Gender and Sex

Essay III: Queer Anti-Moralism
Instructions
Queer theory isn’t without its own moral investments, and it certainly isn’t uninterested
in ethics, as Michael Warner’s aptly titled The Trouble with Normal: Sex, Politics and the
Ethics of Queer Life clearly suggests. Queer theory does tend to be suspicious of what
Warner refers to as “moralism,” however. It is particularly suspicious of forms of
moralism that further stigmatize already stigmatized gender and sexual non-conformers
in the name of establishing the “respectability” of some queers in comparison to others.
Indeed, according to Warner, one of the “ground rules” of queer culture is “get over
yourself” and “put a wig on before you judge” (Warner, 35). That means thinking twice
before judging people or practices harshly simply because they are different or
unfamiliar. It also means thinking twice about the virtues (and actual consequences) of
certain principles that have come to be regarded as fundamentally “liberal” or
inherently “progressive” on their face.
Please write an essay in which you reevaluate some aspect of LGBT culture in the United
States from an intentionally anti-moralizing perspective. Possible examples include
polarizing public figures, authoritative/disreputable institutions, celebrated/stigmatized
practices, or anything else that will allow you to think twice before passing judgment.
Your completed essay should be between 5 and 7 double-spaced pages in length. It
should include page numbers and be carefully proof-read. Any reference to language or
ideas drawn from the readings should be properly cited. This means that you should
indicate clearly when you are borrowing someone else’s words by enclosing them in
quotation marks, as well as noting the source using a parenthetical citation in this form:
“…Quotation.” (author’s last name, page number)
Your completed essay is due at the beginning of class on Monday, March 28th. There
are two steps to submitting your essay. First, you must submit a digital copy of the
essay through our Canvas course site. Second, you must turn in a hard copy of the essay
at the beginning of our class meeting on that day. Failure to do either of these things
will result in a significant grading penalty
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