There has been an increasing awareness of the importance of recognizing the different temporalities that exist within LGBTQ+ communities. Queer time is often characterized by its refusal to conform to traditional narratives of progress, linearity, and continuity, instead embracing discontinuity, fragmentation, and multiplicity. This article will explore how this non-normative approach to time can be seen as a form of resistance against moral narratives of achievement and closure.
Queer temporality challenges the dominant societal expectation that all individuals should strive towards achieving a certain level of success and stability in their lives. Instead, it embraces fluidity and unpredictability, acknowledging that life cannot always be planned or controlled.
Many queer people experience rejection from their families, which can cause them to feel isolated and alone.
They may also find community through support networks such as Pride parades, online forums, and activist groups. These experiences challenge the idea that everyone must fit into a predetermined social structure, as well as the assumption that progress is always achieved through individual effort.
Queer temporality rejects the notion of closure, arguing that it is impossible to achieve complete satisfaction or fulfillment in any one area of life. Instead, queer people are encouraged to embrace ambiguity and uncertainty, understanding that life is constantly changing and evolving. This perspective allows them to resist the pressure to settle down, have children, or adhere to other societal norms. It also opens up new possibilities for exploring different kinds of relationships, whether romantic, platonic, sexual, or otherwise.
Queer temporality questions traditional notions of linear progression, which assume that events occur in a logical sequence and lead to a definite outcome. Instead, it embraces non-linearity, recognizing that time can be experienced simultaneously in multiple directions.
Some LGBTQ+ people may identify with multiple genders or orientations at once, challenging the binary categories of gender and sexuality. Others may see their identities as shifting over time, rather than being fixed or static. By resisting these assumptions, queer time encourages individuals to explore and express themselves freely, without being constrained by society's expectations.
This article has shown how queer temporality resists moral narratives of achievement and closure. Rather than striving towards a predetermined endpoint, it celebrates fluidity, multiplicity, and unpredictability. It recognizes that life cannot be controlled or planned, and encourages individuals to embrace uncertainty and change. Through embracing this approach to time, queer communities can create alternative ways of living and loving, free from the constraints of conventional social norms.
In what ways does queer temporality resist moral narratives of achievement and closure?
Queer temporality resists moral narratives of achievement and closure by refusing to adhere to traditional models of time that prioritize linearity, stability, and progress. Instead, it privileges fluidity, flexibility, and cyclical patterns, which challenge dominant ideologies that promote an individualistic and fixed sense of self and success.