Judith Butler: Theorist Brings Queer Livesinto Popular Discourse

Judith Butler: Theorist Brings Queer Lives into Popular Discourse

By G.Cocozza.

Judith Butler’s ceremony, held on March 26 in Derecho’s auditorium, calls for queer theory to be considered a legitimate form of academic pursuit and queer lives to become normalized in society. Prior to her most awaited speech, Consejo Universitario Director, Dr. Jorge Murillo Medrano, UCR Rector, Henning Jensen Pennington and Costa Rica’s Vice President, Ms. Ana Helena Chacón Echeverría honored Butler’s presence with the delivery of their support and gratitude. Butler’s work is poignantly unusual for the mainstream society.  The central idea of her speechcritiquedthe common sense or normalizinginstitutions. In fact, her thesis, based on a radical feminist theory, makes a demand for institutional policies that aim for equality and changes thecommon sense ideology in regard to our ideas about natural gender/sex.

Butler points out that in history gender has been misinterpreted as something natural that simply exists in the world.  At the birth of a child, there are only two choices of gender, either male (masculine) or female (feminine). The idea that sex determines gender has become common sense. To this, Butler discusses that gender is performative and that sex does not exist. First, one of her arguments is that based on scientific theory in order to fulfill the criteria of a real woman, women should be able to reproduce. However, in the United States 1 in every 10 couples have problems with infertility (American Baby Magazine).  Then, the dilemma is if this person should be considered a woman or not.  She indicates that these women are an exception to the biological definition, and that queer theory provides new openings for various gender and sexual identifications. Second, part of the common sense ideology comes from theorists such as Sigmund Freud, in which the sex desire derives from your sex identity. He explains that once individuals identify with one sex (male or female) their sex drive will be the opposite sex, without variation. To these two mainstream stands, Butler opposes and provides another definition, gender and desire is flexible, free-floating and not 'caused' by other stable factors, notes Prof.David Gaunlett, from the University of Westminster.

She also introduces a new concept: our bodies matter. Without thinking of utopian dimensions, her main goal is to make populations aware about the existence of those misunderstood subcultures that ask for equality, freedom and solidarity.The understanding of queer theory, in which bodies have various sexual gender characteristics that are unstable and can change throughout one’s life, entitles each of us the right to be unique. Marginalized groups, she mentions, like the LBGT people and immigrants go unrecognized. The Supremacy (the insitutionalized power) discriminate these minority groups by questioning their existence. They become phantoms, Butler states. These practices, of course, mislead policies thatregulate our civil rights. Who has the right to normalize the world and state which bodies should be recognized or not? Who has the right to dictate your bodies purpose? These are some of the questions she leaves the audience to ponder about.

           

Judith Butler receives an honorary degree in Derecho's Auditorium.

Not recognizing the bodies existence is an act of violence. Many people from these groups decide to join the mainstream society due to fear of harassment or rejection. It is easy to ask these people to adjust to the current system, but that means hiding their own identities, living a precarious life. For this reason, Butler asks for the support of governments to address this issue through economic support, infrastructure development and media coverage to positively influence the public opinion.