Women, Gender, and Politics

N16(c) - Queer, Homonational, and Trans Politics

Date: Jun 5 | Time: 08:30am to 10:00am | Location:

Chair/Président/Présidente : Lindsay Robinson (Carleton University)

Discussant/Commentateur/Commentatrice : Erin Nuckols (University of Victoria)

The political uses of homonationalism: Valérie Lapointe (Centre d'excellence sur la fédération canadienne), Luc Turgeon (University of Ottawa)
Abstract: Since the conceptualization of homonationalism (Puar, 2007), social scientists have deepened their interest regarding the substantial presence of sexual diversity (and gender plurality) in the construction of a national ideal in contemporary societies. Initially analyzed through the prism of the American sexual exceptionalism post-2001 and the way it has shaped its relationship with the East, this concept has now been extended beyond the United States, as it has been studied and applied in a variety of political contexts. Surprisingly, homonationalism has been theorized mainly by disciplines that devote little of their research to contemporary nationalisms, as if they weren't necessarily connected. Why? What can we learn from the literature on homonationalism? What is the political use of homonationalism if thought outside of the traditional conceptions of nationalism? Is it possible to identify broad trends based on these political uses? Through an analysis of 92 scientific articles, our paper proposes to categorize the political use of homonationalism from the literature. In doing so, we hope to gain a better understanding of the theoretical and empirical purpose of this concept, in addition to facilitating a dialogue between research on contemporary nationalisms and homonationalism in the field of political studies.

Cissexual Foundations of the Nation-State: Mapping a Trans-feminist History of Global Civil Registry Data: sasha skaidra (University of Alberta), Nicholas Langdon (University of Western Ontario)
Abstract: In 2016, the UN Human Rights’ Council (OHCHR) established the Independent Expert on the Protection Against Violence and Discrimination based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI Expert). While the office’s impact remains unclear, emerging transitional justice scholarship on the SOGI Expert situates it in the international women’s rights movement. We argue that the SOGI Expert should instead be situated as a global South anti-colonial intervention in the realm of international gender mainstreaming, which continues to define women’s rights in cissexual terms. We introduce a trans-feminist and decolonial counter-mapping methodology to produce a series of maps that reveal how sex assignment in state civil registries worldwide enshrine cissexual ideology in global policy. Using data from United Nations Studies in Methods statistical manual series, we geo-visualize the colonial and eugenicist lineages of civil registries that have standardized cissexualism as a demographic foundation of state citizenship. We conclude by recommending that the UN SOGI Expert becomes involved in UN statistical practices for the purposes of advancing a decolonial, trans-feminist approach to legal identity, one which is not reliant on bio-essentialist categories of binary sex assignment.

Bringing it Back Home: A Queer Trans Dialogue on Homohegemony in Canada: Leonard Halladay (Carleton University), Max Ferguson (Toronto Metropolitan University)
Abstract: This paper examines the implications of Canadian multiculturalism through the lens of homonationalism, spurred by Justin Trudeau's appearance on Canada’s Drag Race. It argues that while Canada promotes itself as a leader in LGBTQ+ rights, its policies increasingly favor LGB individuals while marginalizing trans and racialized communities. This dynamic raises concerns about the rise of Canadian anti-trans and anti-immigration sentiments within a homohegemonic framework. Utilizing a scavenger methodology (Halberstam, 1998, p. 13) and drawing from queer and trans perspectives, the paper explores how these identities can challenge that Canadian homohegemonic instinct and contribute to discussions and literature on the Politics of Belonging. Insights from the perspectives of two scholars, (one queer and one trans) will inform this exploration, aiming to redefine and contribute to new understandings and literature of belonging in the Canadian context.