Queer Theory (Butler)

In “Imitation and Gender Insubordination,” Judith Butler explores queer theory while deriving from it at the same time – pointing out the flaws in using labels that signify a person’s sexual orientation. Butler does not feel comfortable identifying herself as a lesbian because she believes that any label like this is an “instrument of regulatory regimes,” and can be oppressive. In her article, Butler writes that “lesbian sexuality can be understood to redeploy its ‘derivativeness’ in the service of displacing hegemonic heterosexual norms” (227). Because of this, Butler does not address the problems that lie in the oppression that non-heterosexuals face; but rather, she locates the problem in the binary framework of sexuality and pre-existing ideas of what is“normal” and what is “Other.”  

Judith Butler, in this article, seems to express similar ideas that Wallace and Green addressed in “Queer Rhetorical Theory,” especially the concept of “heteronormativity” (certain genders are considered “normal,” while some are considered “others”). While Marxist and Hegemony theorists (namely, Marx and Gramsci) would likely believe that this phenomenon is a result of class conflicts and the struggle for power, and the Psychoanalysis approach (Freud, Lacan, Zizek) would likely believe it is rooted in pleasure, Butler’s ideas seem to be based in Post-structuralism.  In order to change the heteronormativity and the problems it causes, we must deconstruct the system and stop subscribing to its framework and the meanings that it has.

Though this article was a little more complex than Wallace and Alexander’s, it offered a fresh new perspective on the topic of queer theory.  What I enjoyed most about Butler’s argument was her issue with labels and how they create problems because they encourage fabrication and imitation. Each label is volatile, and by tacking one onto yourself, you face the problem of being subjected to this label’s requirements – which can be contradictory and never ending, in addition to oppressive and alienating. Gender labels often create these problems, and Butler suggests the idea of deconstructing them as a solution.