existence and subordination

"Bound to seek recognition of its own existence in categories, terms, and names that are not of its own making, the subject seeks the sign of its own existence outside itself, in a discourse that is at once dominant and indifferent. Social categories signify subordination and existence at once. In other words, within subjection the price of existence is subordination." -Judith Butler

I would argue that these gender categories give us a sense of existence, a way of feeling we are real. For example, I identify strongly with being a lesbian queer feminist. The way I dress, the way I move and act and talk is informed by this. It is a political act because we know that what we think of as personal is in fact also political. It is a political and personal act because it helps define us and find others who identify similarly or find others who are open to us. When we identify as something or present ourselves a certain way, we are sending out a signal to others about what we do with our bodies (even if erroneously). Gender can also be subversive when it breaks norms. For example, I break what it means in our society for a female to be a woman. I have short hair, wear men’s clothing, often don’t shave nor wear makeup, and identify as a lesbian. Because I break these norms, my identity is often questioned, often even to the point of harassment. This is because my identity is not supposed to exist. Only “straight” “women” and “men” are supposed to exist. Everything outside that is subordinate, deviant.

Yet, this identity is also oppressive, as all identities are a type of subordination, whether you identify as “straight”, “man”, “woman”, “gay”, “trans”, etc. A gendered identity is an oppressive identity because gender is a mechanism of perception that automatically categorizes us, even falsely. We are caught up in something our language has defined for us. And our language is caught up in heteropatriarchy. Under an oppressive society, our language is oppressive, therefore those identities formed under that language are oppressive. As someone who identifies as a “lesbian,” I am caught up in a heteropatriarchal identity that can never fully define me nor my sexuality. Same goes with “queer” and any other identity formed under heteropatriarchy.

Heteropatriarchy is obsessed with categorizing our gender and sexuality so that it may keep us under a system of subordination instead of allowing us our full fluidity.