Queer life narratives are stories that explore the experiences of LGBTQIA+ people, their identities, and how they navigate the world around them. These narratives can be written by anyone but often focus on marginalized voices to raise awareness about issues such as discrimination and stigma faced by queer individuals. In these narratives, the character's journey through different phases of life is explored, including their relationship with family members, friends, workplace, and community. The temporality of queer life narratives refers to how time affects personal growth and self-becoming in these characters. It means looking at how time plays a crucial role in shaping individual identities and how one perceives oneself and others. This essay will examine the impact of time on queer lives and how it reshapes our understanding of self-becoming over time.
Temporality and Personal Growth
Personal growth is the process of developing oneself emotionally, intellectually, physically, spiritually, socially, or morally over time. It involves changes in personality traits, values, belief systems, and behaviors. Queer life narratives provide insight into this development through the protagonist's perspective. They show us that time shapes how we view ourselves and relate to others.
A young man may grow up feeling alienated from his peers because of his sexuality, but as he ages, he learns to accept himself and forge healthy relationships with others.
He becomes more confident and comfortable expressing his identity, which enhances his personal growth.
Self-Becoming
Self-becoming is the process of discovering who you are and becoming your true self. It includes learning about oneself, embracing strengths and weaknesses, and making choices based on authenticity rather than societal expectations. In queer life narratives, the protagonists go through various stages of self-discovery as they explore their sexuality and gender expression. Time plays an essential role here by allowing them to reflect on past experiences and make new choices that align with their true selves.
Impact of Temporality
The temporality of queer life narratives has a significant impact on our understanding of personal growth and self-becoming. By examining these stories, we can see how characters change over time and learn valuable lessons about identity formation and transformation. These insights help us understand that personal growth is not linear or predictable; it is complex and often involves setbacks and challenges. We also see that self-becoming is a lifelong journey requiring constant reflection and adjustment.
The temporality of queer life narratives reshapes our understanding of personal growth and self-becoming over time. They show us how time affects character development and allow us to appreciate individual identities' complexity and fluidity. As we continue reading and writing these stories, we gain insight into the lives of LGBTQIA+ individuals and the challenges they face daily.
How does the temporality of queer life narratives reshape our understanding of personal growth and self-becoming over time?
The research on queer life stories has highlighted how these narratives can be used as tools for self-discovery and identity formation (Walters & West, 2019). Queer individuals tend to undergo a process of reflection and introspection throughout their lives, which often leads them to rethink and reconsider the meaning of their existence and place in society.