The Segregation of Public Space

For as long as I can remember I have been aware of the existence of gay bars, clubs, and neighborhoods; it was not until this past weekend, however, that I realized just how expansive the designation of “gay space” truly is. For Spring Break this year I was fortunate enough to spend part of my time on the beach in Miami. For those of you who have never been, South Beach is a very long (and crowded) stretch of sand and deciding where to lay your towel make take a little time and a lot of walking. Luckily though. I did not brave the beach alone but instead was guided by my friend who is a native of the area. One day while we were deciding where to lie out my friend pointed to a section of the beach that was enclosed by rainbow flags and informed that it was the “gay section”. Although I have never really given much thought to gay hangouts, there was something about this strip of “gay” sand that made me feel the designating, labeling and dividing of public space had gone too far. After all, this beach was a public beach so who was it that got to say which sexualities belonged where? There is no “straight section” of the beach formally marked by flags, so why does this “gay section” exist? While I’m sure an entire paper can be (and has been) written on just this question, my thoughts did not end here.

Instead, next I began to wonder who is it that benefitted from this creation of “gay space”? Of course, right away I viewed this space as another way for heterosexual culture to assert its dominance as the “normal” culture while marginalizing all other gender representations and sexualities. By deeming half a mile of sand for homosexuals it becomes clear that the rest of the beach is for heterosexuals. This not only grants the “normal” sexuality the majority of the space but also turns public space into one that must be divided and separated between different sexualities rather than shared. However, I believe there is more to this space than it’s reinforcing of hetero-normative public space. I believe that the siphoning of this “gay space” in some ways benefits homosexuals as well. As history shows, the creation of gay spaces has amounted for different reasons: one, the controlling of public space after WWII made it impossible for people who went against hetero-normative sexuality and gender displays to be free publically; and two, statistically homosexuals are the minority and designated spaces for homosexuals in the past (and probably still in the present) made it easier for people to find communities of other homosexuals to engage with. In this way, “gay space” within “public space” may be both beneficial and preferred by homosexual culture, as well. So if this space can be helpful to both cultures in some ways is it acceptable?

While it can be argued that the designation of “gay space” within “public space” has its upsides, ultimately I think it is undeniable that the labeling of any public space for certain sexualities, ethnicities, genders or classes completely undermines the idea of public space. Therefore, whether the rainbow flagged “gay section” of the beach was enjoyed by homosexuals as well as heterosexuals or ignored by all, it is time the flags come down and public space become just that: public.

Outing the Gays

I’m sitting in my living room drinking and eating with some of my closest friends and the topic of sexuality (inevitably) comes up. One of my friends starts to discuss a boy she has recently made out with although she believes he is gay. She goes on to tell us that even though he is “so obviously gay” he instead describes himself as “the most fashionable straight guy you’ll ever meet”. Of course, from there everyone else starts throwing out names of boys they have the same “issue” with. Quickly, the conversation has gone from boys we’ve made out with to boys who just will not “admit” they are gay. If these girls are so sure that these boys are gay then why do they need the boys to clarify it? Better yet, why do they even care? Suddenly it dawns on me: we are afraid of what we do not understand, and in this society, we do not understand people without labels.

From day one we are taught to believe people are sorted into categories: boy-girl; white-black; lefty-righty. Everywhere we look we are categorized and put into a group based on some trait that is supposed to define us and sexuality is one of the most prominent ways we do this. Like with all other categories, however, when someone defies or ignores the group other people have chosen for him the public becomes dismantled. For this reason, when our friend who has very effeminate mannerisms and everyone believes he is gay says he is heterosexual all of a sudden his sexuality becomes everyone’s business and everyone’s problem. In my opinion, the bigger problem is that it matters to anyone but the individual in question.

As the conversation continues all the girls declare (because God forbid someone accidentally gets labeled homophobic) that they don’t care if the boy is gay and they would like him so much more if he would just come out and tell the world he is. Which is where today’s society inevitably lies: a society that would like to be deemed accepting yet only accepts when everyone follows the rules and clearly labels themselves for the benefit of others.

 

Do you think he’s gay? Oh, he is SO gay.

I’ve been on the phone with my mom a lot lately since she’s been helping me edit some papers, etc. Usually before we get down to business we gossip about people we don’t know.

The discussion on last Thursday began, “So how long have you known **friend of ours- a couple years younger than me** is gay? I quickly responded that I’ve known since the day I met him, which was when he was probably about eight or nine years old.

I often brag about my superior gaydar. I “knew” my younger brother was gay long before he came out, and it’s been the same story with several of my gay friends at Tulane. My mom and I started throwing out names and speculating whether we thought so-and-so was gay or not, and eventually my mom said that we probably shouldn’t assume anyone is gay. I then questioned whether if we don’t assume anyone is gay, don’t we necessarily assume they are straight?

After re-reading Sedgwick, Seidman, and Hubbard and their theories about the closet for my final paper, I considered what a pain it must be to never be done coming out of the closet. It seems to me that our efforts to be respectful actually continue to enforce heteronormativity and the charmed circle. These social structures play a large part in how daunting the task “coming out” really is.

Sedgwick discussed “coming out” as gay as being different from coming out as any other identity because of its invisible, sporadic, and contested nature. There are no sure indicators of one’s sexual orientation, but because roughly 9/10 people in the population report being heterosexual, we live by a “straight until proven gay” discourse about sexual orientation. While there are some who obsess about proving another’s homosexuality (to prove that person as “one of them” or to use that information as a reason to attack them), people usually approach sexual orientation with overly cautious discourse which promotes the misplaced scale. There are few aspects of one’s identity that people are hesitant to ask about. Ones family background, religion, country of origin, political standing, music or food preferences, and even use of drugs and alcohol are acceptable forms of conversation. But we continue to live according to the rule that it is inappropriate to guess about or ask directly how one is sexually orientated.

This all seems to be an impossible situation. Both my friends and my younger brother have complained to me that they don’t like it when people assume they’re gay before they have been told, or even when people speculate about others. My brother says that assuming someone is gay based on observations (“gay accent,” extracurriculars, dress, etc.) is just rude. On the other hand, not being able to ask and not being able to speculate leaves the only option of straight until proven gay.

What is the best approach? By continuing to back away from assuming someone is gay until they come right out and say it forces that individual to continue the risky and uncomfortable “coming out process” indefinitely. On the other hand, is it really anyone’s business to know what someone’s sexual orientation is? While I was at first critical of my mom’s statement that we shouldn’t just assume someone is gay (suggesting that is okay to assume someone is straight), Seidman and Hubbard’s articles reminded me that restructuring how we think about sexual orientation and subsequently feeling free to “call out” someone’s perceived homosexuality may yank them out of the closet, but not necessarily for the best. Leaving the closet is leaving the security of privacy and facade behind. No one except the individual knows when they are ready for the world of resistance they must face as being openly gay. In my opinion, until homosexuals face no more risk of hate crimes and other forms of physically or verbally violent resistance, “outing” someone should be considered not only rude, but maybe even criminal.

…That being said, what use is my gaydar???