Queer temporality is a concept that explores the relationship between time and non-heteronormative gender identities. It challenges traditional concepts of time such as linear progression and unidirectional flow, which are often associated with heterosexuality and cisgender normativity. Queer temporality, instead, offers a way to think about time as nonlinear, cyclical, and multifaceted, allowing for alternative modes of existence beyond the dominant narratives of progress and control. This idea has implications for ethics because it suggests ways in which queer individuals can resist the pressure to conform to normative temporal expectations and create their own rhythms, pacing, and cycles of life. One aspect of this resistance is an "ethics of refusal," whereby queer individuals refuse to submit to the demands of acceleration and control imposed by capitalism, patriarchy, and other oppressive systems. In other words, they reject the idea that time is something that should be managed or optimized, and instead embrace slowness, stillness, and disruption as forms of rebellion against these structures.
Consider the practice of kink, which is rooted in queer temporality. Kink involves consensually engaging in activities that deviate from societal norms around sex, power dynamics, and pleasure. These practices may involve role-playing, bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, sadism, masochism, and/or fetishism. Within this context, time becomes fluid and nonlinear, with no clear beginning or end, and participants have the freedom to explore their desires without concern for clocks or schedules. This approach to sexuality challenges traditional notions of efficiency and productivity and allows for more open-ended exploration and discovery. Similarly, some feminist theorists have argued that pregnancy and childbirth offer a way to challenge the masculinization of time, which often prizes speed and efficiency over care and connection. By embracing the slower pace of pregnancy and motherhood, women can reclaim their bodies and defy the pressure to always be productive workers.
Another aspect of queer temporality is its focus on intimacy and interconnectedness, rather than separation and isolation. This perspective suggests that time is cyclical, with beginnings and ends that are not clearly defined, and that individuals exist within larger networks of relationships and interactions. In contrast to dominant cultural narratives, which emphasize individualism and competition, queer temporality prioritizes collaboration, mutual aid, and collective action.
The concept of "chosen family" recognizes that familial bonds do not necessarily arise from bloodlines or biological ties, but instead emerge through affinity, affection, and shared experiences. Through these connections, people can create alternative structures of support and care outside of the nuclear family model.
Queer temporality offers an ethics of refusal against acceleration and control by resisting normative expectations around time, sex, gender, and relationships. It encourages slowness, stillness, and disruption as forms of resistance and embraces nonlinear modes of existence beyond traditional conceptions of progress and optimization.
How does queer temporality offer an ethics of refusal against acceleration and control?
Queer temporality is a theory that challenges traditional notions of time as linear and progressive. It suggests that there are multiple temporalities at play, each with their own unique structures and logics. Queer temporality rejects the idea that time must be uniform, predictable, and controlled by dominant social norms. Instead, it embraces fluidity, complexity, and non-linearity in the experience of time.