Language and Discourse: Sex-Obsessed Homophones- Part 3

By Cam

I was reading Marcella Althaus-Reid Conexion Queer. She had mentioned something that I couldn't have been able to put in better words and formation. She said, "I affirm that Christology and all doctrinal propositions-even the doctrine of Grace or Redemption- developed based on a presupposition of sexual identity. They function at the level of ontological and determine the essence of the human being and their relationships with the world, be them affectionate or economic exchanges. In other words, theology has made an idol of a sexual ideology like heterosexuality.(Althaus-Reid 35)."

Your everyday conservative, political far-right supporter will mention they are trying to save the children from sexual immorality that involves the left making our children gay. This idea of "save the children" only applies to liberals trying to "force" a gender or sex change on "our" children. These are the same supporters of Trump who seemingly have no issue with his problematic views of women and black and brown communities. It is all "save the children" until it is a Palestinian child being decimated by Israeli forces, funded by America. It is all "save the children" until it comes to the children in the U.S. foster care system who need to be adopted but Far Right Conservatives want to desecrate on equal marriage and equal adoption. 

Children need grace and redemption, one that is not shaped by this underlying assumption of sexual identity. Human existence should not be shaped by sexuality at all as it forces an integration into strict categories of what is normal and not normal. People are asexual, but as traditional theology tends to presume heterosexuality as the norm, that presumption explicitly influences Christian understandings of relationships whether that be economic, romantic, or familial. As theology is thought from strict heterosexual ideology as being the ideal existence, it disregards and forms an exclusion barrier around the "others" and that leads to a constraint on the full diversity of human relationships and existences.

In the idea of being sex-obsessed in the case of what I have been writing about. It means to look at a situation where there is a fight for equality. But instead of seeing the marginalized as humans, you see them as hypersexual deviants. Society and culture are made up of more than gender and sexual identity. It is made of art, music, textile production, philosophy, etc. A sex-obsessed view essentially denies these individuals the depth and variety that society often takes for granted in more privileged groups. Rather than seeing Lil Nas X as a revolutionary creator who embraces the odd sides to creation similar to Lady Gaga, and disregarding her classical gravitas with her piano and vocality, we see these artists regarded as provocative and scandalous, a perspective narrowed down to a sensation rather than them being creatives and meaningful to those who felt ostracized for who they were before they became international superstars. 

It is something special to have been able to make friends with trans men and women. In this lifetime, it is important, as we have seen generations of the LGBT+ community lose their family and loved ones due to prejudice and violence. No one is perfect, which is why it is great to possess the powers of discernment, but everyone deserves a fighting chance at life. Palestinians deserve to live and see the world, the citizens of Congo deserve the rights to their bodies without the U.S. demand for cobalt, copper, zinc and other materials used to make phones and electronics. There is no need for a new iPhone each year or a new Apple product considering the crisis it causes. 

When we go about our day to day lives, we should do so with a level of discernment and ethicality. If we know that certain companies are funding a genocide, if there is an alternative, then go with the alternative. When we feed into marginalized communities and create spaces for mutual aid, we persist as a union. Unionizing is imperative as it ensures that workers and communities can collectively advocate for their rights, fair wages, and safe conditions. Unions and collective action empower people to stand together against unjust labor practices, environmental degradation, and other forms of systemic harm that disproportionately impact marginalized groups.

We hold ourselves accountable as a union to bring the power to the community to avoid being at mercy to greedy corporate interests. Through a united front, we resist all forms of oppression and work to create a community that serves the needs of all folx. 

Thanks for reading!

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