A Queer Sociology: On Power, Race, and Decentering Whiteness

Abstract

In this article, we argue for "a queer sociology" that centers race and processes of racialization, while naming and decentering Whiteness. "A queer sociology" is a field that foregrounds relations of power, particularly: race, class, empire, gender and gender identity, and sexuality, and that does not use queer in a reductionist way (or merely in reference to LGBT identity-based projects). We question the uses of queer theory in sociology and show how previous iterations miss/ignore multiple genealogies of the field, like Black feminist thought, women of color feminisms, and the queer of color critique. "A queer sociology" centers power relations beyond gender and sexuality, recognizing the invisible and overarching work of Whiteness and the US (as unnamed centers of analyses) in structuring not only the sociology of sexualities, but sociological thinking overall. We invite sociology to engage with our theorization of "a queer sociology" as a way to transform our categories of analysis and how we conceive of power.

Sexual Consent and Communication Among the Sexual Minoritized: The Role of Heteronormative Sex Education, Trauma, and Dual Identities

“…A handful of scholars have written insightful pieces on whiteness as it relates to sexually minoritized and transgender individuals. Terms such as "gay," "lesbian," and "trans" have been shown to be associated with white cultural scripts thereby making LGBTQ+ people of color invisible (Follins & Lassiter, 2017;Greene, 2000;Han, 2007;Hunter, 2010;Moussawi & Vidal-Ortiz, 2020;Nadal et al, 2017;Snorton, 2014;Vidal-Ortiz, 2014). Additionally, data indicate that trans and gender non-conforming people as well as LGBQ people of color experience discrimination, stigma, and victimization at rates well exceeding their white counterparts (James et al, 2016;Sutter & Perrin, 2016;Walker et al, 2021).…”

Feminismos, violencias y redes sociales

“…Aunque este capítulo no pretende dar respuesta a las preguntas anteriores, las consideramos un punto de partida de nuestro análisis al desmarcarse del supuesto de que el género es un concepto universal. Así, asociamos el género y la sexualidad con el espacio, la raza, la salud, la educación, el empleo, la religión, la inmigración y las relaciones de poder que dan forma única a las identidades (de género) en cada lugar (Moussawi & Vidal-Ortiz, 2020) y adoptamos una perspectiva crítica respecto a las miradas masculina (Mulvey, 1975) e imperial (Kaplan, 2000) con las que, a menudo se trata este fenómeno, tanto desde la representación como desde la academia.…”

A Sea of Whiteness: Teaching Sexuality through a New Sociology at a U.S. American University

“…This article pushes for newer sexualities studies, making them explicitly more than circumscribed by the heterosexual/gay binary or cis-, white-, or able-centered. My quest with this piece is to deploy sexuality studies in sociology as already racialized and its complicated teaching as an important contribution where intersectional omissions are part and parcel of the study of sexualities (Moussawi and Vidal-Ortiz 2020). I return to my use of autoethnographical vignettes (Vidal-Ortiz 2004) to underscore the social location and theorizing rooted, in part, in women of color (Robinson and Clardy 2010) and other feminist formations (see Ruiz-Junco and Vidal-Ortiz 2011) and to join black gay scholars (B. K. Alexander 2004) and other scholars of color to think about the intricacies and impact of the marked bodies leading classroom discussions and facing power and stereotyping (Zambrana 2018).…”