: Routledge.
SM1TH, Barbara a black feminist criticism' in All the Womenare
(1977) 'Toward
White,All the Blacks are Men, but Some of Us are Brave New York: Feminist
Press, 1982.
(1992) 'The dance of masks', in The PersistentDesire: A Femme-Butch
ReaderBoston: Alyson Publishing.
SPlLLERS, Hortense (1987) 'Mama's baby, Papa's may be: an American grammar
book' DiacriticsVol. 17, No.2: 65-81.
WARNER, Michael (1993) 'Introduction', in Fearof a Queer Planet:QueerPoli-
3 tics and Social TheoryMinneapolis: University of Minneapolis Press.

S-ar putea să vă placă și