Villalobos 1

Domonique Villalobos

Jennifer Rodrick

Queer Studies 115

October17, 2017

This space, or theirs?

In todays day of age, the growing queer community and establishments of their progress

is on a rocky road. With this in hand, the community is challenged by the conformity of outside

sources. Space, a contributor, that has shaped the queer identity for the better, has certain

instances where this space faces problems on all ends of the spectrum.

According to the Encyclopedia of American Urban History, Queer space refers to

territories appropriated, claimed, or used by queers and to geographic locations whose

conventional qualities are queered. This definition introduces the simple complexity of this

matter in order to provide a deeper understanding. Along with, this understanding, is also raising

the awareness of these spaces. This statement not only has one meaning but, two, in which the

second definition is to say, the queer community has been present and is choosing to stay this

way. Additionally, Queer spaces have been targeted by religious, political, and scientific

authorities, but queers have defended their territories through everyday acts of resistance and

organized political movements This example is still in effect today. Many places of sanction

that the queer community adheres to is either getting shut down or relocating. Relocating is
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difficult and often affects the attendees and takes time to recuperate its members. Such

interferences from outside sources not only affects the organization but the people who are

members as well. They already have enough problems from the world and its such a present

predicament that this community cant have a safe haven to be a part of. Unconventional sex,

gender, and sexual desires and practices have existed across American (and human) history.

This source engages to put the context of the past as a link of the queer space to assist the viewer,

when understanding this everlasting occurrence. Which brings, relevance to say, that this queer

space and queer quality should in fact be treated as normal as any other. In other words, the

queer space has existed for a long time and it shouldnt be treated as a crazy phenomenon, and to

except its presence. The author who created this short brief relevance is basically informing the

reader on how this queer space started and how its been treated, to how its still predominant in

todays time.

In reading David Levithan and Billy Merrells book, the full spectrum, chapter 36, page

245. The Short Version by Grover Wehman, it is clear that fitting into a title is part of the queer

identity. The author of this story felt that she couldnt fit in because of how her body looked. She

wanted to be butch, but she knew she had to deserve it, and almost in essence be rewarded with

this title. Especially by the fact, that her perception of an actual butch person, has had to deal

with more experiences both positive and negative in their lifetime. Not only was she insecure,

but she was constantly discriminated by her appearance and the stigma that surrounded her. I

could NOT get a job, despite the qualifications. People would look at me, furrow their eyebrows,

and say sorry as I turned to walk past the Help Wanted sign to my car. This discrimination left

her feeling even worse before, her own sexuality was stopping her from employment. Moreover,
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she couldnt find a safe space to be herself in without being harassed. Furthermore, she goes on

to discuss her privilege which played a part in her college career. Once we had housing again,

we began to eat out of the dumpster as our primary form of nourishment, it was a way to balance

out our racial privilege (even though not everyone in our posse was white, this was constantly

overlooked) and our class privilege (even though we came from working-class and poor

homes... this piece of evidence shows key insight to how she struggled to sort of figure out

herself and where she belonged. She brings her race into this equation to signify that she isnt

like the rest of the rich white society. Nevertheless, even the rich queer community, where she

didnt see herself fit into. Furthermore, this group of people were the closest queer, or even to

say queer environment shes ever been around. . The author also mentions how she felt about her

identity regarding gender. The term he was played around with but according to the author, ...

I felt more comfortable identifying as a woman (pg.252) Later the author states, So I did what

I do best-packed up my bags and ran away.(pg. 253). Not only was she running away, but she

was running away from herself, the discontent stayed present. She was homeless, judged, hurt

and essentially out of money, she had to get out of the city and find herself elsewhere.

Furthermore, she also provides insight on the struggles and how she finally came about to

excepting herself .In which, she is awarded the term butch to go by now and considers to be part

of the queer youth(pg.253).

Forward, in the same manner, the space we come to know is challenged and ridiculed. In

reading Max J, Andrucki and Glen S. Elders article, Locating the state in queer space: GLBT

non-prot organizations in Vermont, USA, it is clear that theres an obvious concern for this

awareness. Yes, this is only one state, however, its an example to the ongoing epidemic. For
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example, on page 98, Joes community center hosts a coming out support group, Proud and

Sober (Alcoholics Anonymous for queers), meetings for partners of transfolk, lesbian lm

nights, a cyber Centre, and a range of other social, recreational, artistic and intellectual

functions.3. However, we want to trouble this picture by attending to the often overlooked,

though salient, ways in which state power penetrates these spaces and fundamentally shapes their

constitution. This example exemplifies the way a space like a queer space can be infiltrated. For

this reason, state involvement only limits the structure of an organized groups purpose. To add

on, Lisa Duggan (1995) argues that we must queer the state by working for the juridical

disestablishment of heterosexuality. In other words we have to fight for help from the state to

help out the queer space. To that we need to implement new ways to look to look at the queer

community, not only that but to include them as well. Furthermore, the author adds on to say,

Through its deployment of regulatory legal authority, state power is essential to the production

of institutional space through the materialized ideology of bureaucratized licensure that binds

social movements-cum-non-prots into the wider state apparatus. This is an important point to

make because it is fully stating once again that the involvement of legal presence is essential to

move forward. Not only that, but also to raise a voice against the state, to press this matter, and

express its relevance. Standing up for what you believe in is a crucial part to the queer

community, especially when there sanctions are constantly at war. The state should be supportive

to everyone and allow our expressions to be expressed.

To conclude, the queer identity is entitled to be sought out for more justice. The space

that is provided is slowly diminishing, and time is running out. The space that sticks to the queer

aspect is an important part of the on growing community.

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Works Cited
Stein, Marc. "Queer Space." Encyclopedia of American Urban History. Ed. David R. Goldfield.
Vol. 2. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2007. 633-635. SAGE Knowledge.
Web.
http://sk.sagepub.com.libproxy.csun.edu/reference/urbanhistory/n348.xml?term=queer%2
0space
Levithan,David, and Billy Merrell. the full spectrum. Random House, New York, Alfred A
Knopf, 2006
Andrucki, Max J., and Glen S. Elder. Locating the State in Queer Space: GLBT Non-Profit
Organizations in Vermont, USA. Social &Amp; Cultural Geography, vol. 8, no. 1, 2007,
pp. 89104.
http://web.a.ebscohost.com.libproxy.csun.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=f9a
139d2-2ebe-4a52-a518-b55095c219dc%40sessionmgr4009
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAj0r1YAzko
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAZvge9BZFg