HREQ 1900 Lecture Notes - Ageism, Racialization, Grammatical Gender

• School: York University
• Department: Human Rights and Equity Studies
• Course: HREQ 1900
• Professor: Nadiah Habib

Document Summary

Queer theory is a theory of sociology (or philosophy), which criticizes mainly the concept of gender, feminism, and the preconceived idea of genetic determinism in sexual orientaion. Here, we need to return to question the idea of two categories: Men & women and to problematize the universality of these two categories. The readings for today work to show how the category man and the category. Woman often work to obscure rather than reveal the actual lived experiences of many of those people who are defined as men and women. This essay by rich was groundbreaking when it first appeared in 1980. Since then, feminist theorists have worked to address both the challenges this essay offered and to identify its limitations. Rich works to produce and define three terms: Lesbian existence compulsory heterosexuality lesbian continuum compulsory heterosexuality: this defines a way of thinking that places heterosexuality as normal and natural, but also expected, demanded and anticipated and therefore compulsory.