Queer temporalities are ways of experiencing time that challenge traditional linear models of time and instead emphasize nonlinear, circular, cyclical, or multidirectional forms of temporality. They are often associated with marginalized groups who have experienced oppression and resistance, such as LGBTQ+ people. Queer temporalities can be seen in literature, art, music, and performance, and they challenge dominant narratives about progress and history. In this article, I will explore how queer temporalities reveal the human obsession with continuity and legacy through the lens of sex, sexuality, eroticism, intimacy, and relationships.
Queer temporalities show that there is no single, universal way to experience time. Instead, different individuals may experience time in different ways, depending on their personal experiences, identities, and social contexts.
Some people may feel that time moves forward in a straight line, while others may see it as a series of cycles or spirals. This challenges the idea that all humans experience time in the same way and implies that different perspectives on time can exist simultaneously.
Queer temporalities also suggest that time can be constructed by individual choices rather than simply being an objective measure of duration.
Someone might decide to live their life backwards, starting at death and working their way backward to birth, or they might focus on memories of a past relationship even after it has ended. These acts of rewriting history and making new meanings out of old events suggest that the past is not fixed but can be changed through individual actions.
Queer temporalities highlight the importance of embodiment and materiality in shaping our perception of time.
Certain sexual practices, like BDSM or kink, involve using tools like ropes, cuffs, and whips to create a sense of time passing differently than in everyday life. This suggests that our bodies are not separate from our temporal experiences but are integral to how we understand and navigate time.
Queer temporalities reveal that time is often connected to ideas about legacy and continuity. For many LGBTQ+ people, living openly means facing discrimination, prejudice, and violence that threatens to erase their existence. In this context, creating a legacy becomes important for ensuring that future generations know who they were and what they did. Queer temporalities challenge the notion that progress always moves forward and instead emphasize cyclical forms of change that loop back to previous moments.
Queer temporality challenges traditional linear models of time and offers alternative ways of experiencing time that are more fluid and nonlinear. By focusing on sex, sexuality, eroticism, intimacy, and relationships, queer temporalities reveal the human obsession with continuity and legacy. They show that time is not an objective measure but rather something constructed by individuals and communities.
What does queer temporality reveal about the human obsession with continuity and legacy?
Queer temporality is an approach to time that challenges traditional linear notions of time by recognizing multiple temporalities coexisting within our lives. It questions the idea that there is one "correct" way of experiencing time, and instead encourages us to explore how different cultures and identities understand time differently.