Abstract
Because of the rise of homonormativity and strict societal adherence to binary oppositions, I argue that certain queer identities (bisexual, pansexual, nonbinary, agender, etc.) fall into an ultimately harmful liminal space between two sides of agreed-upon binaries. The result of this liminality is that these identities are viewed as temporary, and it is assumed that those with these identities will eventually “choose” homo/heterosexuality and/or a female/male identity. As a result, liminal queers are denied access to future-building projects that seek to create a more just world. In other words, if dominant society agrees that liminal queer identities are temporary, this means they will not exist in any stable form in the future; consequently, liminal queers do not have a role in creating these futures which aim to be more equitable for other marginalized identities. I argue that because our current language models, social structures, and political frameworks cannot accommodate liminal queer identities, future-building projects cannot create a world in which liminal queernesses are seen as comprehensible and innate – I argue that speculative fiction can solve this issue. Speculative fiction that depicts other worlds in which liminal queernesses are innate and unquestioned can be used as a sandbox to explore ways in which our current structures fail as well as ways we could improve. For this argument, I analyze the language, social structures, and political frameworks in several contemporary speculative fiction novels in order to explore how this genre can offer possibilities for future existence for liminal queernesses.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Queer Studies, Contemporary Literature, Speculative Fiction, Futurity, Visibility
