Women: Sexuality and Racism Brook Hall’s (2012) journal article, “Queering my Sexuality”, focuses on the elements of homosexuality and gender. This article addresses general female sexuality and the elements of coming out of the closet while at the same time being a sexual person who self-defines her sexual needs and wants without fear. Brook in her journal article states that she has allowed her sexuality not to be defined by her partners or the situation she is in. As Springer in her essay urges black women, especially educated middle class women, to be open about their sexuality and desires, Hall defines sexuality in her own terms and urges women to express what they feel. In her article, she strongly agrees with Springer idea of ‘queer’ expressionism as a way for finding a solution to the stereotypical way in which female sexuality is depicted. Generally, Hall is trying to bridge the gap between sexuality and gender
This article is addressed to both a heterosexual and homosexual audience. It has an intriguing take on the intersection between race, gender and sexuality. What I like most about Brook’s article is how it challenges sexual assumptions. She spans the issue of sexuality stating that it does not only involve singling out people who think along the same lines as we do or those who agree with us on our opinions about what’s gay or straight. Sexuality involves going past assumptions and the picture that culture has painted for us concerning what is sexually acceptable and what is not. I chose this article because it enables me to look at inter-sectionalism, race, gender and sexual intersection, from a different and, as Hall calls it, queer view and how this ‘queer’ culture can consider differences in race as well as ethnicity. Also, it interests me that Hall, who is white, overlooks the issue of race since she quotes Springer frequently stating that changing the references to race in a bid to suit her does not stop her from getting useful advice from Springer’s essay.
The significance of this journal article is the fact that Hall uses it as a wake-up call for women, regardless of race, to start fighting against stereotypes that have already been established and those that might be in the making. What interests me most in Hall’s article is the way she uses refers to queering as a way of losing assumptions that we hold. Meaning that we should climb the matrix that has been mapped out for us by mass culture. When you look at it from this perspective, she is trying to empower females by deeming being intact with one’s sexuality an act of courage and bravery, a campaign that we should all join in. This article has everything to do with buying into a whole new idea and assumptions about what is supposed to happen when people get together. In her article, Brook wants us to change our mindsets concerning female sexuality and reason out why it has become normal for our society to create stigmas and stereotypes of individuals based on their gender, race and sexuality.
This connects to what we are doing in the integrative seminar because it opens us up to our responsibilities as members of the society in a bid to change our mindsets that have been part of our enculturation. Brook’s article portrays how allowing people to be queer intentionally is a way of empowering them. Hall in her journal article, challenges us to be open about our sexual desires and to speak out freely about our sexualities, regardless of our races and stereotypes, because it is liberating
- Hall, B. (2012). Queering My Sexuality. Elephant Journal. Retrieved 4 March 2017, from https://www.elephantjournal.com/2012/06/queering-my-sexuality/
