I wanted to write about sexual orientation somehow. I guess, discovering it using race and culture. However, I wanted to focus more on the female aspect of sexual orientation; lesbianism and being bisexual. I'm currently reading Passing by Nella Larson and I've noticed several things about Clare (and Irene) that hint toward bisexuality (seeing as how they are both married). The way Irene describes Clare, and the way Clare addresses Irene. Then I got to thinking about two potentional topics; first, I think women like to flirt/charm whether they know they are doing it or not. A flirt with life perhaps? Second, in Passing, could bisexuality be a form of passing? Sexuality in women in general is a hot topic. We as women are sexual beings, and I think sometimes we don't realize it. We have desires, and sometimes out of fear, or social "norms", we do not act upon them. As far as Clare and Irene go, negro lesbians would be a big no-no in their time, even though they are "passing" as white.
I brought this to the attention of my professor. She says I "have a very good reading of Passing already and that there's a great deal of material on the homoerotics (and internalized homophobia, or "homosexual panic") in that text." She also suggested an essay by Cherrie Moraga called From a Long Line of Bendidas: Chicanas and Feminism as "another representation of queer women of color and the particularities of their relationships to 'hegemonic culture.'" She also suggests Judith Buttler Bodies That Matter ("gender perfomativity) specifically chapter 6 where she "spends a lot of time discussing what she means by these terms specifically in relation to Passing."
So here I sit. Questions about Queer Theory.
