Panoptical Time, Cissexism, and Heterosexism: How Discourses of Adultism Discipline Queer and Trans Youth

Abstract

In this article, I apply Nancy Lesko's concept of panoptical time to a critical analysis of the interconnectedness between adultism, cissexism, and heterosexism. I explore the impacts of these interconnections on LGBTQ youth in the United States through two case examples: rapid-onset gender dysphoria and its links to the transtrender phenomenon in digital spaces, and the It Gets Better Project. I use an intersectional feminist lens to examine media and scholarly discourses that exemplify the instruments and techniques of panoptical time, as well as the mechanisms that reinforce it. The first case example draws from blog posts, YouTube videos, and scholarly literature about rapid-onset gender dysphoria and transtrenders to illustrate how disciplines that support these phenomena reflect ties between adultism, cissexism, and other systems of subordination. The second case example uses footage from the original It Gets Better video and findings from previous studies to demonstrate how this campaign relies on similar instruments of discipline to normalize heterosexism and cissexism in youth-related contexts. Finally, I discuss the implications of this analysis and explain why LGBTQ communities have a personal stake in advocating for the rights of LGBTQ youth.