Militarizing US Homonormativities: The Making of “Ready, Willing, and Able” Gay Citizens

“Now that we can ask and tell: The social movement legacy of the DADT repeal”

“…While many celebrate the mainstreaming of LGBTQ identities represented by the repeal and the 2016 DOD announcement, others actively resist it. For such critics, the emphasis on military inclusion is a “far cry from the early vision of an expansive and celebratory sexual freedom” (Walters, , p. 94) promised by gay liberation, which was closely aligned with the 1970s anti‐war movement (Montegary, ; Walters, ). LGBTQs who are fighting to serve, some argue, are fighting to preserve an American way of life that consistently diminishes them, particularly those who are unwilling or unable to conform to normative presentations of self (Gilreath, ).…”

“…Contemporary nationalist politics are still heterosexist, as citizenship is still premised on procreative, normative sexualities (Alexander, ), but in this new era, some queers are more acceptable than others (Peterson, ; Puar & Rai, ). The pivot has been to “transform previously pathologized homosexuals” in the West, particularly those who can approximate the professionalism and normativity of their heterosexual counterparts, into “respectable homopatriotic citizens” (Montegary, , p. 893). Puar (, p. 68) coined this process “homonationalism,” wherein some LGBTQs are recruited into nationalist/imperialist agendas through the promise of increased rights and protections but at a steep cost to others.…”

“…While many celebrate the mainstreaming of LGBTQ identities represented by the repeal and the 2016 DOD announcement, others actively resist it. For such critics, the emphasis on military inclusion is a "far cry from the early vision of an expansive and celebratory sexual freedom" (Walters, 2011, p. 94) promised by gay liberation, which was closely aligned with the 1970s anti-war movement (Montegary, 2015;Walters, 2011).…”

“…The folding of LGBTQs into these normative, masculinist, and nationalist values is what Sycamore (2010, p. 8) refers to as the "militarization of gay identity." This process aligns the gay rights movement with US imperialism in a way that this perspective finds troubling and, ultimately, damaging to queer people globally (Farrow & Conrad, 2011;Gilreath, 2011;Montegary, 2015;Walters, 2011).…”

“…Not only is normative masculinity implicated in the definition of military professionalism, but it is also deeply intertwined in the core values of nationalism—honor, bravery, duty, and patriotism are fundamental tenets of each (Nagel, ; Puar & Rai, ). The folding of LGBTQs into these normative, masculinist, and nationalist values is what Sycamore (, p. 8) refers to as the “militarization of gay identity.” This process aligns the gay rights movement with US imperialism in a way that this perspective finds troubling and, ultimately, damaging to queer people globally (Farrow & Conrad, ; Gilreath, ; Montegary, ; Walters, ).…”