Latino Cultures, Imperial Sexualities By Jose Quiroga

Latino Cultures, Imperial Sexualities By Jose Quiroga focuses on the separation of culture and sexuality from a Latino perspective. He begins with introducing to his readers the concept of the American mainstream gay and lesbian culture. This culture has become a standard “homonormativity”. The acceptable norms of being a homosexual are sadly based on “whiteness”. This white majoritarian version of lesbian and gay pride excludes the ethnic and queer minority unless one can be accepted as white. Within this Americanized idea of gay and lesbian pride it seems to be moving towards a "gradual assimilation” (to change or become similar to the majority) of difference within a society to homonormativity rather than “a celebration of [actual] difference itself" (Quiroga 192). America’s concept of "the melting pot" is a perfect example of taking multiple groups with many differences and melting them together into an American vision of normalcy. The politics of assimilation marginalizes (place in a position of lower importance) some members of a community to make room for others to become assimilated. The American concept homonormativity makes sexuality seem rigid and clear cut in definition locking individuals into certain available spaces and/or forcing them to make themselves fit. Even organizations that are meant to give a voice to queer minorities for example, inevitably assimilate themselves into U.S politics and become similar to white lesbian and gay organizations. This ends up pushing certain issues that they should be discussing to the side. This also creates a disconnection between the organization and the people they are supposed to be representing. Some queer Latino activists however feel that the "spectacle" produced by a organization who tries to fit the mainstream national organization concept makes room for "real" action to take place.

Even though this article can come off as a bit anti-American or anti-western influence in the beginning, I believe it is merely expressing the consequences of this mainstream gay concept. It was interesting for Quiroga to include how this American concept has been packaged in such a way that if its image was to be projected globally it gives off the intention of making the world “just like us" (Quiroga 193). He also included how a non American perspective or sexual identity disrupts U.S homonormativity and is usually marginalized. This leads to the exclusion of the ethnic and queer minority because they just don't fit. (Personally, I find it ironic how sexual identities that were and are still outside of the truest norm, have been shaped into secondary norm of acceptable homosexuality which forces others to mold themselves into this image or face exclusion.)

Historically, rights movements would focus on one identity only. For example the feminist movement focused only on the identity of being a woman. These movements would push for the rights and acceptance for that singular identity excluding others that may be connected to that identity. Those embodying multiple identities will in one way or another feel partially or fully excluded from their different identifying communities. For example a queer Latino would feel alienated from the Latino community because there is no queer safe space and in the queer community the relationship between sexuality and culture is usually ignored. The Latino movement is a good example of the separation of cultural identity and sexual identity. The separation between cultural identity and sexual identity forces people to choose only one identity to represent at a time. This leaves the queer minority “othered” when combining culture and sexuality together.

Latinos are examples of people who sometimes juggle multiple identities. This not only shows the fluidity of identity but it is also a prime example of what Quiroga calls positionality. Socially one has to continuously reposition themselves according to their environment and situation in order to represent the identity that would be most beneficial. Depending on what identity they express they can either gain or loose certain social privileges. The separation of culture and sexuality also leads to a kind of identity hierarchy where one is more important than the other. This creates the options of an individual keeping culture and sexuality apart or negotiating in a way they can work together. However negotiation simply can not cancel out the social conflicts derived from the blending of multiple identities. Many voluntarily assimilate themselves into the homonormative structure and separation between culture and identity because of self-interest and self-benefit in an identity structured society.

Quiroga also expresses how through the use of films, Latino directors have created a broader space for identity and identification (how others identity others) with room to explore the relation between the two and the relation between sexuality, ethnicity and race. While maintaining individuality and not falling into the melting pot (in other words gay pride and acceptance without assimilation) these films give identity back a sense of mobility. "They are not interested in defining sexual behavior according to cultural models but in broadening the space of intervention by focusing on" the grey areas where classification cannot be applied (Quiroga 194). Grey zones are what make room for other spaces. Their movies reiterate the concept of how all kinds of identities, racial, ethnic, religion or sexuality bleed into each other. This mobility through different worlds of identity illustrates how being Latino or expressing homosexuality for example does not have to be in opposition or threatening to the construction of another identity. Latino, American, Homosexuality, Heterosexuality all "coexist for the sake of multiple definitions that will in turn dismantle the normative definitions society has imposed."

In my opinion the author of this article believes that the current narrow politics of identity need to be dismantled because identity is fluid and culture and sexuality are intertwined. Sexuality and ethnicity often overlap each other naturally and by not separating the two it can broaden the current definitions of sexuality. The destabilization (break down) of current identity categories will create new ways of relating across cultures, races and ethnicities which will in return target and create dialogue on aspects and issues over looked by the traditional white gay and lesbian politics. The point is not to create new singular categories but understand the connection between existing ones.

[Included are two flags that have combined differing cultural and sexual identities. One is of the Puerto Rican Gay Flag and the other is the American Gay Flag]