Queering development in Latin America
Lind, Amy and Jessica Share. “Queering Development: Institutionalized Heterosexuality in Development Theory, Practice and Politics in Latin America”. Feminist futures : re-imagining women, culture and development edited by Kum-Kum Bhavnani, John Foran and Priya A. Kurian. London ; New York : Zed Books ; New York : Palgrave, 2003.
This article argues for the need to challenge institutionalized heterosexism in development theories and practice. Along with this, addresses the uneasy relationship between heterosexual and queer feminists in Latin America, and the role of transnational networks of solidarity and activism, as well as globalized consumer culture in making some discourses of "gay rights" available in LA.
Lind and Share analyze the dynamics of development "aid" and policies, most of which peaked in the 80's in the context of the AIDS pandemic. This allowed many gay groups to become "ONGized" and get funding for their activities. The groups struggled for self-definition in tension with Western categories and US imperialism. Interestingly, agencies and organizations working in prevention of AIDS in Latin America encountered the challenge that not all men who practice sex with other men define themselves as "gay", questioning the whole paradigm of global "gay identity" discourse that expanded across Latin America through AIDS prevention dollars. On the other hand, the authors note that the easy assumption that "gay identity" is a Western or First World "import" that does not have application or relevance in Latin America, has an impact of the ability of queer people to exercise their citizenship: "Seen as traitors to nationalist movements and/or as too Westernized, queer women in Third World contexts have been oppressed by both the political right and left." (67)
Lind and Share argue for the need to establish a dialogue and connections between gay and lesbian literature and development theories, or to "queer" the development field by challenging heteronormative assumptions that have gone unquestioned so far. The call is not for an intellectual exercise but to seriously consider the material and concrete effects that these norms have in term of exclusion and invisibility of many women. For example, to rethink about the ways that the families are defined, that normally exclude queer women (I would add that these involves furthermore doing more careful research about the ways that men are also involved at the practical level with domestic chores and responsibilities, even if they do not openly talk about it at first, like Gutmann suggests). Development practices are currently operating with a discriminatory way, so that we need to include the notion of sexual rights as part of our definition of citizenship to make them more inclusive to queer women, sex workers and women (an men) who live under different family arrangements.
This article argues for the need to challenge institutionalized heterosexism in development theories and practice. Along with this, addresses the uneasy relationship between heterosexual and queer feminists in Latin America, and the role of transnational networks of solidarity and activism, as well as globalized consumer culture in making some discourses of "gay rights" available in LA.
Lind and Share analyze the dynamics of development "aid" and policies, most of which peaked in the 80's in the context of the AIDS pandemic. This allowed many gay groups to become "ONGized" and get funding for their activities. The groups struggled for self-definition in tension with Western categories and US imperialism. Interestingly, agencies and organizations working in prevention of AIDS in Latin America encountered the challenge that not all men who practice sex with other men define themselves as "gay", questioning the whole paradigm of global "gay identity" discourse that expanded across Latin America through AIDS prevention dollars. On the other hand, the authors note that the easy assumption that "gay identity" is a Western or First World "import" that does not have application or relevance in Latin America, has an impact of the ability of queer people to exercise their citizenship: "Seen as traitors to nationalist movements and/or as too Westernized, queer women in Third World contexts have been oppressed by both the political right and left." (67)
Lind and Share argue for the need to establish a dialogue and connections between gay and lesbian literature and development theories, or to "queer" the development field by challenging heteronormative assumptions that have gone unquestioned so far. The call is not for an intellectual exercise but to seriously consider the material and concrete effects that these norms have in term of exclusion and invisibility of many women. For example, to rethink about the ways that the families are defined, that normally exclude queer women (I would add that these involves furthermore doing more careful research about the ways that men are also involved at the practical level with domestic chores and responsibilities, even if they do not openly talk about it at first, like Gutmann suggests). Development practices are currently operating with a discriminatory way, so that we need to include the notion of sexual rights as part of our definition of citizenship to make them more inclusive to queer women, sex workers and women (an men) who live under different family arrangements.
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