Queer temporality challenges heteronormative linear models of selfhood, relationality, and growth in several significant ways.
One must understand that the traditional model of temporal experience is based on the assumption of a linear progression from birth to death, with each stage of life marked by specific milestones and transitions such as graduation, marriage, parenting, retirement, etc.
Queer theory suggests that this model fails to recognize the complexity and fluidity of human experience, including sexuality and gender identity. Instead, it posits that time can be non-linear and cyclical, with multiple identities and experiences coexisting simultaneously.
Selfhood
In terms of selfhood, the traditional model assumes that individuals progressively develop a fixed sense of their own identity and place within society. This may include concepts such as 'male' or 'female,' heterosexual or homosexual, and adult or child. Queer temporality challenges these binary categories, recognizing instead that people may occupy multiple positions along various spectrums of sex, gender, and age, all of which are constantly shifting and evolving over time. This means that queer temporality encourages a more expansive view of the self, wherein an individual's identity is not tied solely to a single label but rather encompasses many facets of lived experience.
Relationality
In terms of relationality, the traditional model also assumes a progression from childhood through adolescence to adulthood, marked by increasing independence and autonomy. Yet queer temporality rejects this model, highlighting the importance of interdependence and mutuality in relationships across all stages of life.
Intimacy between partners does not necessarily follow a linear path from initial attraction to long-term commitment but may involve cyclical patterns of connection and disconnection, as well as multiple forms of relationship (e.g., romantic, platonic, familial).
Some studies suggest that queer couples may have more fluid and flexible expectations about monogamy and exclusivity than heteronormative ones.
Growth
The traditional model emphasizes linear growth and development towards maturity and mastery, with each stage building upon the previous one.
Queer temporality suggests that growth can occur simultaneously on multiple levels and be influenced by intersecting identities and experiences.
Someone may identify as transgender while also navigating their career trajectory or parenting young children, requiring them to balance different aspects of their lives and respond flexibly to changing circumstances. Similarly, people may experience personal growth in unexpected ways, such as through confrontation with trauma, crisis, or loss, which do not always fit neatly into a linear narrative.
In what ways does queer temporality challenge heteronormative, linear models of selfhood, relationality, and growth?
The concept of queer temporality posits that there is no single trajectory for human development across time; instead, people's experiences are fluid and nonlinear. This challenges traditional notions of progress and progression, which often privilege normative timelines like getting married, having children, and pursuing certain careers. Queer temporality also questions assumptions about identity formation, suggesting that we may continually shift and change throughout our lives rather than settle into fixed identities.