Definitions HQ

Homosexuality (n.) when ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠thought by the straight mind is nothing but heterosexuality.

Homosexuality (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠feared not as a regression outside culture but as being culturally “out-lawed” — still within culture, outside its legitimacy.

Homosexuality (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠conceived by homophobia, paradoxically, as both uncivilized and unnatural.

Homosexuality (n.) that ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠is male, in Ferenczi and Riviere, is not "known" by the homosexual — although Ferenczi and Riviere apparently know it.

Homosexuality (n.) can ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠be abjected only through an identification with it — feared only because one has already made it.

Homosexuality (n.) uttered ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠in paranoid metonymy conflates the fluidity of the sign with 'dangerous fluids' — infecting its listener, immaculately, through the ear.

Homosexuality (n.) will ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠alter little once legitimated unless it resists normalization and changes the symbolic itself in the admission.

Homosexuality (n.) refused ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠in advance makes one a homosexual without homosexuality — the prohibition sitting there in the lecture hall.

Homosexuality (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the punishment held over both sexes in the symbolic — a gendered afterlife for the man who refuses to have the phallus and the woman who refuses castration.

Homosexuality (n.) of ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a certain kind can be achieved and contained only through and as its disavowal — the disavowal is not a price paid to win the love of fellow men.

Homosexuality (n.) converges ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠with the illegibility of Clare's blackness once mute in Passing — what is almost spoken, withheld, always threatening to break speech.

Homosexuality (n.) graphically ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠depicted is construed by the courts as sensuousness void of meaning, while the burning cross is dignified as a point in public debate.

Homosexuality (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a term that constantly threatens — or promises — to become its own referent; yet no term can fully perform its referent, 'and it's a good thing, too.'

Homosexuality (n.) becomes ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a magical word, one whose hearing is contracting: to hear 'homosexual' is to catch the sexuality it names, the way a disease is caught.

Homosexuality (n.) defined ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠by the policy as conduct inflates a single act into a practice — imagining a homosexuality that has repeated itself before it has had any chance to repeat.

Homosexuality (n.) need ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not be the love of the same: if sex is always imaginarily schematized, lesbians need not be 'of' the same sex.

Homosexuality (n.) must ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not be given the last word: the distance between the name and what cannot be fully interpellated by it keeps any figure from being final.

Homosexuality (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a desire that must be produced in order to remain repressed: heterosexuality needs an intelligible conception of it, and needs it forbidden.

Homosexuality (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not fully repudiated by the symbolic — it is entertained, but will always remain 'entertainment,' a subordinate rebellion with no power to rewrite the law.

Homosexuality (n.) reduced ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠to 'nothing other than repudiated heterosexuality' is a cynical and homophobic use of a psychoanalytic insight — one that reconsolidates heterosexual hegemony.