Somewhere Over the Rainbow: Queer Translating

Abstract

This chapter rehearses briefly the sexual identities that are manifesting themselves in queer theory and queer politics. In doing so, it highlights the disruptive potential claimed by queer theory but as yet unrealised, or not translated, by queer activism. Working on the assumption that theorising is a form of activism, the chapter focuses on the practicalities of the translation process—a point that queer theorists have addressed sufficiently. It presents a unique approach to the difficulties of articulating multi-subjectivities in a political framework premised upon a coherent self. Closer examination of queer theory, such as that delineated in Judith Butler’s Gender Trouble, brings into focus more clearly the political potential of queer politics.