Queerness refers to non-heterosexual identities, behaviors, and cultures. Colonial morality is defined as "the set of values, attitudes, beliefs, and practices that justified European domination over indigenous peoples." Legacies are the effects of past actions or events. Moral regulation is imposing rules on individuals' behavior. Control is exertion of power over others. Intersection means how something relates to another thing. This article explores how queerness intersects with colonial moral regulation and control.
In European colonies such as North America, Africa, Asia, Oceania, and Latin America, Europeans imposed their own cultural norms onto local populations. These included monogamous marriage, heterosexual relations, gender roles, and private property ownership. They criminalized other behaviors, such as polygamy, homosexuality, cross-dressing, and adultery. Many colonizers believed these were unnatural and immoral because they went against Christian ideals. They feared losing control if people challenged their way of life.
Many colonies had a long history of same-sex relationships before contact with Europeans.
In Polynesia, men took male lovers called 'akava'i. In African kingdoms like Buganda and Benin, aristocrats engaged in same-sex relations. The British banned such practices after conquest due to religious and economic reasons.
Following decolonization, many postcolonial states retained laws against sodomy, which targeted non-heteronormative identities. Police often use them to arrest and humiliate activists who challenge social norms. Some countries decriminalized same-sex activity, but only recently. India did so in 2018, after years of legal battles and protests.
This does not protect all LGBTQ+ people from violence, discrimination, or economic disadvantage.
Queer individuals have also been part of resistance movements. Queer theorist Audre Lorde argued that marginalized groups can be allies against oppression. She criticized colonialism for dividing people into binary oppositions: white/black, rich/poor, man/woman, hetero/homo. She urged solidarity across differences. Queer identity intersects with racial, class, and gender identities.
This article has explained how queerness is connected to legacies of colonial moral regulation and control. It showed how European ideals influenced sexuality in colonized societies. It also discussed how queerness intersects with other forms of oppression. The next section will explore how queerness challenges colonialism today.
How does queerness intersect with legacies of colonial moral regulation and control?
Queerness refers to sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression that do not conform to dominant cultural norms of heterosexuality and cisgenderism. The concept was developed as an umbrella term for various identities that are marginalized due to their nonconformity to mainstream beliefs about sex, gender, and relationships.