Queer temporality refers to an understanding of time that is not linear but instead focuses on the experience of living outside of traditional temporal structures. For queer individuals, this means rejecting the idea that progress in life follows a linear path from birth to death, with a clear beginning and end, and instead emphasizing fluidity, intersectionality, and non-linearity in life's unfolding. This concept has significant implications for how queer people view personal growth, narrative identity, and life progression.
Personal Growth
Personal growth is often viewed in terms of linear development, whereby one moves through stages of life and experiences change in a predictable way. In contrast, queer temporality recognizes that growth can occur in unexpected ways and at unexpected times. Queer people may have experienced different forms of growth throughout their lives, such as through exploring gender identities or sexual orientations. These experiences challenge conventional understandings of what it means to grow up and become adults. Instead, they offer opportunities to reevaluate and reshape one's sense of self.
Narrative Identity
Narrative identity is the story we tell ourselves about who we are and our place within society. For queer individuals, this narrative is often shaped by experiences of marginalization and oppression due to their gender identity or sexual orientation.
Queer temporality allows them to reclaim their own stories, creating new narratives that resist dominant societal norms. By rejecting traditional concepts of time, queer individuals can disrupt narratives that position them as "other" or "less than." This enables them to create their own unique identities outside of heteronormative expectations.
Life Progression
Life progressions traditionally follow a trajectory from birth to death, with milestones marking important events along the way. Queer temporality challenges this model by emphasizing that life does not move in a straight line but instead spirals, circles, or expands outward. It offers alternative models for viewing life progression that account for multiple dimensions of experience, including emotional, spiritual, and relational ones. By adopting this concept, queer individuals can gain greater agency over how they shape their own lives, rather than being forced into prescribed paths dictated by society.
Queer temporality provides an alternative framework for understanding personal growth, narrative identity, and life progression. It encourages us to question conventional understandings of these concepts and embrace fluidity, intersectionality, and non-linearity. In doing so, it opens up possibilities for self-discovery, empowerment, and liberation.