The concept of queer temporality has been used to describe how non-heteronormative ways of experiencing time can challenge dominant ideas about linear chronology and predictable patterns. By exploring the relationship between sexuality and temporality, it is possible to question rigid assumptions about the nature of time and suggest alternative models that account for its fluidity and unpredictability. In this article, I will examine how queer temporalities might inform new ontologies of time rooted in flexibility and indeterminacy.
Queer Temporalities and Heteronormativity
Queer temporality refers to the ways in which people outside of traditional heterosexual norms experience time differently.
Some LGBTQ+ individuals may find themselves resisting or rejecting binary concepts of time such as past/present/future, beginning/middle/end, or even clockwise/counterclockwise. This can lead to feelings of disorientation and dissociation from mainstream society's understanding of time. Some may also feel that their lives are characterized by "time out of joint," where events seem to defy predictable sequencing and causal connections.
The Limitations of Linear Time
Linear time is a dominant model in Western thought, shaped by scientific and philosophical theories. It assumes that time moves forward in a straight line, with each moment following logically from the one before.
This view fails to account for the complexity and randomness of human life. People often experience multiple moments at once, creating nonlinear and overlapping timelines. They may also have unexpected experiences that defy causal explanations.
New Ontologies of Time
By considering alternative ways of experiencing time, we can develop new ontologies that challenge the rigidity of linear chronology. Instead of thinking of time as an objective, universal force, we could imagine it as dynamic and subjective. We could embrace its fluidity and unpredictability, allowing for more open-ended possibilities and creative expression. This would require rethinking our assumptions about reality and how we understand it through language.
Queer Temporality and Sexuality
Queer temporalities may be particularly relevant to sexuality because sex itself challenges conventional notions of time. Sex can occur outside of the boundaries of traditional sex-gender binaries and involve multiple partners, activities, or settings. Its pleasure may depend on disrupting normative expectations and breaking down conventional patterns. By exploring these ideas, we can expand our understanding of what constitutes normality and abnormality when it comes to sexual behavior.
Can queer temporalities inspire new ontologies of time rooted in fluidity and unpredictability?
Queer temporalities can serve as an important source of inspiration for exploring novel ways of understanding our relationship with time beyond the rigid frameworks of linearity and predictability that dominate contemporary society. Through their subversive rejection of traditional chronology, they challenge conventional notions of temporality by embracing nonlinearity, multiplicity, and contingency, offering new modes of engagement with time that are more fluid, flexible, and open to possibility.