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Tuesday, 24 October 2006 16:41 |
| | David Forbes |
Here is a book that, from the title on, is bound to start some discussions ÇƒÓ and probably even more arguments. Bert Archerës "The End of Gay (and the death of heterosexuality)" (Thunderës Mouth Press, 278 pages, $14.95) easily has one of the most controversial titles Iëve come across in years ÇƒÓ and it doesnët slow down from there.
Inside youëll find a razor-sharp attack on the entire current conception of sexual identity as embraced by many sides of the social and political spectrum. Archer pulls no punches and doesnët seem to be out to make any friends ÇƒÓ in fact, he seems intent on picking a fight.
That
fight, in his view, is against the conception of human sexual identity
as falling into narrow poles (homosexual and heterosexual). He believes
this is a cultural conception created by historical and political
circumstances instead of an absolute, timeless category.
In its place, he asserts that people (and society) should view sexual
identity as simply human ÇƒÓ one may be attracted to many people
throughout oneës life for many different reasons. Some may be male,
some female. Some may end up being life-long relationships, some not.
There is, he argues, no necessity to attach a strict identity to these
encounters, or, for that matter, a moral stigma. They are a part of
life just as someoneës political, religious or personal beliefs are.
To say thatës a
radical position in the current political and social clime is a vast
understatement. He even argues for scrapping the current definiton of
bisexuality, too. Agree or not, however, any book that lays out such a
position with as much force and wit as Archer brings to this effort
deserves to be read.
A journalist
whoës written for publications like Entertainment Weekly, The Toronto
Star and the Washington Blade, this is his debut effort.
The journalistic background shows.
Flitting from
personal anecdote to history to political argument and back again, he
uses an almost conversational style to cram an incredible amount of
material into what could easily have been a multi-volume text in the
hands of a more academic writer.
That conciseness
is simultaneously this bookës greatest strength and weakness. On the
plus side, it makes it accessible. Though Archer has to draw upon a
huge legacy of material to make his case, the book still remains
readable, even to those unfamiliar with some of the debates over
identity he wades into.
 At some points
however, the tone has the effect of leaving the reader hanging. In one
section, Archer poses an interestingly libertarian solution for the
whole gay marriage battle: give every adult a package of benefits that
each can bestow on another, for any reason, then leave what "marriage"
is entirely up to individuals and religious organizations of whatever
stripe to define as they see fit.
However, just as
Archer has broached this idea, which could almost be a book in its own
right, heës off and running to another topic.
Ditto for his
attack on identity politics, which he sees as devastating the ability
of humans to understand each other and their struggles for universal
rights by segmenting them into increasingly narrow and isolated groups.
But as with the previous example, as soon as Archer brings this up, it is thrown into the mix and not addressed again.
While brevity is
certainly a virtue, about 50 more pages to flesh out some of these
ideas would have made the book a deeper argument with more heft.
Where much of
his concentration does fall is in an assessment and critique of the way
the evolving gay (or to use the proper current acronym, GLBTQ)
subculture has defined its identity ÇƒÓ and how society has reacted and
defined things in turn.
That identity served a purpose in an important era, Archer argues, and it helped a community to coalesce and gain strength.
But he believes
that particular identity is crumbling because parts of the gay
community defined it by their generationës struggles, as an absolute,
and now go to sometimes gymnastic lengths to cram individual
experience, science and history, into that framework.
To that end, he
investigates examples of gays and lesbians being accused of
"backsliding" because they date someone of the opposite sex, a small
correlation between gay men and certain genes being wildly overplayed
as discovery of a "gay gene" and the importance of Oscar Wildeës (and
many other historical figures) relationships with women being
downplayed.
All this, he
says, is done to bolster an already created identity. The former rebels
have become the gatekeepers of a new orthodoxy.
I have no doubt
that Archerës arguments will be disagreed with, criticized and (as with
all things) misinterpreted. What they should also be is read.
You will find
today aisles filled with books claiming to be revolutionary while in
reality lulling the reader with the same old comfortable assumptions
and well-worn arguments. Here, though, is a book that is actually
revolutionary ÇƒÓ with all the potential discomfort and questions that
implies. Reader, you are warned.
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