NOTIONS OF CONVENTION & QUEER POLITICS : A VISUAL ESSAY

Preamble

We live in a world where society focuses on highlighting the negative, or at least what is perceived to be the negative things around us. Very seldom do we focus on celebrating the positives and the things we love. Consciously, as is often the case in most instances, and also unconsciously, people go through their day-to-day nit-picking the people around them, exposing every mistake someone makes, in an effort to find something negative to focus on. The purpose of this essay is to explore notions of convention, specifically how they affect queer politics, from a retrospective and ‘outrospective’ (Roman Krznaric) perspective.[1] I will use a metaphor of the dinnerware inside the display cabinet in my grandmother’s house to illustrate the concept of a concealed identity as I explore the notion above.

The observer

Whenever we have guests at my grandmother’s place, there’s this ritual of using fancy dinnerware that’s not normally used to serve them, which most communities of colour are familiar with. However, inside the display cabinet, there was this rather strange dinner plate that was always tucked away below other dinner plates. Growing up, I was always intrigued by a family member’s obsession with this one dinner plate, which was kept in a corner inside the display cabinet because of its oddness. Whenever that family member took it out of the display cabinet, immediately you would hear an elderly member screaming, “Put that China back in the cupboards!” From a place of privilege, murmuring in my head, “It’s just a plate,” I observed as a child, seeing a family member being scolded. “Heart plays in ways the mind can’t figure out”(Duckworth, 2022). Coming from a background that values religious doctrine, queerness and inquiries about gender identity were and are still frequently misunderstood and viewed as taboo subjects. As Cottingham (2022) states, “In most cases, they are written off as inherent sins and not up for further debate.”

Such is perplexing to a child’s brain, seeing the repercussions of the odd dinnerware being taken out. To get close to the display cabinet, the family member gravitated toward doing kitchen-related chores. What was rather contradictory to me was the fact that although as a family we followed patriarchal views, they didn’t see anything wrong with the family member’s swapping of roles. As a child, this led me down a rabid hole of questioning, not just societal norms but also having conversations with family members. Most often than not, the conversations would always end with “That’s sin!” or “If you use that dinner plate, you will go to hell”. When I saw a family member using that dinnerware when people weren’t around, I didn’t see anything wrong with that. These opposing viewpoints created an internal conflict of binary ideologies, not regarding gender norms but rather the definition of morality.

ELEMENTS OF SAFETY

Through observing the repercussions of a family member taking out the odd dinnerware from the display cabinet, it is understandable why someone wouldn’t feel comfortable in certain spaces. In South Africa, for instance, black males largely remain the greatest threat to the sense of safety of others (Jewkes et al, 2010). Queer acceptance in society is evidently a facade, as most often you hear of a queer individual being killed somewhere, especially in Johannesburg.

(YFM) : “If my child grows up using that odd dinnerplate, I’m going to slap the strangeness away from him.” [2]

(OFM) : “It’s wrong. I have acknowledged classmates who use the odd dinnerware, but they need to come back to the light; otherwise, they will burn in hell!” [3]

NOTES

1. Outrospective as defined by Roman Krznaric A method in which you get to know oneself by developing relationships and empathetic thinking with others.

2. YFM is an acronym for a younger family member

3. OFM is representing an older family member

4. EFM also refers to Elderly family member

EFM : “I think those lovely two men living next door use that odd dinnerware in their house every day. I am surprised they even pray.” [4]

Even the ‘newly accepted’, using that term loosely, sexual identifications, there exists a form of classism which is also problematic. Patriarchal connotations also exist in the fetishizing of some queer individuals; take lesbians, for instance, with words like “dirty lesbians” for classification. As Canham states, when something is considered dirty, there is something sexually enticing and simultaneously forbidden about it (Canham, 2017). As the world gradually becomes more urbanised with a noticeable amount of rural to urban migration, it is important to understand the activities that are shaping the urban landscape as we experience it. As spatial planners, designing in the ‘future-tense’—considering the material details and social implications of things that don’t exist, as Rania Ghosn in Geostories (2022) suggests, can be a good way to challenge our beliefs, perceived transgressions, and choices that have shaped who we are (Rania Ghosn, 2022). The result is a society that encompasses and acknowledges the existence of “others.”

Right or Wrong

For if sexuality is not determined, then what is it? For many, the answer is simple: it must be a choice. What innate drive to use the dinnerware when told not to? And the result of viewing sexuality as a choice is far more politically damaging than the lie of biological determinism. It means that the LGBTQIA+ must have to defend their practices from accusations about their “immorality”(Shamus Khan, 2015). As history and cultural diversity are typically the tools used by scholars to show that something we perceive as natural is actually a social fabrication. In this instance, we would anticipate that race, if it were a biologically defined concept, would be constant over time and space. The enormous process of classifying individuals by race and understanding such a category as a biological inheritance did not begin until more contemporary scientific categorisation systems, paired with European geographical discovery and colonisation(Shamus Khan, 2015).

CONCLUSION

The reality is that queer individuals seek inclusion in public spaces to become active members of society as opposed to being passive members of a society that pushes heteronormative ideals. When there’s resistance, which is often the case, they end up establishing their own queer spaces separate from heterosexuals. As Shane Phelan (2001) writes, “making our communities into armed camps is not good politics; rather than shoring our borders to prevent infection, we must work on infecting the body politic with the dangerous virus of irreverent democracy.” However, as modern society has created clans of opposing views, where tensions are exposed at the intersection of these opposing views, the formation of these armed camps is inevitable. In Biomimicry, Exploring critical regionalism in the global south (Chinyanganya, 2022) I explored how a hyper-nationalistic society breeds a culture that excludes people be it racially or others in general. The dominant culture’s unwillingness to recognise queer domesticity is evidenced politically in opposition to, for instance, same-sex relationships (Reed, 1996).

REFERENCES

Duckworth, KL. (2022). Auntie diaries. Santa Monica, California: Universal Music Group Cottingham, DL (2022). Kendrick Lamar’s Auntie Diaries is a clumsy attempt at trans acceptance : https://www.vox. com/culture/23101387/kenrick-lamar-auntie-diaries-transphobic-morale-big-steppers

Jewkes RK,Dunkle K, Nduna M and Jama-Shai N (2010) The Lancet

DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(10)60548-X

Jewkes, R., et al., Sikweyiya, Y., Morrell, R., & Dunkle, K. 2011. Gender inequitable masculinity and sexual entitlement in rape perpetration South Africa: findings of a cross-sectional study. PloS One, 6(12).

PHELAN, S. (2001) Sexual Strangers: Gays, Lesbians, and Dilemmas of Citizenship. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.

Chinyanganya, ST. (2022). Biomimicry, Exploring critical regionalism in the global south. Barchelors level. University of Johannesburg.

Neath, G. (1998). An examination of Mexican food in popular culture. Masters level. Oxford Brookes University.

Reed, C. 1996. Immanent Domain:

Queer Space in the Built Environment.

Art Journal, Vol. 55, No. 4. Pp. 65-70

Canham, H. (2017) ‘Mapping the black queer geography of Johannesburg’s lesbian women through narrative’, Psychology in Society, (55). doi: 10.17159/2309-8708/2017/n55a6

Jazairy, EL and Ghosn, R. (2018). ‘Geostories: Another Architecture for the Environment,’ Design Earth, 1(2) https:// design-earth.org/publications/geostories/

Johnson, B. (2016) The rise of the Ubermensch. Available at: http://www. bjohnsonsworld.co.uk/theriseoftheubermensch (Accessed: 23 October 2017)

Khan, S. (2015) Not born this way : https://aeon.co/essays/why-should-gayrights-depend-on-being-born-this-way Blue is the warmest Color (2013) Directed by A. Kechiche. [Feature film]. France: Wild Bunch AG.

Henceforth if “using the odd dinner plate in your grandparent’s house” is a physiological desire whose expression is socially constructed. Some of that construction turns desire into love. Parallels in the film Blue is the warmest colour are to teach us something - self-acceptance is the right thing to do. Hiding who you are, always leads you to misery. We see this with the main protagonist, Adele, trying to figure out who she was, as she was not happy. In conclusion, just as an elderly family member instils a belief system that a specific dinnerware isn’t supposed to be used, morality in this sense is a form of a societal construct to which people become accustomed. It is us as a society who define what we deem right or wrong. Every individual possesses enough expressive liberty within them, but repercussions exist when that is deemed out of the norm. So if part of the population wants to explore their liberty to use the odd dinnerware in their grandmother’s display cabinet, Let them be! The discussion should instead be focused on making that the norm.

SCAN QR CODE TO GAIN ACCESS TO PROJECT VIDEOS

“Our perceptions of reality form it. If so,

“Our perceptions of reality form it. If so, what does this say about the areas we constantly inhabit? What about our areas of work, schools, university, homes, and even daily life? Our ideals shape the world, yet what begs the question is if the world does not shape us instead?” (Levin, 1979). Humanity resides in an ever-evolving world governed by advances in the fields of technology and medicine. However, as much as these factors help define the world. Our mind’s ability to synthesise identity makes it the defining factor of change. The issue is that people were not taught to comprehend this ability’s gravity and the repercussions fully. This research hopes to critically analyse the degree to which we have normalised the indoctrinated ideals of the world around us by examing the idea of the self, regarding queer politics and the symbolic meaning of a kist.

What is interesting to note is that the idea of owning China dishware in modern era South Africa is seen as the idea of wealth. An interesting link is made by connecting the ideas about this kist to the queer community. Examining the glass doors of the glassware, one notices the transparency to allow for the visibility of dishware inside. This can be paralleled with the lack of transparency placed by society over the queer community, thus leading to misconceptions of identity, sexuality, and culture. In this sense, the queer community can be seen as a metaphorical kist. This begs the question, to what degree have our perceptions of the queer culture and community been warped by the morality of society, and if so, can it be amended?

As revealed in a survey conducted by Out (a South African rights organisation). The data showed that of the 2000 LGBTQ people interviewed, 39% were “verbally abused”, 20% threatened with harm, 17% chased or followed, and nearly 10 per cent physically attacked (with a more significant number of black people have known someone who died), (Greef, 2019). This statistic can be seen in the spaces we inhabit. We have grown to understand the identities of cities and townships, but to what degree have we normalised the historical biases of these identities? (Alison., 2001). This is seen in the narratives of the cities always having large-scale glass buildings and townships regarded as zones of informal housing. Moreover, what identities have we tied to these spaces, what relationships do they contain and what defines them?

(SAHO, 2021)

a way of showing off”, (Mahlangu, 2022).

Micheal

Mahlangu- Does space give

Queering The City The creation of safe spaces for LGBT people to express themselves is an example of coming out of the closet or queering the city. For example, the fashion industry improves their workplace safety and survival. The fashion industry is designed to make everyone feel equal rather than inferior. GALA, Gay and Lesbian Memory in Action is a forum that has been designed to provide a safe space for LGBT people. As a result, it can be regarded as a queer space that increases safety. Dustin Buzzard,a graduate architecture student, gives ideas on how to Queer a city in the journal towards a queer urban design methodology, such as "cruise the park." Back in the day, gay men had to use codes to communicate private desires to one another, this method of communication was called code-switching, but this practice faded as they began communicating online. This method was rather very exhausting and draining and had psychological impacts. Cruise the park was created to allow not only LGBT people but also straight people to converse. This is an example of considering not only the space itself, but also the people in the space. People with power, such as the upper class, drive cities. They have complete control over how the city should function and look. Queer is a strategy for establishing a continuous process-oriented city as opposed to a fixed product-oriented city. Queering the city makes workers such as architects, landscape architects and practitioners, etc aware that they are not only constructing the city's physical and material fabrics, but also highlighting the importance of people in the city's construction.

QUEER is the closet, bring it OUT!

Conclusion forge her own identity based on her desires, the same is true for the interviewee. Even after concealing her identity by leaving her community, she encountered the same lack of understanding of her sentiments in Johannesburg. A location where she gets chastised for being unique. The point I'm trying to make is that we are living by obsolete or societal conventions rather than being ourselves. It makes no difference whether it is about sexual identity or simply rejecting societal standards in any manner; you are instantly perceived as different and chastised for it. The first democratic pride demonstration occurred on the eve of democracy in 1990, and many more followed. This suggests that their voices are not being heard sufficiently. Why are they attempting to conceal these individuals who are unique? As a result, we should open the queer closet so that they can live their lives without feeling threatened or unwelcome. And emphasize that the term "queer" refers to those who are not just different from society's norms in terms of sexual orientation, but also in other aspects.

Fearing for one's safety on a regular basis, having insults hurled at them for being who they are, and code-switching are all mentally exhausting and can have long-term consequences for their psychological well-being. Therefore, I do agree with the queer methodology in the society or in the urban sector. It gives a break and a safe area for people to bond with one another, exchange stories, and/or simply have fun with their guards down. I won’t neglect the fact that LGBTQ acceptance has grown in recent years, but these people are still a long way from feeling entirely safe and welcomed wherever they go. As a result, queering the city will continue to be vital!